Wim Geerts Scholarship

Scholarship

"What Bird is that? What is its name?"
"Richard I can tell you the name when I knew it in all the languages of the world, but than you only know how people call it in different places. You wouldn't learn anything from it. You gotta look at the bird, listen to the bird, you gotta try to understand what it is doing".

Discussion between Richard Feynman and his dad in Infinity, 1996.

Major Research interest:

3D-printed Magnetic Composites (Magnetic Field Assisted Additive Manufacturing) and methods for application in novel Halbach cylinders in motors, generators, clutches, and permanent magnets.
Magneto-elastic and Magneto-plastic properties of thin films and composites for application in actuators including artificial muscles.
Properties of novel transition metal oxides including the ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors Ga2O3, In2O3, and Al2O3 that are currently explored for application in high power electronics including LED lighting electronics and military radar transmitters.
Wide bandgap Organic Perovskite thin films deposited by solvent processing for application in under water and tandem solar cells.

Equipment we use for our Research:

Measurement techniques available in our laboratory: MO Kerr magnetometry, rotating field magnetostriction measurement technique, van der Pauw four-point probe measurement technique, deep level transient spectroscopy, external quantum efficiency measurements on solar cells, Solar Cell efficiency measurements, IVT measurements.
Measurement methods we use through SRO and collaboration for our research: SEM/EDAX, XRD, Ellipsometry, Vibrating Sample Magnetometry and torque magnetometry, XPS, AFM, stylus profilometry, Photoluminescence measurements.
Deposition methods available in Zakhidov Organics Semiconductor Lab : glovebox cluster including spin coater in wet glovebox and thin film evaporator in dry glovebox for solar cell device stack, water cooled FDM 3D printer for magnetic field assisted additive manufacturing.
Deposition and manufacturing methods we use through SRO and collaboration for our research: Pulsed Laser Deposition (Dr. Droopad, Electrical Engineering), Twin Screw Extruder (Dr. Tate, Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering), glovebox and inkjet printers (Dr. Chen, Electrical Engineering).

Research Project Openings for Spring 2024-Fall-2024:

Development of a setup to measure the magnetostriction properties of magneto-elastomers.
Nucleation and Growth of Slot-die printed ultra wide bandgap halide perovskite semicconductors.
Development of a tableop stress-strain measurement setup for magneto-elastomers.
MOKE setup that allows for magnetic hysteresis curve measurements on samples that are exposed to a tensile strain.
DFT calculation on CuI/2D-perovskite/3D-perovskite device stack.

Current and Past Students / Collaborations with other Laboratories:

Students 2024: Gabriela Espinoza Nischhal Ghimire Leo Rodriguez Selena Rose Najar Selena Anderson Sujan Pyakural Arjun Sapkota Ripon Mahamudujjaman Anisul Islam Prajwol Regmi Dipti Koirala

Collaborations 2024: MSEC: Nischal Khakurel (TxState) Chemical Engineering: Nayeem Kashem (Texas Tech University) MSEC: Oluwasola Arigbabowo (TxState) Manufacturing Engineering: Kiran Poudal

Students 2023: Tanjina Ahmed Jonathan Alvarado

Collaborations 2023: Engineering: Chandan Howlader (TxState) Manufacturing Engineering: Mandesh Khadka (TxState)

Student 2022: Chris Selsor Marco Baca Lauren Henderson

Collaborations 2022: Mechanical Engineering: Amand Oliveira (Texas Tech University) Physics: Leo Rodriguez (TxState)

Students 2021: Danny Luna Kolton Dieckow

Collaborations 2021: Physics: Drew Amyx (TxState) Manufacturing Engineering: Camila Belduque (TxState)

Students 2020: Sam Zamora Chandan Howlader

2019: Selena Rose Najar James Nick Talbert Sarah-Beth Ragan Shankar Acharya Binod DC Clint Boldt Rigoberto Mayorga-Luna Noel Gamez

2018: Chandler Hutton Salomon Gallegos James Dobbins    Samuel Kimmel(Chemistry) Andres Oliva(EE) Brian Collier Joselyn Lesikar Anival Ayala
2017: Md. Ahad Talukder    Fidele Twagirayezu    Anival Ayala Amanda Gregory      Armando Gallegos (EE)
Aaron Medina Maria Chappell        Mayuko Stauffeneger
2016: Michael Measom   Sudarshan Luitel      Darrell Adams     Jose Majorga         Cole Stevenson     Yubo Cui       David Torres    Darren Miller
2015:  James Shook    Josh Thompson   Leonardo Escandon    Ricky Scott
2014:     Maclyn Compton      Ryan Laughin     Joseph Sadler     Michael Robinson (EE)
2013:    Elizabeth Leblanc      Javad Gatabi     Nelson Simpson       Brice Williams     Garrett McSpaden      Bill McKenna      Rudy Holz
2012: Cynthia Montgomery     Bryant Aaron (CS) Geoffrey Miller (Math)     Hanu Arava
2011: Hector Valdez Alan Woodall      Brandon Dillard
2010: Clint Bordelon    Cliff Thompson     Kyle Smith      Amanda Gregory
2008: Conrad Newton   Clayton Moore   Chris Lohn    Daniel Palmer(CS)
2007:   Chris O'Brien   Elaine Tennant   Jonathan Garrett
2006:    Daniel Fenter     David Delgado    Joel Dunn,
2005: Sonny Garcia   Martin Hodo   Matthew McDougle    Miguel Bernal    Vincent Sombroek
2004:    Hans-Willem ten Brinke       Dennis Jordan           Larry Foulkrod
2003: Jacob Grimes    Wendy Avila   Jett Hendrixs
2002: Claude Garrett      Chris Brown
2001: Brian Donehew     Brenda Wilson       Dustin Ragan       Nazul Rivera        Bobby Duran
2000:   Charlie Watts    Christie Weidner     Dr. Archana Dubey   Philip Smith (PJ)   Patrick Holland       Anita Acevedo
1999:  Wayne Lewis       Valerie Cuming       Ena Bichsel
1998:   Andrew Schuetze      Harsha Abeywickrema

Current funding: NSF, TxState University. 2024 Progress Report

        High field MO Kerr magnetometry (NHMFL)
        Dissertation Thesis database library