For Wade, the answer starts with looking at the problem from multiple scales\u2014from the behavior of individual materials all the way up to complete engineering systems.<\/p>\n
And students are involved at every step.<\/p>\n
Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere<\/h2>\n
One major area of Wade’s research is carbon dioxide removal, an approach that focuses on separating carbon dioxide (CO\u2082) from the atmosphere.<\/p>\n
The idea is relatively straightforward, even if the engineering behind it is not: Develop materials and processes that can capture CO\u2082 from the air, concentrate it and then determine what to do with it.<\/p>\n
Wade’s research explores this challenge from several angles.<\/p>\n
At the materials level, students study materials that can capture and release CO\u2082. At the process-engineering level, they explore how those materials can be incorporated into systems that actually perform the separation.<\/p>\n
One example is a process called vacuum moisture swing, or VMS. Wade and her research team developed the process using materials that respond to changes in moisture to help capture and release CO\u2082.<\/p>\n
The work has progressed from an idea to an actual reactor built by NAU students.<\/p>\n
A group of capstone students designed and built the reactor, and undergraduate researchers are now helping test how much control the system provides while working alongside graduate students.<\/p>\n
That progression\u2014from classroom project to active research\u2014is a key part of Wade’s approach to undergraduate research.<\/p>\n
From a capstone project to climate research<\/h2>\n
Wade often begins research projects as capstone projects, giving students an opportunity to tackle a real engineering challenge before continuing the work through undergraduate research.<\/p>\n
That’s exactly what happened with another project focused on passive radiative cooling.<\/p>\n
Everything emits heat as radiation. Certain specially designed coatings can take advantage of this phenomenon by emitting heat at wavelengths that can pass through a part of Earth’s atmosphere known as the atmospheric window.<\/p>\n
In simple terms, the technology could allow a surface to release heat toward outer space.<\/p>\n
Wade’s students first explored the concept by building a test system as part of a capstone project. Since then, multiple groups of undergraduate students have continued working on the project, helping test and refine the system.<\/p>\n
The team is now investigating whether the technology could eventually help cool facilities such as data centers, which require significant amounts of cooling.<\/p>\n
The concept is to use coated panels as part of a cooling system. Heat from a building could be transferred through the panels, where it would be released toward the sky, potentially reducing the amount of work required from conventional cooling equipment.<\/p>\n
For students, that means working on a problem that connects fundamental heat-transfer concepts from the classroom to an emerging technology with potential real-world applications.<\/p>\n
Learning from graduate students\u2014and becoming mentors themselves<\/h2>\n![\"Three](\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/301\/8947_gold_axe_distinguished_senior_20241112-small-232x174.jpg\")
Dr. Jennifer Wade was recognized for her outstanding support of her students.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nStudents in Wade’s group don’t just gain experience working with advanced research equipment and technologies. They also gain experience working as part of a research team.<\/p>\n
Wade pairs many undergraduate researchers with graduate students, creating a mentoring structure that gives undergraduates an approachable source of day-to-day guidance while giving graduate students opportunities to develop their own leadership and supervisory skills.<\/p>\n
It’s a model shaped in part by Wade’s own undergraduate experience.<\/p>\n
As a student, Wade participated in extensive undergraduate research and was paired with a graduate student who became an important mentor. That experience helped shape her path toward academia\u2014and now influences how she works with her own students.<\/p>\n
The approach is already helping students take their next steps beyond NAU.<\/p>\n
One former undergraduate researcher, Sierra Binney, an environmental engineering student, went on to work for a direct air capture startup based out of Los Alamos.<\/p>\n
Real research. Real opportunities.<\/h2>\n
Over the past six years, Wade estimates that approximately 15 undergraduate students have worked with her in different research capacities.<\/p>\n
Students in Wade’s group don’t just gain experience working with advanced research equipment and technologies. They also gain experience working as part of a research team.<\/p>\n
Wade pairs many undergraduate researchers with graduate students, creating a mentoring structure that gives undergraduates an approachable source of day-to-day guidance while giving graduate students opportunities to develop their own leadership and supervisory skills.<\/p>\n
It’s a model shaped in part by Wade’s own undergraduate experience.<\/p>\n
As a student, Wade participated in extensive undergraduate research and was paired with a graduate student who became an important mentor. That experience helped shape her path toward academia\u2014and now influences how she works with her own students.<\/p>\n
The approach is already helping students take their next steps beyond NAU.<\/p>\n
One former undergraduate researcher, Sierra Binney, an environmental engineering student, went on to work for a direct air capture startup based out of Los Alamos.<\/p>\n
Real research. Real opportunities.<\/h2>\n
Over the past six years, Wade estimates that approximately 15 undergraduate students have worked with her in different research capacities.<\/p>\n