MATERIAL 2022

M A ▶ T E ▶R I ▶A L
2022
MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

Contents MatSE Alumni Board members:
Daniel Bergstrom
4 -5 Eltoukhy Family Innovation Lab set to empower next generation Dominic Bonucci
of MatSE students Eileen Joyce De Guire
Matthew Frey
6-7 Faculty Highlights 2021-22 Craig Gowin
Christopher Hansen
8-9 Grainger Engineering, Beckman Institute to lead $10M DOE grant Katie Morton
Katharine Nickell
10 Illinois lands finalist spot in U.S. DOE prize Zeba Parkar, president
Stephanie Potisek Lee
10-11 Hoffmann studying materials whose traits resemble those of Alp Sehirlioglu
the human brain
MatSE leadership:
11 Illinois research team accelerates imaging techniques for Nancy Sottos, department head
capturing small molecules’ structures Dallas Trinkle, associate head
Laura Nagel, chief undergraduate advisor
12 Teaching materials Moonsub Shim, director of graduate studies
Nicole Robards, associate director of facilities
13 Materials science goes back to school
and operations
13 Grad students Kim, Day push past comfort zones to win Allison Sutton, assistant head for administration
AI Hackathon in Molecular Dynamics Ethan Scott, associate director of advancement
Erica Malloch, assistant to the head
14 Materials science: From the classroom to the race track
Main Office
15 EOH is back: Students thrilled to ‘collaborate with other 201 Materials Science and Engineering Building
MatSEs,’ community 1304 W. Green St., MC 246
Urbana, IL 61801
16-17 GEMS Camp | Mid-GLAM Camp 217-333-1441
[email protected]
18-19 Pathway to the Stars

20-21 Fostering inclusivity: Grad students Cofell, Porras-Gomez earn
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 3M Award

21 2022 Student Awards

22-23 Engineering a future together

23 2022 Alumni Awards

24 Alumni Q&A: Vineet Tagare

25 Alumni Q&A: Janna (Eaves) Rathert

26 Why I Give

Turn Passions into Possibilities

27 FY 21-22 By the Numbers

2 Materials Science and Engineering | Fall 2022

Dear alumni, colleagues and friends, Managing editors:

Sustainability solutions pose global challenges, and MatSE’s faculty, students and alumni Chelsea Hamilton, associate director of
are leading the way in meeting growing demands at both the environmental and social communications
levels. In this issue, we are pleased to highlight our recent achievements in addressing
some of the components of sustainability. Emily Jankauski, communications
coordinator
The goal of reaching a net-zero emissions economy by 2050 has been top of mind, and
I am proud to welcome the Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) for Regenerative Nicole Robards, associate director of facilities
Energy-Efficient Manufacturing of Thermoset Polymeric Materials, which is part of a $400 and operations
million U.S. Department of Energy initiative. As director of this center, I will join MatSE
affiliate faculty members Jeff Baur and Jeff Moore and a collaborative team of researchers Contributing writers:
in the Grainger College of Engineering and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and
Technology to reach this goal by responding to end-of-life management and energy- Jenny Applequist, Information Trust Institute
efficient manufacturing of thermoset plastics. Moreover, MatSE professors Axel Hoffman, Heather Coit, The Grainger College of
Nicola Perry and Ken Schweizer will play significant roles in new EFRCs led by other
institutions that aim to inspire more sustainable, energy-efficient materials and processes. Engineering
Emily Jankauski, The Grainger College of
Advancing sustainability starts with our MatSE students. We are grateful to alumnus
Atef Eltouckhy and his wife, Fofa, for providing our future engineers with cutting-edge Engineering
resources and a collaborative work environment with their generous gift supporting the Lois Yoksoulian, Illinois News Bureau
creation of the Eltoukhy Family Innovation Lab. The lab will continue our tradition of
fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, central to undergraduates like Tiffany Liu and Taft Contributing photographers:
Hammond of the Illini Solar Car team, and doctoral candidate Nate Olson, a recent NASA
JSC Pathways intern. Heather Coit, The Grainger College of
Engineering
MatSE’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is making a difference to
underrepresented groups in science and engineering by recognizing outreach in STEM Emily Jankauski, The Grainger College of
by graduate students Marilyn Porras-Gomez and Emiliana Cofell, who earned the DEI Engineering
3M Award. Their work and the dedication of other MatSE students and faculty allow us
to develop new and better approaches to meet the needs of our changing world while Marcus Peng, The Grainger College of
committing to positively impacting future generations. Engineering

L. Brian Stauffer, Illinois Public Affairs
Fred Zwicky, Illinois News Bureau

Cover image:

A microstructure of a metallic material, where
each color represents a particular orientation
of the crystal structure in the space. The
gray lines inform how the metal deforms.
Each line indicates that the crystalstructure
locally evolved because of the macroscopic
mechanical deformation. The blue to red
colored lines indicates how intense the order
of the atom is disrupted due to mechanical
loading. If the intensity is too high, then a
crack in the specimen may propagate and
lead to its rupture. By J.C. Stinville

Special thanks to communication intern
Maddie Weller.

Nancy Sottos, department head

matse.illinois.edu | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 3

Eltoukhy Family Innovation Lab
set to empower next generation
of MatSE students

BY KRISTEN COSTELLO & EMILY JANKAUSKI

Titans of industry and policymakers look “Developing these open, collaborative spaces Atef and Fofa Eltoukhy
to materials scientists and engineers to also allows us to introduce modern concepts
pioneer long-lasting batteries to power electric in materials design and sustainability to our Atef and his wife, Fofa, gave this generous
vehicles, design polymers and electronic current students and greatly enhance the gift to the department because of how well
materials that are easily recyclable, and materials education for our future students.” Grainger Engineering prepared Atef for his
discover new biomaterials that enable life- future. His career has spanned multiple
saving medical treatments. The lab will be created by renovating sectors, including becoming a professor at the
existing space on the first floor of the Materials University of Southern California, a scientist at
With the creation of the Eltoukhy Family Science and Engineering Building. It will IBM, an entrepreneur and co-founder of two
Innovation Lab, the University of Illinois be named after Atef Eltoukhy, a Grainger companies he brought public in Silicon Valley,
Urbana-Champaign’s Department of Materials Engineering Campaign Cabinet member and and a financial analyst and money market
Science and Engineering will be positioned MatSE alumnus who earned a doctorate in manager.
to do just that, equipping the next generation metallurgical engineering in 1978, and his
of material scientists and engineers with the family, whose generosity has kick-started this “It was important for my family and I to pay
know-how to provide solutions that address multi-phase building project. The Eltoukhys’ back the gift of education. What you learn at
global problems. The Eltoukhy Family’s gift gift marks the largest non-planned gift Grainger Engineering that extends beyond the
will provide students with a more collaborative commitment from a household to MatSE science and technology; is the critical thinking
work environment with plenty of room to during the With Illinois campaign. and problem solving,” Eltoukhy said. “Because
spark interdisciplinary research. the University of Illinois provided me with such
“This truly generous commitment from the a great education, we wanted to say, ‘thank
“The lab space will help us achieve a Eltoukhy family will ensure that our students you’ in this way,” he shares.
competitive edge by attracting the most are equipped to become leaders in start-up
promising scholars by giving them team- companies, industry, academia, national labs
oriented, hands-on learning experiences in a and more,” Sottos said. “We can’t wait to see
dedicated area,” said Nancy Sottos, Swanlund how these strategic enhancements enable
Chair of MatSE, Center for Advanced Study our students to pioneer next-generation
Professor and MatSE Department Head. technology.”

