The award, which will fund Chin\u2019s Ph.D. program starting this fall, takes him one step closer to a career in groundbreaking research that will redefine the world\u2019s relationship to energy.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of energy generation is unsustainable\u2014even if it works now, it won\u2019t later,\u201d Chin said. \u201cI want to join a research community dedicated to creating new kinds of energy so we aren\u2019t caught off guard when we lose access to fossil fuels.\u201d<\/p>\n
His love for science started as his parents looked for ways to include diverse representation in his upbringing. He was adopted from Vietnam; his father is second-generation Chinese American, and his mother is both Mexican and Native American; and he grew up in a largely white neighborhood in the Bay Area. Looking for that much multiculturalism elsewhere, the Chins introduced their son to \u201cStar Trek.\u201d He found himself in more than one way.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery day for three years, we watched at least one episode of the five \u2018Star Trek\u2019 series that existed at the time,\u201d he said. \u201cThis experience sparked my love for science and engineering, my main takeaway from the franchise being that most problems can be solved through the clever application of physics. In time, I aspired to the position held by miracle worker Montgomery Scott\u2014captain of engineering.\u201d<\/p>\n
He helped out at his father\u2019s engineering company after high school, and after coming to NAU he got involved in undergraduate research, presentations, the Honors College and tutoring. He found internships at engineering firms and took the lead on his engineering capstone project. Somewhere along the way, he realized he wanted to get a doctorate.<\/p>\n
Chin found his passion for climate change research after a visit to the Museum of Northern Arizona, where he walked through a photographic exhibit chronicling Flagstaff\u2019s peak snowfall dating back to the 1900s. Seeing the marked decrease in snowfall through the years made the effects of climate change personal. He saw ways science could offer technological solutions that make economic and political sense.<\/p>\n
Those goals have defined his research at NAU and the Ph.D. research he\u2019ll take on in the fall.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy end goal is to have the research be applicable to society at large, or at least contribute to research that would eventually do that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Chin\u2019s undergraduate research<\/strong><\/h3>\nChin\u2019s research started in late 2019 in his physics capstone class when all of Chin\u2019s classmates were discussing the research they\u2019d done. He hadn\u2019t done any, but at a career day shortly after, he struck up a conversation with Gabriel Monta\u00f1o<\/strong>, who had just started the Center for Materials Interfaces in Research & Applications (\u00a1MIRA!). Just before the pandemic hit, Chin started working on a project to investigate and optimize a method of increasing the amount of light a solar cell can capture by using artificial, polymer-based chlorosomes. While chlorosomes occur nationally, being able to build these molecules will allow scientists to change the size to test for different effectiveness. Using naturally occurring molecules doesn\u2019t allow for that sort of consistency.<\/p>\nChin earned a Hooper Undergraduate Research Award for this project; he proposed it with the goal of having a working prototype solar panel by April. He encountered a few unexpected challenges along the way, so his project didn\u2019t get as far as he\u2019d planned. But that\u2019s part of the process of science.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe end goal is to try to enhance light capturing and make solar panels more efficient,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re not anywhere close to that, but we shifted our goal to characterizing the process and understanding what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hypothesis was simple: In a lab, solar panels capture three times more sunlight than panels outside. Scientists have been unable to replicate those lab results in the real world. Chin\u2019s goal was to create a material that could help increase the amount of light panels could capture, thus generating more energy without changing the overall product. Research on naturally occurring chlorosomes applied to solar panels showed a 30 percent increase in power generation, but no one has studied it using artificially created polymers, which would be feasible to recreate in real-world scenarios.<\/p>\n
![\"Chin's](\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/UGrads-Poster-1024x801.jpg\")
<\/a>Monta\u00f1o actually developed a process of self-assembly that Chin used in his research. By dissolving polymers in tetrahydrofuran and then allowing that liquid to evaporate while dripping in water, the polymers rearrange themselves. Because they don\u2019t like water, they huddle into balls, and these clouds of polymers condense into shells, creating micelles, or host capsules that can carry materials. Chin studied these micelles to determine whether, when applied properly, they likely had the properties to enable existing solar panels to operate more effectively.<\/p>\nHe still can\u2019t say they\u2019ve landed on the best design, and his research did not provide the conclusive information he set out for when he started. But he and other researchers have more information about these molecules now and are further along in answering the question. That in itself taught Chin an important lesson about his future career.