Ten students are once again taking part in the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU): Advanced Manufacturing for a Sustainable Energy Future at CAES through the beginning of August. The cohort is working alongside faculty from the CAES universities and INL researchers to assist on projects related to advanced manufacturing that leverage new capabilities at CAES.
A $365K grant from the National Science Foundation led to the creation of the program in 2022, which runs for 10 weeks each summer. It is designed to give students hands-on research experiences and networking opportunities to develop their STEM identity and literacy, while also providing professional development opportunities for careers in the energy sector.
Here are the students selected this year and the projects they’re supporting:
Stefan Hendrick (Boise State University) and Ellen Raad (Colorado State University): Novel Alloy Development for Nuclear Applications
- Faculty Mentor: Brian Jacques, Boise State University
- INL Mentor: Asa Monson
Angelina James (University of Washington Tacoma): Multiphysics Modeling and Experimental Characterization of Printed Magnetostrictive Acoustic Sensors
- Faculty Mentor: Zhangxian (Dan) Deng, Boise State University
- INL Mentor: Josh Daw
Jake Wessels (Boise State University): Corrosion Performance of Additively Manufactured Structured Materials
- Faculty Mentors: Mike Hurley, Boise State University
- INL Mentor: Donna Guillen
Jazmin Bettancourt (College of Western Idaho): 3D Li-ion Batteries through Advanced Manufacturing
- Faculty Mentor: Claire Xiong, Boise State University
- INL Mentor: Pete Barnes
Blue (Georgia) Hill (Idaho State University): Molecular Self-assembly of Macromolecules in Additively Manufactured Organic Semiconductors
- Faculty Mentors: Eric Jankowski, Boise State University & Jim Beck, Boise State University
John Peterson (University of Utah): Classical Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Nuclear Materials
- Faculty Mentor: John Russell, University of Idaho
Ethan Lang (Idaho State University): Effects of PANDA LPBF-3D Printing Parameters on Metal Parts Surface Wettability
- Faculty Mentor: Amir Ali, Idaho State University
Reina Yarman (Idaho State University) and Halie Resleff (University of Idaho): High Temperature Molten Salts Chemistry and Electrochemistry
- Faculty Mentor: Haiyan Zhao, University of Idaho