{"570671":{"#nid":"570671","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Concrete Results: Nanotechnology Undergraduate Research Experience Interview","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe SENIC Undergraduate Internship in Nanotechnology (SUIN) program is a major component of the Southeastern Nanotechnology Infrastructure Corridor (SENIC), at the Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology at Georgia Tech, that focuses on providing undergraduates in engineering the chance to spend a summer conducting research in a world-class collaborative lab with prominent Georgia Tech researchers. GT-IEN hosted 6 undergraduates from various U.S. colleges over the summer that engaged in hands-on research in a number of fields of nanotechnology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver the months of the 2016 Fall Semester, the IEN will be highlighting each of the six undergraduate participants, their research topics and experience in the labs, as well as what they gained from the program and their time at Georgia Tech, and in Atlanta. Our first interviewee from the program is Michael VanderZwaag, an undergraduate in Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6\u003EName: Michael VanderZwaag\u003Cbr \/\u003E Mentor: \u0026nbsp;Bill Jin and Behnaz Zaribaf\u003Cbr \/\u003E PI: Kimberly Kurtis, Professor and Associate Dean: Civil and Environmental Engineering\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E1. What sparked your interest in engineering and what problems are you hoping to help solve as an engineer?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELike most engineers, I\u2019ve always enjoyed math and science. \u0026nbsp;I joined my middle school\u2019s Science Olympiad team and won medals, in the areas of robotics and automation, which sparked my interest as a kid.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs an engineer, I enjoy the process of solving problem. I hope to work on an innovation that impacts society in a positive way.\u0026nbsp; I like my current research because we are studying concrete, the most widely used man-made material in the world, so the potential for impact is great due to the tremendous amount of concrete used globally.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2. What research are you conducting at GT and what applications do you feel this research may have?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI am working on manufacturing greener concrete using Titanium dioxide nanoparticles.\u0026nbsp; TiO\u003Csub\u003E2\u003C\/sub\u003E is added because of its photocatalytic ability, which means that in the presence of UV Light it catalyzes a reaction that converts nitrogen oxides in the air into nitrates that are absorbed on the surface of the concrete.\u0026nbsp; This is beneficial because nitrogen oxides are primary air pollutants that contribute to the formation of acid rain and urban smog.\u0026nbsp; The ultimate goal of the project I am working on is improved corrosion resistance in concrete.\u0026nbsp; Corrosion resistance is provided by the nitrate ions once they are bound to the cement phases.\u0026nbsp; Improved corrosion resistance has the ability to increase the lifespan of concrete structures, which will reduce infrastructure maintenance costs and lower carbon dioxide emissions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese new types of green concrete will be of increasing importance as, according to the Federal Highway Administration, the nations\u2019 roadway infrastructure faces a need for $170 billion, annually, to alleviate congestion and improve performance. Additionally, one in nine of the country\u2019s bridges is considered structurally deficient, creating a huge chance to improve structures with new materials as they are replaced by necessity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E3. What has been your favorite research activity thus far and why?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMy favorite activity has been mixing concrete.\u0026nbsp; I don\u2019t mind getting my hands dirty and it\u2019s a relatively simple but still interesting process.\u0026nbsp; I\u2019ve also done a lot of micro and nanoscale analysis in the cleanroom during my time here at Georgia Tech and I enjoy the chance to see the larger scale application of the research we are conducting.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E4. Do you feel this REU experience has helped prepare you for working in a collaborative laboratory environment and furthered your education goals?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe people I have met and worked with, both in the SUIN program and in the Kurtis lab, have been the highlight of my research experience so far.\u0026nbsp; It\u2019s really beneficial to work with such intelligent people who all come from different backgrounds and the collaborative nature of research is something that I\u2019ve enjoyed.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPrior to this REU experience, I didn\u2019t know much about grad school.\u0026nbsp; It has been tremendously informative about both the process of applying to grad school, the different processes for obtaining funding to further my education, as well as the opportunities that a graduate degree can provide.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E5. What are your plans post-undergraduate?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt this point, I\u2019m still undecided on my post-undergraduate plans.\u0026nbsp; This research experience has led me to more seriously consider attending graduate school and pursuing a career in research.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E6. What is your impression of GA Tech and ATL? What have you done outside the lab?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech campus is really impressive\u2014everything is really new and nice, especially the Campus Recreation Center.\u0026nbsp; Working out there has helped me get back in shape during my time here.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019ve also enjoyed exploring the city of Atlanta with my roommates from the SUIN program.\u0026nbsp; We went cliff jumping in the Chattahoochee River last weekend, which was terrifying but awesome.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Over the 2016 Fall Semester, the IEN will be highlighting each of the six undergraduate participants, their research topics and experience in the labs, as well as what they gained from the program and their time at Georgia Tech, and in Atlanta."}],"uid":"27863","created_gmt":"2016-08-30 13:17:25","changed_gmt":"2022-05-26 17:09:36","author":"Christa Ernst","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-08-30T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2016-08-30T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"570421":{"id":"570421","type":"image","title":"Michael VanderZwaag","body":null,"created":"1472572642","gmt_created":"2016-08-30 15:57:22","changed":"1475895379","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:56:19","alt":"Michael VanderZwaag","file":{"fid":"218325","name":"mvdzposter4small.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/mvdzposter4small.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/mvdzposter4small.png","mime":"image\/png","size":2969083,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/mvdzposter4small.png?itok=qVTL-m-_"}},"570501":{"id":"570501","type":"image","title":"Concrete Michael VanderZwaag","body":null,"created":"1472573282","gmt_created":"2016-08-30 16:08:02","changed":"1475895379","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:56:19","alt":"Concrete Michael VanderZwaag","file":{"fid":"218326","name":"mvdz_project_tiles.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/mvdz_project_tiles.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/mvdz_project_tiles.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1603785,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/mvdz_project_tiles.png?itok=IQEAHyPv"}}},"media_ids":["570421","570501"],"groups":[{"id":"1271","name":"NanoTECH"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"149","name":"Nanotechnology and Nanoscience"}],"keywords":[{"id":"844","name":"concrete"},{"id":"3519","name":"green building"},{"id":"11660","name":"Kimberly Kurtis"},{"id":"170649","name":"NSF undergraduate program"},{"id":"167864","name":"School of Civil and Environmental Engineering"},{"id":"166975","name":"SENIC"},{"id":"170650","name":"Summer Undergraduate Research Experience"},{"id":"166968","name":"the Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"},{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"id":"39471","name":"Materials"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EChrista M. Ernst - Communications and Marketing - The Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology at Georgia Tech\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["christa.ernst@ien.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}