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest surprise was that everything didn\u2019t work exactly the way I expected it to the first time I did it,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m used to in classes: you get a problem and solve the equation. Research is not like that. I thought that it would be bad if I wasn\u2019t successful, but it turns out that failure is actually expected in research. It didn\u2019t need to work the first time. I\u2019m allowed and even expected to pivot and redefine my goals.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was the end target of this,\u201d Chin said. \u201cThat\u2019ll be for whoever takes up this work later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Applying for the GRFP<\/strong><\/h3>\nApplying for this research, which is difficult to get for any graduate student, much less an undergraduate student, was not on Chin\u2019s radar as he started his final year of college. Then, two weeks before the deadline, his mentor suggested he apply. He managed the complete the sizable application in time, relying on the research proposals he\u2019d already written to guide him through.<\/p>\n
Jennifer Wade<\/strong>, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, recommended Chin to the NSF. She\u2019d had him for a couple of classes and saw the curiosity and desire for knowledge that marked a good researcher. He also shared a sense of humor in her thermodynamics class, a rather humorless course otherwise.<\/p>\n\u201cHe was one of a handful of students who appreciated my levity when discussing the second law of thermodynamics, the one that describes how the universe always moves in the direction of more disorder,\u201d Wade said. \u201cWhen you sit on that topic, it\u2019s easy to feel some doom, and he appreciated the depth of what that fundamental law can tell us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chin\u2019s success in that course led to Wade recommending him to be a tutor, as many students struggle to understand the material and pass the class their first time. She observed not only his love of learning but also his ability to share that love and his grasp of the material with fellow students.<\/p>\n
The two also talked before or after class, and he told her about the research he did with Monta\u00f1o and his interest in materials science, which Wade also taught. As an alumna of the GRFP program, she figured he would be competitive in this elite program and advised him through the application process.<\/p>\n
He was also a student in her Experimental Methods course in fall 2020 and was one of the few students who came in person.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got to witness his excellence in being a team player with his other two classmates while conducting lab experiments in a mixed in-person\/remote mode over Microsoft Teams,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cIt was like watching a team of engineers out of a Star Trek movie operating a critical mission.\u00a0I only wish those moments were recorded.\u201d<\/p>\n
What\u2019s next<\/strong><\/h3>\nThroughout the summer, Chin will continue to work with Monta\u00f1o\u2019s research team; the data showed trends that are consistent enough to published in a scientific journal, even if it didn\u2019t do what he expected it to. In the fall, he\u2019ll start a Ph.D. program at Georgia Tech. While there, he will be working on ferroelectric materials; these are a subset of piezoelectrics, which are materials that generate a voltage when a researcher applies stress. With no battery, the material can send a current to whatever it\u2019s attached to. Ferroelectrics are known as a smart material because these properties change based on the stimuli.<\/p>\n
In the lab at Georgia Tech he\u2019ll be growing the crystalline structures needed to get ferroelectric materials to work. It\u2019s a new type of research, as the technology necessary to use the materials hasn\u2019t existed before.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s some research that suggests that we can use these to create a new type of solar cell,\u201d Chin said. \u201cI\u2019m always looking into new green energy stuff, and this is one avenue where it\u2019s theorized that by taking light, with its own electric response, we can create ferroelectrics that can use that light and harvest its energy in a different way than existing solar cells.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nEditor\u2019s note: Six NAU students were selected for the National Science Foundation\u2019s Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Read about their research.<\/em><\/h3>\nMegan Gialluca:<\/strong> Dark matter amid the dark skies: In four years at NAU, research takes grad to the ends of the universe<\/a><\/p>\nJessica Archibald:<\/strong> Managing mangroves: GRFP recipient Jessica Archibald studies social-ecological approaches to forest restoration<\/a><\/p>\nEthan Taber:<\/strong> Two years after Museum Fire, NAU grad student looks at what slow regeneration of fire site could mean for the future<\/a><\/p>\n![\"NAU](\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/NAU_primary-281_3514-300x213.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Heidi Toth | NAU Communications
\n(928) 523-8737 | heidi.toth@nau.edu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chin earned a Hooper Undergraduate Research Award for this project; he proposed it with the goal of having a working prototype solar panel by April. He encountered a few unexpected challenges along the way, so his project didn\u2019t get as far as he\u2019d planned. But that\u2019s part of the process of science.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe end goal is to try to enhance light capturing and make solar panels more efficient,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re not anywhere close to that, but we shifted our goal to characterizing the process and understanding what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hypothesis was simple: In a lab, solar panels capture three times more sunlight than panels outside. Scientists have been unable to replicate those lab results in the real world. Chin\u2019s goal was to create a material that could help increase the amount of light panels could capture, thus generating more energy without changing the overall product. Research on naturally occurring chlorosomes applied to solar panels showed a 30 percent increase in power generation, but no one has studied it using artificially created polymers, which would be feasible to recreate in real-world scenarios.<\/p>\n