4 Materials Science and Engineering | Fall 2022

“IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR MY

FAMILY AND I TO PAY BACK THE

GIFT OF EDUCATION. WHAT

YOU LEARN AT GRAINGER

ENGINEERING THAT EXTENDS

Jessica Krogstad, left, camp coordinator, has fun with dry ice alongside a Girls Learning About Materials BEYOND THE SCIENCE AND
Science camper in the former space used by the camp. The Eltoukhy Innovation Lab will make way for TECHNOLOGY; IS THE CRITICAL
more outreach events like summer camps. Photo by Eli Schuster, U of I alumnus THINKING AND PROBLEM

Phase one of this project will bring Additional renovation phases will continue SOLVING.”
collaborative workspaces for MatSE students, to expand the innovation space on the
providing makerspaces and advanced first floor and potentially add up to 1,400 - Atef Eltoukhy
computing workstations for digital design. additional square feet of dedicated space for
This renovation will increase students’ access student design activities. educated us, and the people that made our
to instructional labs and lab equipment that successes possible. I would encourage others
wasn’t available previously. Every contribution to MatSE makes a who can give to find ways to make what
difference. Eltoukhy urges others to pay they have earned useful to other people.
These spaces will be equipped with design- it forward to help transform the MatSE It’s important to support current and future
centric tools, including multi-material 3D educational experience and prepare our materials science and engineering students
printers, digital microscopes, scanners, and future leaders. and help prepare them to become better
advanced analysis and modeling software. scientists and engineers that make positive
“I believe we have a duty to be good contributions in their areas of specialization.”
Not only will this gift help prepare stewards of our success and share what we
students with the tools that MatSE’s current have earned with society, with those that
undergraduate instruction labs were lacking,
but it will also begin to help reimagine the MatSE students demonstrate making biodegradable water balloons during the 2022 Engineering
Senior Design Capstone course, which allows Open House at the Materials Science and Engineering Building. Thanks to the Eltoukhy gift, r
students to maximize their experience, test enovations to the first floor of MSEB will provide updates to enhance students’ learning experiences.
their ideas and bring to life the theories Photo by Heather Coit, Grainger Engineering
they’ve learned in their classes.

This first phase also opens a world
of opportunity for outreach events and
programs, like MatSE’s Gender Equality in
Materials Science Camp, where 10th through
12th-grade high school students explore
materials science with hands-on STEM
activities at the week-long camp.

“I (attended a camp) like this in high school,
and that’s the reason why I got interested
in the field,” said Jessica Krogstad, camp
coordinator and MatSE associate professor.
“It was really captivating, and it was exciting
to see all of these different disciplines coming
together. So we really work hard to try and
demonstrate how diverse material science is.”

matse.illinois.edu | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 5

Faculty Highlights 2021-22

Hua Wang Ken Schweizer Christopher Evans
awarded the awarded the Campus’ selected as a member
NSF CAREER Award Excellence in Graduate & of the 2022 class of PMSE
(December 2021) Professional Teaching Award Young Investigators

Antonia Statt (March 2022) (April 2022)
awarded the
NSF CAREER Award Qian Chen Cecilia Leal
(December 2021) awarded Dean’s Award for awarded the College’s Award for
Sustained Excellence in Diversity,
Excellence in Research,
Associate Professor Equity and Inclusion
(March 2022) (March 2022)

Faculty Investitures

(Left to Right)
David Cahill, invested as Grainger Distinguished Chair

in Engineering
Charles Schroeder, invested as the James Economy

Professor in Materials Science & Engineering
Dallas Trinkle, invested as Ivan Racheff Professor in

Materials Science & Engineering
Paul Braun, invested as Grainger Distinguished Chair

in Engineering

6 Materials Science and Engineering | Fall 2022

Qian Chen Jessica Terbush Axel Hoffmann
awarded the Hanwha- promoted to Senior Lecturer named Clarivate Highly Cited
TotalEnergies IUPAC Young
Polymer Scientist Award (August 2022) Research (November 2022)

(June 2022)

Nancy Sottos Chris Evans Pinshane Huang Antonia Statt
elected to the NAS promoted to named Racheff Scholar named AIChE CoMSEF
Associate Professor Young Investigator Award
and the AAA&S (August 2022) (August 2022)
(May 2022) (November 2022)

From the lab to the battery start-up:
Braun unfolds co-founding efforts
at Xerion Advanced Battery

C&EN | September 2022 | go.matse.illinois.edu/battery_startup

matse.illinois.edu | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 7

Grainger Engineering, Beckman Institute
to lead $10M DOE grant

UIUC will lead one of the 43 Energy Frontier Research Centers working to meet
President Biden’s goal of a net-zero emissions economy by 2050

BY EMILY JANKAUSKI “THERE ARE REALLY The downside of thermoset polymeric
materials occurs at the beginning and end
The Grainger College of Engineering and INTERESTING PROBLEMS of their lifecycles. They require copious
the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science FOR US TO WORK ON AND amounts of energy and time to be processed
and Technology are ramping up to house EDUCATE UNDERGRADUATE in football-field-sized autoclaves, and they
the Energy Frontier Research Center for AND GRADUATE STUDENTS have no end-of-life strategy, according to
Regenerative Energy-Efficient Manufacturing IN SUSTAINABILITY AND Sottos.
of Thermoset Polymeric Materials to address MANUFACTURING, WHICH IS
fundamental scientific challenges facing “A lot of the wind turbines were rated for
manufacturing and end-of-life management of REALLY CRITICAL FOR THEM.” 30 years, and they’re hitting their 30-year life
thermoset plastics. Nancy Sottos, department cycle right now, so they’re taking them out of
head of materials science and engineering, - Nancy Sottos commission and basically taking these giant
Swanlund Endowed Chair and Center for composite structures and just putting them
Advanced Study professor, will serve as this materials are unsustainable due to the vast in a landfill,” Sottos said.
effort’s principal investigator and center energy input required for initial manufacture,
director. long cure times to develop desired structural Unlike other plastics that can be recycled,
properties and lack of end-of-life strategies. thermoset polymeric materials cannot be
Thermoset polymers and composites have broken down and reused due to their specific
all the necessary chemical and mechanical “Thermoset polymeric materials have to be polymer structure, known as a permanent
properties for achieving lightweight, durable strong and stiff and have really long lifetimes,” network polymer. But that indestructible
structures — from aircrafts and drones, electric Sottos said. structure is the essence of what has allowed
vehicles and wind turbine blades, and electric these materials to withstand 30 years of use.
vehicles and trains. Unfortunately, these

8 Materials Science and Engineering | Fall 2022

‘A chance to shine’:
Three MatSE faculty serving
four DOE-awarded centers
addressing the U.S.’ energy
efficiency

▼ Front Row (Left to Right): Sameh Tawfick, Nancy
Sottos and Jeff Moore Back Row (Left to Right):
Jeff Baur, Philippe Geubelle and Randy Ewoldt.
Photo by Heather Coit, Grainger Engineering

Sottos’ team aims to revolutionize and it generates a lot of heat. That heat is able Axel Hoffmann
thermoset polymeric materials’ life cycles in a to diffuse forward and propagate, so you can Quantum Materials for Energy Efficient
fundamental project attempting to understand produce cure fronts that move through the
how to design these materials at the chemistry material without additional energy input.” Neuromorphic Computing (Q-MEEN-C)
level with end-of-life strategies, manufacture University of California — San Diego
them efficiently and understand how their The crew will jump start its research by
network evolves over many life cycles. using machine learning to quickly test many Nicola Perry
potential formulations to narrow them down Hydrogen in Energy and Information
That nanoscale level of knowledge is of to the best fit. Like taking a paint sample from
utmost importance as society still does not your living room and matching the color using Sciences (HEISs)
have a way to efficiently restore recycled and a hardware store’s bank of pigments, the Northwestern University
upcycled plastic back to its original standard. REMAT team aims to utilize machine learning Mechano-Chemical Understanding of
to create a bank of mixing robots that can do
“When you recycle or reuse plastic, it this for different formulations of polymers. Solid Ion Conductors (MUSIC)
is often not as good as the original. It gets University of Michigan
contaminated, and the polymer network “There are really interesting problems for
actually changes and ages with time,” Sottos us to work on and educate undergraduate Kenneth Schweizer
said. “What we want to do is really understand and graduate students in sustainability and Fast and Cooperative Ion Transport in
that process so we can make polymers with manufacturing, which is really critical for
the needed properties and performance.” them,” Sottos said. “It’s absolutely essential Polymer-Based Electrolytes (FaCT)
that we get a handle on the end of life as Oak Ridge National Laboratories
To do that, the researchers will combine much as we do in the beginning when we’re Full Story: go.matse.illinois.edu/DOE_EFRC
additive manufacturing, like 3D printing, with manufacturing it.”
a novel energy-efficient curing process known
as frontal polymerization that requires much Fellow Illinois EFRC collaborators include
smaller amounts of energy to make thermoset Jeff Baur, Founder Professor of aerospace
plastics. The goal is to manufacture and engineering and affiliate professor of materials
upcycle thermosetting polymers by putting science and engineering; Randy Ewoldt,
the energy already inside of the molecules to mechanical science and engineering professor
work. and Kritzer Faculty Scholar; Philippe Geubelle,
Bliss Professor of aerospace engineering; Jeff
“We use a self-energized curing reaction Moore, the Stanley O. Ikenberry Endowed
so that you don’t actually have to put it in Chair and professor of chemistry; and Sameh
an oven or an autoclave,” said Sottos of her Tawfick, associate professor of mechanical
work with Beckman Institute’s Autonomous science and engineering. Other intuitional
Materials Systems Group, which she leads collaborators include Harvard University,
to combine chemistry, materials science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sandia
mechanics and computational science in National Laboratories, Stanford University and
pursuit of materials that are structurally and the University of Utah.
functionally innovative. “So basically, the
reaction to make the polymer is exothermic, Full Story: go.matse.illinois.edu/DOE_Grant

