Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is an analytical technique that uses a high-powered laser pulse to ablate a small amount of material from a sample, creating a microplasma. As the plasma cools, it emits light at characteristic wavelengths corresponding to the elements present in the sample. By capturing and analyzing this emitted light with a spectrometer, we can identify and quantify the elemental composition of a wide range of materials.

At YREP, LIBS research is structured into two distinct but collaborative teams: experimental and analysis.

The experimental teams focus on sample collection, preparation, and laser-based data acquisition. They work hands-on with the LIBS setup, aligning optics, handling materials, and troubleshooting live experiments in the lab.

The analysis team writes custom Python code to process and interpret the raw spectral data, applying statistical methods, background subtraction, and peak identification techniques to extract meaningful results.

This division of labor allows YREP students to accomplish more in less time, while also mirroring the collaborative structure of large-scale scientific experiments—such as dark matter or particle physics collaborations—where researchers contribute in specialized roles to a shared scientific objective.

Behind every LIBS spectrum is a wealth of information waiting to be uncovered—and that’s where our data analysis team comes in. Students in this group develop and refine custom Python code to interpret the complex emission spectra generated during LIBS experiments.

Their work includes background subtraction, peak detection, normalization, and elemental identification, often using open-source scientific libraries. By building algorithms from scratch and applying them to real-world datasets, students gain hands-on experience in scientific computing, data visualization, and collaborative coding.

This analysis not only supports the experimental groups, but also enables broader insights and long-term comparisons across projects and years. The LIBS data team plays a central role in transforming raw light into meaningful conclusions.

This YREP team uses Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy to investigate soil contamination in former industrial sites known as brownfields. These sites often carry a legacy of pollution, and understanding their elemental composition is key to assessing environmental risk and informing potential remediation efforts.

Students in this group collect soil samples from targeted locations, prepare them for analysis, and use LIBS to detect the presence of heavy metals and other potentially hazardous elements. Their work combines environmental science with advanced laser spectroscopy, giving students the opportunity to apply physics in a context with real-world impact.

By contributing to long-term datasets and refining field-to-lab protocols, this team plays a vital role in YREP’s commitment to using science as a tool for environmental stewardship and community engagement.

This YREP project explores the elemental makeup of sargassum, an invasive seaweed that accumulates along South Florida’s coastlines in increasingly large and disruptive blooms. Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), students analyze dried sargassum samples to identify nutrient levels and detect the presence of heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, and cadmium—elements that may pose risks to ecosystems and human health.

Students collect sargassum samples from local beaches, prepare them for analysis, and perform LIBS experiments to generate high-resolution spectral data. The team’s work provides insight into both the potential for sargassum as a bioresource and the environmental risks associated with its decomposition or reuse.

By contributing to a growing body of regional data, this project supports ongoing conversations around coastal health, marine pollution, and sustainable solutions for sargassum management.

This YREP project used Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy to investigate the changing elemental composition of U.S. pennies over time. By analyzing coins minted across different decades, students explored how economic, political, and material considerations influenced the evolution of U.S. currency.

In collaboration with researchers at the South Dakota School of Mines, students performed LIBS analysis on historical penny samples and used custom Python code to identify and compare elemental signatures such as copper, zinc, and tin. The project highlighted shifts in metallurgical content and examined how factors like oxidation and circulation affected the resulting spectra.

This interdisciplinary investigation connected physics, chemistry, and history—demonstrating how elemental analysis can uncover hidden stories in everyday artifacts.

Optical tweezing is a technique that uses highly focused laser beams to trap and manipulate microscopic particles—such as cells, beads, or even single molecules—without any physical contact. By exploiting the radiation pressure of light, optical tweezers allow precise, non-invasive control of objects on the micrometer and nanometer scale. This technology has revolutionized research in biophysics, materials science, and nanotechnology, earning its inventors the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2018. 

Optical tweezing is not just a scientific curiosity—it is a cornerstone of many cutting-edge industrial and research applications. In biotechnology, it is used for measuring the mechanical properties of DNA, sorting cells, and studying protein interactions. In manufacturing and diagnostics, optical manipulation enables the assembly of microscale devices and the development of lab-on-a-chip systems. The precision and contact-free nature of tweezers make them ideal for working with delicate biological materials and nanostructures, supporting everything from drug discovery to quantum research.

This project seeks to answer a fundamental question: What if one of the most powerful tools in modern biophysics could be built and operated by high school students? Optical tweezers, however, their high cost and technical complexity have historically kept them out of reach for most educational settings. In this YREP project, students take on the challenge of building a functional, cost-effective optical tweezing system using off-the-shelf components and 3D-printed parts. By modifying the OpenFlexure 3D-printed inverted microscope, designing custom optics mounts, and integrating laser pathways, students explore principles of optics, photonics, and precision instrumentation. This hands-on engineering work is paired with experimental testing of trap stability and exploration of real-world applications, such as measuring forces on microscopic beads or manipulating biological samples. The project aims not just to teach students about advanced optical physics, but to democratize access to meaningful experimental research by reducing barriers of cost and complexity.

What happens when you combine cutting-edge biophysics tools with marine biology? In this interdisciplinary project—developed in collaboration with YREP: Sharks—students are building and calibrating Thorlabs’ modular optical tweezers system to investigate the mechanical properties of biomolecules found in sharks. Using a high-powered infrared laser, students work to create stable optical traps capable of manipulating microscopic beads tethered to shark-derived proteins, including titin, a key structural protein found in muscle tissue. The goal is to stretch and study these proteins at the single-molecule level, revealing how their mechanical responses contribute to the unique physiology of sharks. This is one of YREP’s most ambitious research endeavors. It challenges students to integrate knowledge of optics, biology, and advanced instrumentation, while collaborating across disciplines to bridge marine science and experimental physics. Through this work, students gain experience with high-precision alignment, laser safety, and molecular force measurements—skills typically reserved for advanced university labs.

Mangroves are nature’s sea walls—complex ecosystems that protect coastlines, support biodiversity, and sequester carbon. In this YREP project, students explore the physics behind the protective power of mangroves, investigating how their unique root structures dissipate wave energy and reduce coastal erosion. Combining fieldwork in Miami’s native mangrove forests with tabletop experiments and modeling, students study how physical structure influences function. They build scale models to test hydrodynamic interactions in controlled environments and collect real-world data to assess the health and structural integrity of mangrove systems in the face of climate change. This project offers an immersive research experience at the intersection of physics, environmental science, and climate resilience. Students gain experience in experimental design, fluid dynamics, and environmental monitoring—while contributing to a growing body of knowledge about one of the most vital ecosystems on Earth.