Meet Our Students

Jade Lopes

Participating in MRE-C: since 2022

Hometown: Haleiwa, HI

Major: Mechanical Engineering

What lab(s) or faculty member(s) are you working with?

How or why did you become part of this research opportunity?

I gained interest through my engineering material science course. This is where I discovered I was passionate in learning and understanding about material properties, and how you can utilize their properties when designing new technology.

What is the focus of the research you're doing?

I am working with printed solar technology, creating printed solar cells, and testing the electrical properties of them. This involves sputtering molybdenum on a soda lime glass substrate, and then creating the molecular ink to spin coat on top of the substrate. This requires optimizing the sputtering chamber in order to maximize the electrical properties, and maximizing the Copper to indium ratio in the ink.

When thinking about the work you're doing or will be doing, what are you most excited about?

I am most excited to see the continued advancements in thin film technology. I am currently excited to continue to work on the molecular ink in that I make. In order to optimize the ink I am going to alter the copper to indium ratio to analyze the effect this has on the spin coated substrates.

What are your future visions/goals?

I currently want to pursue my education and obtain my BS in Mechanical engineering and then pursue my masters in mechanical engineering post graduation. I then hope to find a career working on renewable energy technologies.

What would you say to someone who's interested in joining this program?

It is a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience in research, and learn from first hand experience beyond just the classroom. The program allows you to gain connections to different faculty who have lots of great experience and wisdom to share, as well as meeting other students with similar interests. I have learned so much from this program, and continue to learn more every day. If this program matches your interests I would 100% recommend it for you.