matse.illinois.edu | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 9

Illinois lands finalist spot Hoffmann studying
in U.S. DOE prize materials whose
traits resemble
Beniamin Zahiri, center, works with graduate students Carlos Juarez-Yescas, left, and Patrick Kwon those of the
in the lithium extraction process for their team efforts at the Engineering Sciences Building. human brain
Photo by Heather Coit, Grainger Engineering
BY JENNY APPLEQUIST
BY EMILY JANKAUSKI Xerion Advanced Battery Corps.’ hand
in the competition is critical, as it’s Humanity may be far from having artificial
The Grainger College of Engineering fabricating the core of the SelectPureLi computers that can match the human brain’s
and Xerion Advanced Battery Corp.’s team, technology, the redox membrane capabilities, so will we ever capture the brain’s
SelectPureLi, is one of five finalists in the materials used to selectively move lithium magic? To answer that question, MatSE
U.S. Department of Energy’s American-Made ions from the brine into the final product Founder Professor Axel Hoffmann led the
Geothermal Lithium Extraction Prize, a $4 stream. writing of an APL Materials “Perspectives”
million competition that aims to find new ways article that summarizes and reflects on efforts
to extract lithium from geothermal brines. “(We need) to make sure it’s (redox to find so-called “quantum materials” that can
membrane material) permeable to lithium mimic brain function.
Lithium is in demand and commercially and not to the liquid phase,” said Heng
produced overseas. The U.S. DOE is charging Yang, Xerion’s director of research and “The basic idea of what we discuss in
the nation’s brightest to find ways to mine development. “Then we’ll work with UIUC, this paper is that information technologies
lithium domestically to position the country and they will take the material, evaluate are becoming more energy-intensive,” said
for self-sufficiency in using lithium as an the chemistry and see if it’s compatible Hoffmann. “We use a lot more computation
energy storage material. with the geothermal brine.” than we used to for all kinds of things ... and
some of these things take a surprisingly large
At the helm of the team for Illinois are Xerion’s invested in the competition, amount of energy.”
Paul Braun, MatSE professor, Grainger hoping its collaborative effort with Illinois
Distinguished Chair in Engineering and puts North America on the map for lithium Traditional CMOS computers are not suited
director of the MRL, and Beniamin Zahiri, MRL extraction from geothermal brines. to many of today’s computational tasks, like
research assistant professor. The two believe image recognition. The human brain, on the
their concept, using dense cathodes as the Winners for the competition will be other hand, can easily handle such tasks while
material that selectively extracts and releases announced in the fall of 2023, but the team
the lithium, propelled them to the contest’s is committed to pursuing this technology
final phase. regardless of what happens.

“It’s a really hard problem (to solve),” Braun “There are opportunities here,” Zahiri
said. “A lot of ideas that would work for a said. “Our technology was among the ones
very high value-added chemical product just supported by the subject matter experts.
don’t apply when you’re talking about mineral Now that we have a promising technology
extraction. We’re mining a liquid instead of a for the small bench-top scale, we can
solid. We’re not synthesizing a relatively pure expand and scale it up.”
product in the lab and then ultra-purifying it,”
he added. Full Story:
go.matse.illinois.edu/lithium_prize

10 Materials Science and Engineering | Fall 2022

consuming dramatically less energy. “So, Pinshane Huang, far left, joins, Priti Kharel, second from left, Justin Bae and
can we take inspiration from the natural Patrick Carmichael, far right, at the Materials Research Laboratory. Pictured
brain to find more energy-efficient ways of on the tablet is Blanka Janicek. Photo by Heather Coit, Grainger Engineering
processing information?”
Illinois research team
According to the research, the solution accelerates imaging
will be “materials that possess some of the techniques for capturing
same traits that you find in the natural brain.” small molecules’ structures
Certain “quantum materials” seem to fit the
bill. For example, some have tendencies to BY EMILY JANKAUSKI Unfortunately, once captured, the molecules
oscillate similarly to the oscillations that were nearly invisible in the image.
form naturally within the brain. A research effort led by MatSE
Associate Professor Pinshane Huang is The trick was to isolate the atomic
“We want to look at materials that are accelerating imaging techniques to clearly structures using a Fourier transform — a
inherently unstable and fluctuating,” says visualize structures of small molecules – mathematical function that breaks down the
Hoffmann. “It’s very different from the unleashing endless potential in improving small molecule’s image — to see its spatial
traditional computer, where you want large everyday applications — from plastics to frequency.
energy barriers between your logical zeroes pharmaceuticals.
and ones, so they are well-defined and well- “We took images of hundreds of thousands
separated.” The team’s efforts expose the molecule’s of molecules and added them together to
atomic structure, allowing researchers to build a single, clear image,” said Department
Further, in a traditional computer, the understand how it reacts, learn its chemical of Chemistry graduate student Priti Kharel.
memory and the calculation unit are processes and see how to synthesize its
separate, and data are continually shuffled chemical compounds. This approach created crisp images of the
back and forth between them. molecules’ atoms without damaging the
“The structure of a molecule is so integrity of any individual molecule.
“In the natural brain, the computation fundamental to its function,” Huang said.
and the memory are much more collocated,” “What we’ve done in our work is make it “Month after month, week after week, our
says Hoffmann. “Information ... is more possible to see that structure directly.” resolution improved,” Huang said. “Then, one
distributed over the whole network, so there day, my students showed me the individual
is no need to move it around.” Seeing significant cryogenic electron carbon atoms — a major achievement.”
microscopy technology advancements in
Quantum materials, in summary, open the the last decade, Huang wondered: “What’s This discovery paves the way for many more
door to computers that offer highly energy- keeping them from doing that same thing for structural molecule imaging findings and the
efficient “back and forth” and can juggle small molecules?” Illinois researchers’ efforts are the first steps in
multiple possible states while consuming turning that dream into reality.
very little energy. Determined Huang and her students began
using existing large molecule methodology to “One day, this will be how we solve the
Full Story: develop imaging techniques to make the small structure of a small molecule,” Huang said.
go.matse.illinois.edu/human_brain_traits molecules’ structures appear. “People will simply throw the molecule in the
electron microscope, take a picture and be
The team used graphene to serve as done.”
protection from the harsh environment of
the electron microscope and limited use That dream inspires Huang and her Illinois
of electrons to illuminate the molecules. team to keep the course.

