News
Canada's Second Rising Stars in Electrochemical Systems Symposium
Image created by the talented Dr. Reza Moshrefi.
Dr. Gateman co-organized and presented at the second online meeting that showcased Canada's Rising Stars in Electrochemical Systems. This symposium brings together Canada’s emerging electrochemistry researchers in academia, industry and government for two days of vibrant discussions and valuable learning. Dr. Gateman's talk was entitled: "Understanding corrosion using multiscale radioelectrochemistry" that outlined exciting research happening in the group in collaboration with the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO). More info about the symposium can be found on the event's website. Please reach out to Dr. Gateman if you're an early career electrochemistry researcher interested in participating and/or co-organizing in the 3rd meeting!
Dr. Gateman Awarded $1.3M for SMR Research
With Canada's investments in implementing small modular reactors (SMRs), questions arise about how the spent nuclear fuel from these new technologies will be safely stored long-term. Prof. Gateman is tackling this question head on with a newly funded project in collaboration with Natural Resources Canada, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, and others. Read more about it in the Western News article: https://news.westernu.ca/2024/02/small-modular-reactors/
Ghazal Wins an IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship!
We are thrilled to share that Ghazal Shafiee has won a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)! The scholarship is awarded to female students studying towards a Master's degree in nuclear related subjects and aims to inspire and support young women to pursue a career in the nuclear field.
Way to go, Ghazal! Very well deserved!
Group Apple Orchard Trip
The team having a very fruitful experience at the apple orchard! Couldn’t have picked a better bunch!
Welcome New Group Members- Fall 2023
We have grown! The Gateman group is thrilled to welcome our new team members:
Dr. Reza Moshrefi- PDF in radiation induced atmospheric corrosion
Jacob Bunting- MSc student developing and characterizing biocompatible polymer coatings on Fe
Nishtha Saxena- PhD student studying Cu corrosion using SECCM
Anqi Shi- MSc student investigating stability of reference electrodes under gamma radiation
Taras Skotar- MSc student studying radiation induced corrosion of Cu coatings in saline environments
Mia Tripp- BSc thesis student developing biocompatible polymer coatings on Zn
Julia Petryschuk- BSc thesis student developing SICM for quantifying passivity on corroding systems
Ian Lee- 4th year student investigating droplet corrosion studies
For more information, check out their bios under the "people" tab.
At the 5th NWMDER Conference
Ali, Ghazal, and Samantha attended the 5th Nuclear Waste Management, Decommissioning, and Environmental Restoration Conference in Niagara Falls. Both Ghazal and Ali did a great job presenting their graduate research on the impact of air-formed surface films on copper corrosion, and towards local electrochemical measurements of copper coatings. Congrats to Ali for bringing home a poster prize!
New Article: Probing passivity of corroding metals using scanning electrochemical probe microscopy
Our group has published an invited review in the special issue "From Spark to Lightning- Young and Future Leaders in Electrochemistry" of Electrochemical Science Advances. This article discusses the use of scanning electrochemical probe microscopy methods to study local passivation characteristics of corroding metals. It is available for everyone to read in the open access journal here: https://doi.org/10.1002/elsa.202300014
Welcome Dr. Emmanuel Mena Morcillo!
Our team is excited to welcome Dr. Emmanuel Mena Morcillo to the Gateman group! Dr. Mena Morcillo obtained his PhD in physical chemistry from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico. He has extensive experience with scanning electrochemical probe microscopy methods from his postdoctoral fellowships working with Prof. Janine Mauzeroll (McGill) and Prof. Aicheng Chen (UGuelph). He is an expert in electrochemical methods, corrosion, biocorrosion, and electrocatalysis. We are all looking forward to working with Dr. Mena Morcillo on the NWMO-related projects! We celebrated his arrival in London with some miniature golf.
Fun at the NWMO Academic Tour
The Gateman group took a trip to the Nuclear waste Management Organization's (NWMO) facility in Oakville, ON. We learned about the container fabrication processes, transportation, temporary used fuel storage, corrosion research activities, and bentonite clay. It was the first time we all got to see the containers in person! Ghazal, Mia, Ali, and Adam enjoyed the poster session, interacting with NWMO team members, and learning more about their research programs.
Welcome Adam and Mia- Summer 2023
Warm welcome to our incoming undergraduate summer students, Adam Robertson and Mia Tripp. Adam will explore the corrosion rate of metals for biomedical applications, and Mia will work towards understanding the influence of surface preparation on atmospheric corrosion. For more information about their projects and personal interests, check out their bios!
Prof. Gateman gives Winkler Award lecture at McGill University
3 years after defending her thesis via zoom, Samantha was able to visit her PhD department in person. She was invited to give a special lecture in the Chemical Seminar Series for winning the Winkler Award- an award given annually to the PhD candidate who, upon graduation, is judged to be of outstanding academic excellence. She received her team hockey jersey, a tradition for graduates from the Mauzeroll group. She will wear it proudly whenever she decides to play hockey!
Congratulations to all undergraduate students at SOUSCC!
A team of undergraduate students from Western participated in the annual Southern Ontario Undergraduate Student Chemistry Conference (SOUSCC) held at Trent University this year. Congratulations to our 4491 honours thesis students, Jacob Bunting and Jessie Mcdonald, for presenting their work!
Welcoming incoming students- Fall 2022
It is a pleasure to welcome our new members to the Gateman group team! Ghazal Shafiee is a new master student who will study air-formed films on copper surfaces, and Ali Pilehrood is a PhD student working understanding potential localized corrosion of copper cold spray coatings using SECM. Jessie Mcdonald is an undergraduate student co-superivsed by Prof. Noel who will study corrosion of Zr alloys in ground water solutions.
Summer 2022 research team
It has been a great summer of setting up the lab space and getting settled in the shared facilities with the RAMPS group. Our undergraduate students, Jacob Bunting, Lidia Nemtsov, and Emma Lord, did a great job!