Achievement

Trainee Karole Blythe is currently co-mentoring a high school student in nanoparticle synthesis. After inspiration from the IGERT Summer Nanoscience Academy, R. Velasquez asked if she could work in the Willets group lab. She synthesizes metal nanoparticles for the lab, such as gold nanorods and spheres as well as silver colloids. She also makes buffers and can standardized solutions of sodium hydroxide. Karole also mentored REU student from Langston University, who worked on gold nanorod synthesis, as well as coating nanorods with dye doped mesoporous silica shells. She also took absorption spectra of the silica coated rods in different solvents using a UV- VIS spectrometer. She won 2 poster sessions based on presenting her work in the lab, 1st place, oral presentation at the Emerging Researchers National Conference in Atlanta and 2nd in oral presentation at Beta Kappa Chi/ National Institute for Science Conference in Nashville Tennessee.