Full Story:
go.matse.illinois.edu/imaging_techniques

matse.illinois.edu | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 11

Teaching materials

BY DANIEL F. LE RAY Secondary school teachers mostly from across Illinois get hands-on training with metals under the guidance
of master teachers, Sherri Conn Rukes and Justin Sickles. Photo by Heather Coit, Grainger Engineering
According to Amy Truemper, “good lessons
involve real-life connections.” Sickles from West Mifflin Area High School in Though Massack and Truemper are both
West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. Rukes, who has science teachers, the camp often attracts teachers
A middle school teacher from Aurora, been a master teacher for 15 years, believes in fields as diverse as art, English, math or
Illinois, Truemper was one of several that young learners must understand the technical education.
educators who attended last summer’s ASM real-world relevance of what they’re learning.
Materials for Teachers Camp. This week-long “They see how science and their disciplines
program brings together middle and high “It’s hard for kids – it’s abstract,” said connect and they bring in their own ideas,” said
school teachers looking to reinvigorate their Rukes, who received her undergraduate Rukes.
science and math curriculums. degree at the University of Illinois. “I try
to show kids the practical aspects of the Sickles added that, while some participants
The most valuable aspect of the ASM sciences.” can be more hesitant at the start of a camp
camp for Truemper was seeing how simple — art or technology education teachers, for
experiments “could be connected to real-life Experiments demonstrating this practical instance — most eventually realize that they
problems in order to get kids excited and side of things can be simple – but they are have a breadth of scientific know-how. “They
engaged in understanding these concepts.” also effective. For instance, heating up a may not understand the technical, chemical or
The experience also offered her the chance to bobby pin shows how “the way these heat metallurgical background, but they always have
learn from fellow educators, she said. treatments change the material, even though an immense amount of knowledge they don’t
it is the same kind of steel.” realize,” he said.
Greg Massack, a middle school teacher
from northwest Indiana, echoed Truemper’s Giving students – and teachers ¬– that Another way ASM camp embodies its goals of
sentiments, saying, “I love the environment, “aha” moment is central to the camp’s building interdisciplinary connections is in its
and I love the interaction.” Massack added success, said Sickles, who has been a master structure. Campers are not sitting in a lecture hall
that the camp is a place for “lifelong teacher for a decade. all week, Rukes explained. “There are discussions
learning. [It’s] another pathway to doing and activities, and there are times that we do
something differently, to grow personally and ASM camp also builds a community of some teaching,” she said. “There is a lot of doing.
professionally.” like-minded educators hoping to spark We don’t just preach – they practice.”
their students’ imaginations, according
This year’s camp was led by master to Rukes: “As the days went on, we heard “My biggest takeaway,” Truemper concluded,
teachers Sherri Rukes from Libertyville High conversations amongst the campers about “is being excited about making my lessons better,
School in Libertyville, Illinois, and Justin how they might incorporate it [into their instead of just going through the motions.”
work]. It rejuvenates everyone.”

12 Materials Science and Engineering | Fall 2022

Materials science
goes back to school

BY DANIEL F. LE RAY Schleife. She explained that the MatSE The ASA also serves as an introduction to
Diversity Committee conceived the ASA to studying materials science at a college level. “
The Materials Science and Engineering provide a greater educational opportunity
After-school Academy is a new initiative for under-resourced schools. “We have A major component is talking to students
helping broaden high schoolers’ scientific a really critical need for diversity in our about what it’s like to apply for college and,
horizons by bringing materials science into undergraduate student body,” said Leal. “We in particular, the College of Engineering and
classrooms in Illinois and beyond. need to invest the time in talking to people UIUC,” said Leal. When a student applies to
one to one.” an undergraduate program, she added, “they
“A lot of students do not know what a have had contact with two professors and a
materials scientist does or what materials Leal and Schleife have worked on several few students whom they can reach out to.”
science is,” said André Schleife, associate iterations of the ASA already. The duo helps
professor of materials science and plan the course, works with MatSE staff to And Schleife and Leal have been impressed
engineering and one of two faculty members send materials to schools and leads classes by their ASA cohorts so far. “The level of
leading the program. “This program gets exploring some of the field’s fundamentals. engagement and how interesting they found
the word out about MatSE and helps recruit all these experiments was amazing,” said
people we would otherwise not reach.” But while MatSE faculty guide the Schleife. “That was motivating for us.” Leal
academy’s efforts, Schleife stressed that agreed, saying: “It was very rewarding to have
Associate Professor of Materials Science “we need the teachers or counselors at the the opportunity to speak to the students and
and Engineering and Racheff Faculty Scholar schools to be really hands-on doing all these to see their excitement.”
Cecilia Leal runs the program alongside activities.”

Grad students Kim, Day push past comfort zones
to win AI Hackathon in Molecular Dynamics

BY EMILY JANKAUSKI AND MADDIE WELLER After a week of coding and machine learning,
their team emerged victorious.
Seonghwan Kim and Kastan Day, MatSE
and Computer Science graduate students, Their takeaway? Collaborating with peers of
are two of the challenge I winners from an different fields and skill sets to solve real-world
AI Hackathon in Molecular Dynamics co- problems is much more than a showdown
sponsored by Argonne National Laboratory, of technical know-how; it’s a crash course in
U of I’s National Center for Supercomputing communication.
Applications and The University of Chicago.
Kim knew this would be an invaluable
The five-member team also included opportunity because of its real-world
graduate students from The University experience, and he’s confident he’ll carry what
of Chicago and Northwestern University. he learned with him through the remainder of
Their task? Predicting randomly sequenced his graduate journey.
copolymer properties.
He aspires to go into polymer design, using
The challenge was quite the undertaking for his education to develop more valuable and
the grad students as it got them out of their effective materials. “I don’t have a specific
comfort zones. But the pair didn’t let fear of preference, whether industry or academic,”
the unknown stop them. Kim said. “I want to do a job that’s helpful to
other people and (that) I also find enjoyable.”

Kastan Day, left, and Seonghwan Kim.
Photo by Heather Coit, Grainger Engineering

matse.illinois.edu | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 13

Materials science: From the classroom
to the race track

BY HEATHER COIT for hands-on practice for our distinctly ended in Idaho, they took fifth place in the
theoretical curriculum, and part of that has SOV class at the Formula Sun Grand Prix in
A shared interest in working with been making our training process more Kansas.
composites, sustainable manufacturing and effective and engaging,” Liu said.
an interdisciplinary team led MatSE students “My favorite part of the race was talking
Tiffany Liu and Taft Hammond to join the As Liu and Hammond have learned, to other teams about their manufacturing
Illini Solar Car team, which boasts over 150 students have several ways to apply their process and seeing all the great work on
members. materials science lessons to the team’s solar solar cars,” Liu said. “An engineering lesson
car work. I learned was always to consider fatigue
Liu and Hammond are both members of cycles and safety after we caught small cracks
the Mechanical sub-team, responsible for “My solar car experience and MatSE forming in critical but unnoticeable parts.”
designing and building the car’s structure, coursework provide mutual reinforcement,”
among other duties that include leadership Hammond said. “MatSE provides me with “In terms of life lessons, certainly the
roles. a theoretical background and a deeper most pertinent would be to be prepared for
understanding of the mechanical properties anything, and I mean anything,” Hammond
Hammond, the composites lead for the sub- of materials, while solar car gives me a chance said of the experience. “You never know when
team, works with fiber-reinforced polymer- to learn fabrication techniques that you don’t life will throw a semi-truck at you.”
matrix composites, which he describes as necessarily gain through coursework.”
forming the shell and chassis of the car plus This upcoming year is a big one for Illini
subsidiary components. The interdisciplinary nature of Illini Solar Solar Car as they begin to build Brizo’s
Car is another benefit to students who want to successor. The new car and crew are headed
“My main responsibility is leading work alongside teammates representing over to Australia when they race at the 2023
composites manufacturing projects, typically 20 majors at the university. Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.
layups, but my responsibilities include
composites sourcing and materials testing,” “Throw 75 engineers of various Collaboration will continue to be important
Hammond said. backgrounds at a project, and it’s bound to be for members like Liu and Hammond, who
solved,” Hammond said. appreciate the kinship created among the
Liu primarily works with composites and growing team.
acts as the team’s new member coordinator, The two had a chance to put this teamwork
focusing on recruitment. As one of five MatSE to the test last July when they joined the “Our team’s work is collaborative in nature,”
student members of Illini Solar Car, she hopes team to race their solar car, Brizo, at the Liu said. “We all deal with similar struggles as
to attract more of her peers. distance-based competition, American Solar students, but the proximity that comes with
Challenge, finishing sixth place in the single figuring out how to make the best solar car
“I want more MatSE students to be involved occupant vehicle class. Just before the eight- strengthens the feeling of community.”
with technical RSOs that provide opportunities day competition, which began in Missouri and

Tiffany Liu, left, and
Taft Hammond pictured
with the Illini Solar Car
team’s current car, Brizo.
Photo by Heather Coit,
Grainger Engineering

