Undergraduate Research Experience

FDA JIFSAN Internship

July 2020 - May 2021

Under the mentorship of chemist Dr. Jon Wong, I helped quantify pesticides in food through GCMS and LC-HRMS in the bioanalytical methods branch (BMB). I learned to use Thermo Fisher Trace Finder software for the analysis of mass spectra. I also worked in the lab assisting with analytical sample preparations through filtrations and other purification techniques, as well as creating serial dilutions and standards to run in the analytical chromatograph - mass spectrometers. I also gained experience working in a government agency.

Gemstone Research, Team CONTACT

Improving Non-Contact Tonometry through Advanced Applanation Techniques and Measurement of Corneal Deformation

Fall 2017 - Spring 2021

I worked in a ten-person Gemstone team (CONTACT) mentored by Dr. Giuliano Scarcelli where we developed techniques in aims to improve the detection of intraocular pressure (IOP) in the eye, which directly influence glaucoma diagnosis.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide because it is not detected early in developing countries. Our team sought to develop a more cost-effective tonometer so anyone can have access to get their IOP screened early on for indications of glaucoma.

Over the past three years, our project has evolved into tackling the problem of untreated glaucoma by making tonometry less invasive and more affordable. To better monitor intraocular pressure (IOP) of the eye, we couple air-puff tonometry with neural network imaging. On subteam "Tails", I worked to improve the Arduino circuitry and tube/valve system to generate a pulsed milli-air puff.

Our team found success, winning funds as one of the top three teams from the Gemstone Do Good Showcase in November of our junior year, as well as a $500 Google education grant. We also created a poster to present at the annual Undergraduate Research Day during spring of our junior year. We defended our thesis with a presentation at the Gemstone senior thesis conference this past April 2021. These products are linked below.

The Gemstone Program is part of the UMD Honors College and consists of four-year team-based interdisciplinary research.

Click here to access our team's website to learn more about our research!

Click here to access our research poster for the 2020 UMD Undergraduate Research Day.

Click here to access our 2021 Thesis Conference Booklet, here for the presentation recording, and here for the thesis (currently embargoed), here for the written thesis document, or see below.

Citation Ceremony Program.pdf

Undergraduate Chemistry Research, Reutt-Robey Group

Investigating LiCoO2 Interfaces Through Surface Characterization Techniques

Summer 2019 - Spring 2020

LiCoO2 is a commonly used material in cathodes of Li-ion batteries, which are used in most portable electronic devices today. However, fundamental physical and chemical properties at the solid-liquid interface are still not as well-studied and imaged, so studying these surfaces can provide a better understanding to improving battery safety and life, something important to power electronic devices today!

In the summer after my sophomore year, I started researching in Dr. Janice Reutt-Robey's lab, which seeks to study the interfaces of LiCoO2 samples with surface characterization techniques such as scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and low energy electron diffraction (LEED) in a ultra-high vacuum system. From this experience, I learned techniques such as electropolishing STM tips, spot-welding, ultrasonication, electron-beam heating, and utilized mass spectrometry and infrared thermography.

I continued researching the spring of junior year, and was getting started on my own project with purification techniques of dysprosium complexes, and continued to help my mentor graduate student, Yuchen Niu, with his project studying properties of LiCoO2 surfaces, for its application as a cathode in lithium-ion batteries, which is widely used in portable electronic devices. However, the COVID-19 pandemic cut my experiences short. Nevertheless, the Reutt-Robey lab sparked my interest in interface surface chemistry and in scanning probe instrumentation, which is associated to the realm of research I wish to continue pursuing in my graduate studies.

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