14 Materials Science and Engineering | Fall 2022

EOH is back: Students thrilled to ‘collaborate with
other MatSEs,’ community

MatSE students whip up cotton candy for visitors while they share the MechSE students are all smiles holding cotton candy made by MatSE students
science behind the popular confection during EOH . Photo by Heather Coit, during EOH. Photo by Heather Coit, Grainger Engineering
Grainger Engineering

BY EMILY JANKAUSKI on quite the show with 13 total booths. Others like EOH because it enriches their
EOH tends to be MatSE students’ favorite student experience.
How sweet it is to be back in-person for
Engineering Open House. The University event of the year because it brings them all Take MatSE sophomore Alex Lussier, for
of Illinois Urbana-Champaign opened its together, and it allows them to collaborate on example, who said it “allows (me) to research
engineering campus for elementary and U of I the topics and principles they learn in class. and study cool properties in material science
perspective students to explore The Grainger that normally (I) wouldn’t do.”
College of Engineering’s disciplines April 8-9. That’s especially true for MatSE senior Joe
Boyce, who shared he loves EOH “because it’s Lussier was able to do weeks’ worth of
Undergraduate students representing all such a great way for the community and all research to create demonstrations and inspire
Grainger Engineering majors were pumped to the kids to come out and learn about all these kids and members of the community who enjoy
showcase leading engineering concepts and engineering projects.” science as much as he does.
spread their passion for learning at the two-
day event. “You can walk through and see things about In fact, visiting EOH in high school is part of
bioluminescence, different types of flotation, the reason Lussier decided to study material
For most MatSE students, this year was all and oobleck and non-Newtonian fluids,” he science at the U of I.
the more special as it was the first time they’ve added. “It’s such a comprehensive and great
taken part in EOH in-person since the last two way of being able to experience engineering, On a sweet note, being able to lead these
had to be held virtually due to the pandemic. which a lot of kids and community members booths reinvigorates our students’ passion for
don’t see frequently.” why they chose to study materials science and
Our MatSE students were ready to arise engineering.
to the occasion as they’re no stranger to Other students enjoy EOH for the sheer
imparting their material science know-how to teachable moments it provides. For MatSE sophomore Shivam Tailor, running
hundreds their peers and the community. the cotton candy booth “reminded me once
“EOH has been something that’s good for again of why I love the people in this major.”
At the helm of the department’s EOH my learning because we get to do hands-on
efforts was senior Ali Nunes who worked (activities) with the things that we’ve learned “Everyone worked together toward the
closely with MatSE’s student organizations in classes,” MatSE freshman Rachel Branson common goal of teaching the science behind
Material Advantage and Keramos as well as said. making cotton candy while having the best
the Freshmen Materials Laboratory, which time,” Tailor said. “I was on my feet at EOH from
challenges MatSE freshmen to develop group For MatSE sophomore Nicole Bremner, she 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, but the time flew by
projects to present at EOH. Together they put enjoys EOH “because I can use the knowledge so fast. I was having so much fun that I didn’t
that I learned during classes and apply it to realize my feet hurt until I got home.”
creative ideas that I have in the lab.”
EOH 2022 is March 31-April 1

matse.illinois.edu | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 15

GEMS Camp | Mid-GLAM Camp

By igniting a passion For the first time since 2020, Gender Equity in Material Science (GEMS) and
for materials science Mid-Girls Learning About Materials (Mid-GLAM) summer camps returned to
and engineering, we in-person, hosting 19 rising 10-12 grade students (GEMS) and 18 rising 7-8
can change the world. grade students (Mid-GLAM) from Illinois, Michigan, Arkansas and even as far as
Kazakhstan. Students enjoyed opportunities to think like “material scientists,”
exploring how materials are put together, how they can be used and how they
can be improved to better the world.

Add caption here
16 Materials Science and Engineering | Fall 2022

matse.illinois.edu/outreach
matse.illinois.edu | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 17

Illustration of a bend in bilayer graphene.
Graphic courtesy Blanka Janicek, Pinshane Huang Lab:

MatSE doctoral candidate Nate Olson is

Pathway to the Stars applying his materials expertise to the unique
challenges posed by spaceflight, thanks to a
prestigious internship with NASA.

Nate Olson in front of BY DANIEL F. LE RAY
NASA’s Glenn Research
Center in Cleveland. The wonders of space exploration and
discovery captured Nate Olson’s imagination
18 Materials Science and Engineering | Fall 2022 from a young age.

“Growing up, I was always inspired by NASA
and what they had achieved, both in terms
of exploring and in terms of developing new
technologies that impact life here on Earth,”
Olson said.

Now a Ph.D. candidate in materials science
and engineering at UIUC, Olson is on the way to
achieving his lifelong dream of working at the
space agency, thanks in part to the Pathways
Program — an initiative that offers budding
engineers hands-on experience at NASA’s
leading research and spaceflight centers.

“What underpins all of this is the enormous
challenge that space exploration involves, and
materials are a big part of that,” Olson added.

Olson’s current work as a Pathways intern
involves crafting new materials that can make
spaceflight safer and more efficient. But his
path to NASA began as an undergraduate.
Inspired by undergraduate research that
explored materials design, Olson applied to and
was awarded a summer internship at NASA’s
Glenn Research Center in Cleveland between
his junior and senior years.

It was “a really impactful experience,” the
Ohio native recalled. At Glenn, Olson worked
with leading materials scientist Dr. Frances
Hurwitz on developing new, lightweight
materials for use as insulation for spacecraft.

Olson explained, “Just about every type
of extreme you can think of is experienced
somewhere in spaceflight: extremes of
temperature, extremes of pressure, extremes of
radiation.”

Olson had the opportunity to aid in Dr.
Hurwitz’s work on a broad category of materials
called aerogels. Generally composed of more
than 90 percent air, aerogels are extraordinarily
porous and light, making them an almost ideal
insulator.

Nate Olson in front of a Saturn V rocket at the
Johnson Space Center.

“WHAT UNDERPINS ALL at multiple NASA sites around the country. But beyond a doubt, the best part of Olson’s
The most valuable aspect of the NASA Space experience at NASA has been the ability to
OF THIS IS THE ENORMOUS collaborate with some of the nation’s leading
Technology Research Fellowship has been the scientists and researchers.
CHALLENGE THAT SPACE unparalleled access it provides to equipment
and expertise. Glenn Research Center houses “The people that are there are extraordinarily
EXPLORATION INVOLVES, AND specialized technology needed for the synthesis passionate about what they do. It’s what led
and production of aerogels and experts almost everyone there to NASA,” he said. “I have
MATERIALS ARE A BIG PART OF in material characterization for aerospace had the benefit of having so many different
applications. mentors and people I’ve been able to learn
THAT.” from, and that’s really been great.”
Through the Pathways Program, Olson has
- Nate Olson also been able to work at the Johnson Space There are other benefits, too; on his daily
Center (JSC) in Houston and travel to the Ames drive to work, Olson passes one of the three
“There are enormous costs associated with Research Center in Mountain View, California, to remaining Saturn V rockets stored at JSC. And
launching something into space — every ounce test materials in their world-class arc jet facility. he got to meet iconic flight director Gene Kranz,
really matters,” Olson said. “If you can make who oversaw the Mercury and Apollo missions
insulation that can protect the spacecraft more At JSC, Olson is studying how to make heat and was immortalized by the actor Ed Harris
effectively on a per-mass basis, you can save a shields that more effectively protect capsules in Ron Howard’s movie Apollo 13. According
lot of money and increase the payload.” and probes for atmospheric entry. to Olson, Kranz was “an incredible individual
who had a lot to say about leadership and team
But there is one issue: when exposed to high “Ablative heat shields cover the capsules building.”
temperatures, the empty space within aerogels that re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere [after
collapses and densifies, undermining its spaceflight], protecting the underlying structure Access to NASA’s cutting-edge technology
insulating properties. by vaporizing solids and carrying away the heat has been invaluable, too. Each NASA center has
that way,” he explained. While heat shields and helped Olson “learn a lot about how to evaluate
“The objective of my work is to understand aerogels are tied to thermal protection, the material performance, structure and properties
how we can preserve that highly porous materials and challenges involved differ. and how to tune that for given applications.”
structure at higher and higher temperatures, so
that it can serve as insulation in very extreme “At JSC, I got to do a lot of 3-D printing, which And perhaps unsurprisingly, he hopes to
environments.” I had no previous experience with,” Olson said. find himself at JSC in a professional capacity
“But it’s a neat technique — we printed a lot eventually.
Though his first internship lasted for only of test articles and were able to do extensive
one summer, Olson has been able to continue materials characterization of the thermal, “I really want to focus on solving challenges
his work at NASA thanks to support from two mechanical and chemical properties of these related to materials design – how to scale them
other programs: the NASA Space Technology 3-D-printed materials.” up, manufacture them and integrate them at a
Research Fellowship (now called the NASA Space systems level to make them work with the other
Technology Graduate Research Opportunity), Another way working at JSC is different is that components of a spacecraft.”
which he received just before beginning his it is “a bit less involved in the science side and
doctoral studies at UIUC; and his Pathways more in the engineering, ‘let’s build something And what advice would Olson give other
internship, which provides hands-on experience and test it’ side.” budding engineers or materials buffs?

First, be open to new experiences.
“Every time I’ve started something new,
I’ve not really known anything about what’s
going on, but I would still show up and be
enthusiastic about what I was doing and pour
myself into it,” Olson recalled. Secondly, and
just as importantly, “is having that passion for
learning. It can really drive you and push your
career advancement forward.”

matse.illinois.edu | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 19

Marilyn Porras-Gomez,
left, and Emiliana Cofell.
Photo by Heather Coit,
Grainger Engineering

Fostering inclusivity:

Grad students Cofell, Porras-Gomez earn Diversity, Equity
and Inclusion 3M Award

BY EMILY JANKAUSKI “I HOPE THAT BEYOND and have hands-on projects using materials from
lab kits mailed to their homes.
MatSE graduate students do more than THEIR AMAZING SCIENCE
discover materials that marvel. They’re also “My proudest moment was hearing a
legends in their community. Just ask Emiliana AND TEACHING, MATSE testimonial from a student who said that she had
Cofell and Marilyn Porras-Gomez, recipients appreciated the MatSE unit so much that she
of the new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 3M GRADUATE STUDENTS LEAD was now considering it as a major for college the
Award. next year,” Cofell said.
THE WAY SHOWING US ALL
The award is a passion project from MatSE’s Porras-Gomez shared that she, too, had no
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, THAT TRUE EXCELLENCE IS model to serve as a foundation of what it’s like to
formed in the fall 2020 semester and chaired by work in the STEM fields.
associate professor Cecilia Leal. ACHIEVED WHEN WE FOSTER
“Being a woman of color and having no STEM
“MatSE has a few awards to recognize A SUPPORTIVE, DIVERSE, role models growing up made me quickly aware
excellence in research and teaching, but MatSE of the lack of opportunities for underrepresented
students do so much for DEI. I wanted their EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE and underprivileged young people to thrive in
commitment to being celebrated,” Leal said. these areas,” Porras-Gomez said.
ENVIRONMENT”
Thanks to the generosity of 3M, Cofell and Porras-Gomez aims to provide a greater sense
Porras-Gomez were awarded $1,000 apiece - Cecilia Leal of role modeling and encouragement to bring
for leading DEI efforts that address challenges about much-needed change.
faced by underrepresented groups in science “Since starting my Ph.D., my priority has
and engineering. always been to give back,” said Cofell, a fifth- “Representation matters,” Porras-Gomez
year doctoral student. “I strive to change the said. “Young, underrepresented groups will
Cofell’s call to action empowers high school attitudes and access disparities that can make visualize themselves taking STEM paths when
students of traditionally excluded populations STEM fields less than welcoming for those they regularly see people who look like them in
in STEM. She got to do that by assisting at experiencing barriers to their educational these roles.”
GEMS Camp. The week-long camp allows high success based on gender, race, disability and
schoolers to think like scientists by looking income level.” “Furthermore, this population needs
deeper at the materials around us. encouragement and support to realize their
Cofell’s breaking barriers in her volunteer potential to become the next generation of
Cofell’s drive comes from feeling “isolated” efforts, having served as a camp coordinator for leaders in STEM,” Porras-Gomez added. “The
and “discouraged” as a student interested in a the What it Takes: Exploring Engineering Camp. question is no longer whether diversity in STEM
“male-dominated” STEM field. She comes from Students explore a dozen engineering fields leads to better outcomes, but how to obtain the
a lower-income background and was raised by best out of diverse teams.”
a single mother.

20 Materials Science and Engineering | Fall 2022

2022 Student Awards

Porras-Gomez looks no further than Graduate Student Awards
herself to encourage diversity in STEM. She’s
recruiting the next generation of materials Chakrapani Annual Innovation Award for Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis: Justine Paul
scientists and engineers by getting them Conference Presentation (Travel) Award: Sourav Das, Meba Gebre, Saran Pidaparthy,
involved in Grainger Engineering’s Worldwide
Youth in Science and Engineering STEM-based Chang Qian, Nachiket Shah, Zhengzhong Tan, Josh Vita and Cindy Wong
summer camps for middle and high school MatSE Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award: Brian Jing and Abhiroop Mishra
girls. The fourth-year doctoral student has Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 3M Fellows: Emiliana Cofell and Marilyn Porras-Gomez
also been involved with the Illinois Materials Racheff-Intel Award for Graduate Students: Laura Porath, Arghya Patra, Yang Bo and
Research Science and Engineering Center’s Quentin Rizzardi
outreach opportunities. 3M Graduate Fellowship: Haley Buckner

Her favorite one? Cena y Ciencias, or the Undergraduate Student Awards
Supper and Sciences Program, where she
designs and leads lessons in Spanish for Alfred W. Allen Award: Ian Flueck, Jessica Lawson, Jordan Meyer and Steve Skala
Hispanic 4- to 14-year-olds. Russell Bolton Research Development Award: Noha Azizalrahman, Chloe Kwak
Dow Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Undergraduate Student Award:
“I visualize a world where people can thrive
in STEM independently of their appearance Ibukun T Ajifolokun, Noha Azizalrahman
and social identities,” Porras-Gomez said. M. Laird and Charisann Froberg Award: Alison Nunes
“I believe we can build safe, open and MatSE Alumni Board Award: Ian Flueck
inclusive environments if we become Sheryl Blair Tipton Award: Grace Levita
conscious of our own biases and commit to
supporting untapped minorities.” 2022 Racheff-Intel Award winners (Left to Right) Quentin Rizzardi, Laura Porath, Yang Bo and
Arghya Patra
The two are thrilled to have been selected
as award-winners for their progress in matse.illinois.edu | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 21
diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, but they
also agree that their work is far from done.

“STEM outreach will always remain at the
forefront of my work,” Cofell said. “I truly
believe we have the ability and duty to create
equitable STEM learning and workplaces
— where people from all backgrounds can be
welcomed, feel heard and succeed.”

“My goal is to support and give other
people the leverage they need to succeed,”
said Porras-Gomez. “In my doctoral path, I
have found mentorship pivotal in retaining
underrepresented groups in STEM. To me,
the difference is that mentors are also role
models.”

That determination to inspire the next
generation of underrepresented groups to
explore STEM education and career paths
makes Leal incredibly proud.

“I hope that beyond their amazing science
and teaching, MatSE graduate students lead
the way showing us all that true excellence
is achieved when we foster a supportive,
diverse, equitable and inclusive environment,”
Leal said.

Full Story: go.matse.illinois.edu/fostering_DEI

“ BY FAR, THE BEST THING TO

HAPPEN TO ME AT UIUC WAS
MEETING MY BEST FRIEND,
WORK COLLEAGUE AND LIFE

PARTNER.”

- Darrin Hansen

Darrin and Amanda Hasen.
Photo by Heather Coit, Grainger Engineering

Engineering a future together

BY DANIEL LE RAY “He barged in, dripping in sweat, and said: cooking and treated us to many wonderful
this project’s rough!” she said. dinners,” Darrin said. “With such a small
In seventh grade, Darrin Hansen, ’88 department, we had great camaraderie.
bachelor’s and ’90 master’s MatSE recipient, Darrin laughed, adding, “I was frustrated However, the best memories are always with
traveled traveled to UIUC from Mount because none of my experiments were Amanda. By far, the best thing to happen to
Prospect, Illinois, as a finalist in a science fair working out, and I had had enough.” me at UIUC was meeting my best friend, work
project. colleague and life partner.”
After enrolling in UIUC’s MatSE master’s
“I loved the size and beauty of the campus,” program, Amanda first got to know her future The analytical skills gained at UIUC have
Darrin recalled. After a campus tour and husband during a graduate student project. also served them well in their careers.
a basketball game, Darrin’s mind was set: Funded in part by the Air Force, the project
Illinois was his top choice for college. When it studied silicon carbide fiber-reinforced In his first job working on the Endeavor
came time to apply, the avid student-athlete ceramic matrix composite materials. Space Shuttle at Rockwell International,
and budding engineer considered sports Darrin explained, “I had to reach out and seek
scholarships, but Darrin realized that he could Her work included some travel to Oak mentoring and advice from a few older, wise-
“go to a good school and get college paid for, Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee to but-gruff and intimidating engineers. Had I not
but those were not top engineering schools.” use specialized measurement equipment. gained the confidence to problem solve and
So he enrolled at Northern Illinois University “They had a Nanoindenter — equipment that not be afraid to ask questions at UIUC, I would
(NIU) with the goal of transferring to UIUC in could indent individual fibers — as a way of not have been as successful in my first job.”
his junior year. measuring the frictional stresses at fiber/
matrix interfaces,” Amanda explained. More than 30 years later, the couple —
Darrin eventually earned his bachelor’s who married in 1995 — now both work for
degree in ceramics engineering at UIUC before Although working in the lab was Boeing in Seattle — Darrin as an associate
enrolling in a master’s program in Materials important, so were the connections the technical fellow for product development and
Science and Engineering. During his first year Hansens made with fellow students. sustainability, Amanda as a senior project
as a graduate student, Oregonian Amanda engineer.
(Burreson), ’90 master’s MatSE recipient, was While Amanda was the only woman in
was on campus meeting with Darrin’s then- their cohort, there was geographical and “I was trying to interview with every division
adviser, Dr. Joseph Hominy, about enrolling in ethnic diversity among their graduate group. but hers,” said Darrin. “We thought some
the program. Amanda remembered her first Darrin recalled spending time with the family separation after being in grad school together
encounter with her future husband. of a fellow student from India, Anil Murthy. would probably be healthy!”

“His mother gave us lessons in Indian

22 Materials Science and Engineering | Fall 2022

2022 Alumni Awards

Then, Amanda recalled, the day before Alumni awards are presented by the MatSE Alumni Board at the department’s annual
Darrin started, “my lead came up to me and banquet each spring semester. Meet this year’s honorees.
said, hey, do you mind if we sit someone
next to you on Monday? There’s a guy named Distinguished Merit Award:
Darrin Hansen who’s going to be starting in our
group. I panicked and turned bright red,” she Christopher Schuh
added. Christopher Schuh is a ’97 MatSE bachelor’s recipient.

Darrin laughed, explaining that “days before He is now the Danae and Vasilis Salapatas Professor of
I arrived, they had transferred me to her group, Metallurgy and MacVicar Fellow at MIT’s Department
unknown to both of us, due to budget shifts.” of Materials Science and Engineering, where he served
eight years as the department head.
The Hansens’ career paths eventually
diverged: Darrin moved on from materials In 2019, Schuh was inducted as a member of the NAE
development work to direct airplane program and fellow of the NAI. He is the co-founder of Desktop
support (737, 787 and 777X programs) and has Metal — a 3D printing systems company in Burlington,
spent the last 15 years developing lightning Mass. — and chief scientist of Xtalic Co. — an advisor in
protection solutions for composite wing fuel breakthrough materials solutions in Marlborough, Mass.
tanks. Amanda worked in various engineering
positions from materials and processes He was the 2009 recipient of MatSE’s Young Alumnus
research and development, customer service Award, and in 2015, he returned to the department to
engineering, flammability and quality give the Howard K. Birnbaum Memorial Lecture.
engineering for 787 and 777X airplanes.
Loyalty Award:
However, they have recently been reunited
in Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ Product Frank Shi
Development organization, working on new Frank Shi is a ’96 MatSE master’s and ’04 MatSE
materials and processes to improve flight
safety and efficiency. doctorate recipient. He is currently the co-founder and
CEO of PhotonIC Technologies — an optoelectronic
The Hansens recently returned to campus — integrated circuit chips provider in Shanghai, China.
Amanda for the first time since graduation —
to direct graduate student research alongside Shi is a devoted alumnus, speaking at college events
Swanlund Endowed Chair and Materials and MatSE classes throughout the year.
Science and Engineering Department Head Dr.
Nancy Sottos. Young Alumnus Award:

“An engineering degree from UIUC opened Ryan Haggerty
doors for my first and second jobs,” Darrin Ryan Haggerty is a ’11 MatSE doctorate recipient.
explained. “Boeing has recognized that and
selected UIUC as a strategic partner.” He currently serves as a senior manager at Sandia
National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M.
The couple is impressed by the quality
of work current students are doing. And During the ventilator shortage at the beginning
while that is important, Darrin added, “none of the pandemic, Haggerty helped the national lab
of that matters if you aren’t able to work produce 100 ventilators within 30 days. More recently,
collaboratively and communicate well with he was named senior manager for the Materials Aging
your peers and the leaders of your company. and Reliability Group, where he leads the program
Take time now to hone these skills.” responsible for the reliability and safety of the U.S.
nuclear weapons stockpile.

Learn more about MatSE Alumni Awards: matse.illinois.edu/alumni/awards

matse.illinois.edu | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 23

Alumni Q&A

Vineet Tagare

Vineet Tagare is a MatSE ’21 alumnus, who Q: What makes MatSE the coolest Q: What do you cherish most about your
now works as a process integration engineer
at TMSC, a semiconductor manufacturer engineering major? time at Illinois?
headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan. A: “Materials science and engineering is A: “I cherish the countless memories I made
the coolest major because of the various with lifelong friends and how tight knit the
Q: What exciting materials efforts are you applications and the advancements being MatSE department is. The supportive faculty
getting to champion in your current role? made in the field.” and staff in the MatSE department made the
A: “I am a process integration engineer (at Illinois experience even better.”
TMSC), where I analyze data and work with Q: What are your fondest memories from
different departments to design experiments Q: How did your time at MatSE prepare you
and bring new products into production.” your time at Illinois?
A: “I have had a lot of great memories for your career?
Q: What sparked your interest in materials from my four years at Illinois — from the A: “One of the things I learned as a MatSE
science? various celebrations hosted by the MatSE student at Illinois is how to consider every
A: “I became interested in materials science department, to the many trips I got to go on possibility when finding anomalies in sets
and engineering once I got to understand the through (MatSE’s student societies) Materials of data. During many of my undergraduate
various fields the knowledge I gained could Advantage and Keramos, to secret Santa and courses, I had to write technical reports for
be applied to.” white elephant (gift exchanges) with friends, labs, which included analyzing data to come
to Materials Advantage intramural sports to a conclusion. From the data, I had to
Q: What made you choose to study teams. I have enjoyed every single event think of every possible parameter to explain
materials science and engineering at I took part in. One of my favorites was the outliers or unexpected trends in the data.
Illinois? annual trip to Curtis Apple Orchard, where I This skill is one that I use in my job every day
A: “I chose to study at Illinois because of enjoyed spending time with friends, picking to determine the root cause of anomalies in
the university’s top engineering school and apples and eating apple cider donuts.” data and any other issue that may arise.”
top MatSE department. I also chose Illinois
because of its beautiful campus as well as the Q: What research did you conduct as a Q: What advice do you have for current
exciting campus life.”
MatSE undergraduate student? MatSE students and the incoming
A: “Most of the work I did happened in the
cleanrooms on campus through classes. freshman class?
I have worked in the nanotechnology A: “For current MatSE students, take every
cleanroom in the Electrical and Computer chance you get to learn in lectures and in
Engineering Building, the cleanrooms in the the labs to help you get a research position,
Nick Holonyak Micro and Nanytechnology an internship, into graduate school or (land)
Laboratory, and the cleanroom in the a job. Take advantage of every opportunity
mechanical engineering building through given to you. To the Class of 2026, take every
classes like Introduction to Nanotechnology; opportunity you get to learn and find out
Theory and Fabrication of Integrated Curcuit what you’re interested in. Make a great group
Devices, and Micro-Electro Mechanical of friends and don’t be afraid to reach out
Systems and Nano-Electro Mechanical to the teaching assistants, professors and
Systems Theory and Fabrication. In these faculty.”
labs, I worked with advanced device
fabrication equipment to create transistors
and MEMS-NEMS devices.”

Share your story! As a MatSE at Illinois graduate, you are our legacy — your

success stories are important to us and serve as inspiration for current students
and fellow alumni alike. Where has your career taken you since graduation? Do
you have inspiring or successful stories to share? We want to hear about your
accomplishments and highlights since leaving Illinois. Email: [email protected]

24 Materials Science and Engineering | Fall 2022

Janna (Eaves) Rathert

Janna (Eaves) Rathert is a ’15 MatSE alumna multiple days. Form Energy is developing a Q: How did your time at Illinois prepare you
who is now a staff scientist at Form Energy, new class of cost-effective, multi-day energy
Inc., which aims to develop a new class of cost- storage systems that will enable a reliable, for your career?
efficient, multi-day energy storage systems secure and fully renewable electric grid year- A: “MatSE at Illinois had an incredibly
that’s pioneering cost-efficient storage round.” comprehensive curriculum taught by world-
systems that will enable reliable and fully- class professors. Seven years later, I continue
renewable electric grids. Rathert also holds Q: What drew you to materials science and to refer back to my notes and textbooks,
a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering engineering? occasionally finding gems from professor
from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. A: “I’ve been concerned about environmental Waltraud Kriven’s class like, ‘The best way to
Here she studied various advanced battery sustainability for as long as I can remember. estimate the porosity of a material is to lick it.’
technologies and used electrochemistry to When it came time to decide what role I Beyond classes, there were plenty of
tune the optical properties of materials. wanted to play in society, I knew I had to do opportunities to get involved in research,
something proactive for the environment. student organizations or project teams to
Q: What’s day-to-day life like as a staff Materials science and engineering seemed to find your path and build your resume. Most
offer the most opportunity to participate in the importantly, the massive engineering career
scientist at Form Energy, Inc.? development of sustainable technologies, like fair helped me land a few summer internships,
A: “I work with a forward-thinking team photovoltaics and energy storage.” where I gained valuable work experience and
of scientists and engineers to improve the lifelong friends.”
operation and scalability of our rechargeable Q: What made you choose Illinois?
iron-air battery. By using iron, one of the most A: “UIUC’s reputation for excellence in Q: What are some of your fondest memories
abundant and cheap materials on earth, engineering is hard to ignore. I was honored to
we hope to enable a 100 percent renewable be accepted at all. It was an easy decision.” from Illinois?
electric grid.” A: “Some of my fondest memories are late
Q: What research did you conduct at Illinois? nights in the Society of Women Engineers
Q: How does your work impact our A: “Surprisingly, I did very little research while at Illinois office or MatSE computer lab with
at Illinois. I spent more time with student friends, the smell of clay in the Ceramics
everyday life? organizations like Material Advantage, and basement, MatSE happy hours at Murphy’s
A: “Everyone at Form Energy is passionate on project teams like Solar Decathlon. Pub, Material Advantage bar crawls
about developing energy storage for a better Instead of working in labs over the summer, and spending all my money at Cravings
world. In order to power the world with more I did internships at Boeing and SpaceX. Restaurant.”
clean energy sources, we need a solution to Immediately after graduating, I began working
store intermittent renewable energy over at a battery startup called Xerion Advanced Q: What advice do you have for incoming
Battery Company, where I developed
professional working habits and solidified MatSE students?
my commitment to energy storage. These A: “Hydrate with water, get plenty of sleep and
qualities helped smooth my transition into be kind.”
grad school when I finally decided to pursue a
Ph.D. two years later.” Q: What wisdom can you impart on current

Q: What makes MatSE the coolest major? MatSE students?
A: “Materials science is at the heart of every A: “You’ll hear a lot of talk about networking.
major technological advancement in the Networking is just like making friends. In the
history of mankind. We literally define periods words of the late Dale Carnegie (an American
of history by material, like the Stone Age, writer), ‘You can make more friends in two
Bronze Age, Iron Age, etc. It doesn’t get cooler months by becoming interested in other
than that.” people than you can in two years by trying to
get other people interested in you.’”

matse.illinois.edu | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 25

Why I Give

When you donate to MatSE Illinois, your support provides promising, hard-working
students the opportunity to fulfill their educational goals and make their mark on the
world! Every donor’s reasons for giving are different. Here’s what two of them have to say
about why they give:

“I’m grateful to have been able to study ceramic engineering/materials science to help
solve problems and improve our human existence with materials. I was lucky to have been
able to afford to attend a wonderful public university in a department that has such high
international rank. By giving, I hope to relieve some financial burden so that students can
study more and perhaps work/borrow less.” – Carolyn Primus ’74

“The U of I has been important to my family for generations, and I want to see it stay at
the top among peer institutions. Undergraduate teaching facilities are always needed to
stay competitive. I want my gifts to enable this or any other aspects of the department that
might currently be lagging. We can’t rest on our laurels to attract the next generation of
talented students.” – Ben French ’00

Turn Passions into Possibilities

Your gift to the MatSE Visionary Scholarship Fund is the catalyst for access to education,
nurturing ambition and turning passions into possibilities.

“The MatSE Engineering Visionary Scholarship will provide
me with support in pursuing undergraduate research with the
Shoemaker group this semester and help me work towards my
goal of studying abroad in my junior year. Fixing the world’s
problems with the help of math and science has always been
something I knew I wanted to do. Outside school, I am involved
in the Society of Women Engineers, Material Advantage and
Flashpoint Photography. After I graduate, I would like to work on
materials for energy storage.” - Akhila Mattapalli

Make your gift to the MatSE Visionary Scholarship Fund at: go.matse.illinois.edu/Give
Or mail to:
University of Illinois Foundation
P.O. Box 734500
Chicago, IL 60673-4500

26 Materials Science and Engineering | Fall 2022

FY21-22 By the Numbers

#2 Ranked undergraduate Students/Faculty
program in the U.S. 538+12Faculty
U.S. News & World Report Students
Emeritus 13
#6 Ranked graduate PhD
program in the U.S. 47
U.S. News & World Report 174
5 FACULTY 607+3 MS 39
#13 2022 Shanghai 523
Global Ranking of STUDENTS
Academic Subjects
Adjunct 4 25 310

Instructional Tenure track Undergraduate

FY22 New Grants FY22 Research Expenditures

Industry: $1.8M1 2716+46 3 3712+9$27 DOD: $10.5M Federal: $13.6M $16
NIH: $3M NSF: $8.2M Industry: $2.2M
8 415+ MILLION Local Government: $148,000 MILLION
DOE: $3.2M

Alumni/Giving 5,774

Endowment income Alumni

Faculty & research Multiple purpose Giving
support: $107,075 and other: $112,071
257
$18.3M $670,100 Unrestricted support
for Department’s GIFTS RECEIVED
ENDOWMENT INCOME priorities: $176,880
187

DONORS

Student support: $274,074

matse.illinois.edu | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 27

Materials Science & Engineering
201 Materials Science Building
1304 West Green Street
Urbana, IL 61801 MC-246

Make an Impact at MatSE

Your gift to the Materials Science and Engineering Priority
Fund provides vital, unrestricted support that allows the MatSE
department to strategically invest in critical initiatives that will
transform the student experience, drive world-changing research,
and address social justice in engineering education and research.
Make your gift to the Materials Science and Engineering Priority
Fund at: go.matse.illinois.edu/Give
Or mail to:
University of Illinois Foundation
P.O. Box 734500
Chicago, IL 60673-4500
Increase your impact! Learn if your employer will match your gift:
uif.uillinois.edu/matching-gifts

Keep in touch: MATSE.ILLINOIS.EDU

28 Materials Science and Engineering | Fall 2022