He still can\u2019t say they\u2019ve landed on the best design, and his research did not provide the conclusive information he set out for when he started. But he and other researchers have more information about these molecules now and are further along in answering the question. That in itself taught Chin an important lesson about his future career.<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest surprise was that everything didn\u2019t work exactly the way I expected it to the first time I did it,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m used to in classes: you get a problem and solve the equation. Research is not like that. I thought that it would be bad if I wasn\u2019t successful, but it turns out that failure is actually expected in research. It didn\u2019t need to work the first time. I\u2019m allowed and even expected to pivot and redefine my goals.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat was the end target of this,\u201d Chin said. \u201cThat\u2019ll be for whoever takes up this work later.\u201d<\/p>\n Applying for this research, which is difficult to get for any graduate student, much less an undergraduate student, was not on Chin\u2019s radar as he started his final year of college. Then, two weeks before the deadline, his mentor suggested he apply. He managed the complete the sizable application in time, relying on the research proposals he\u2019d already written to guide him through.<\/p>\n Jennifer Wade<\/strong>, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, recommended Chin to the NSF. She\u2019d had him for a couple of classes and saw the curiosity and desire for knowledge that marked a good researcher. He also shared a sense of humor in her thermodynamics class, a rather humorless course otherwise.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was one of a handful of students who appreciated my levity when discussing the second law of thermodynamics, the one that describes how the universe always moves in the direction of more disorder,\u201d Wade said. \u201cWhen you sit on that topic, it\u2019s easy to feel some doom, and he appreciated the depth of what that fundamental law can tell us.\u201d<\/p>\n Chin\u2019s success in that course led to Wade recommending him to be a tutor, as many students struggle to understand the material and pass the class their first time. She observed not only his love of learning but also his ability to share that love and his grasp of the material with fellow students.<\/p>\n The two also talked before or after class, and he told her about the research he did with Monta\u00f1o and his interest in materials science, which Wade also taught. As an alumna of the GRFP program, she figured he would be competitive in this elite program and advised him through the application process.<\/p>\n He was also a student in her Experimental Methods course in fall 2020 and was one of the few students who came in person.<\/p>\n \u201cI got to witness his excellence in being a team player with his other two classmates while conducting lab experiments in a mixed in-person\/remote mode over Microsoft Teams,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cIt was like watching a team of engineers out of a Star Trek movie operating a critical mission.\u00a0I only wish those moments were recorded.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout the summer, Chin will continue to work with Monta\u00f1o\u2019s research team; the data showed trends that are consistent enough to published in a scientific journal, even if it didn\u2019t do what he expected it to. In the fall, he\u2019ll start a Ph.D. program at Georgia Tech. While there, he will be working on ferroelectric materials; these are a subset of piezoelectrics, which are materials that generate a voltage when a researcher applies stress. With no battery, the material can send a current to whatever it\u2019s attached to. Ferroelectrics are known as a smart material because these properties change based on the stimuli.<\/p>\n In the lab at Georgia Tech he\u2019ll be growing the crystalline structures needed to get ferroelectric materials to work. It\u2019s a new type of research, as the technology necessary to use the materials hasn\u2019t existed before.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s some research that suggests that we can use these to create a new type of solar cell,\u201d Chin said. \u201cI\u2019m always looking into new green energy stuff, and this is one avenue where it\u2019s theorized that by taking light, with its own electric response, we can create ferroelectrics that can use that light and harvest its energy in a different way than existing solar cells.\u201d<\/p>\n Megan Gialluca:<\/strong> Dark matter amid the dark skies: In four years at NAU, research takes grad to the ends of the universe<\/a><\/p>\n Jessica Archibald:<\/strong> Managing mangroves: GRFP recipient Jessica Archibald studies social-ecological approaches to forest restoration<\/a><\/p>\n Ethan Taber:<\/strong> Two years after Museum Fire, NAU grad student looks at what slow regeneration of fire site could mean for the future<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Heidi Toth | NAU Communications![\"Chin's](\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/UGrads-Poster.jpg\")
<\/a>Monta\u00f1o actually developed a process of self-assembly that Chin used in his research. By dissolving polymers in tetrahydrofuran and then allowing that liquid to evaporate while dripping in water, the polymers rearrange themselves. Because they don\u2019t like water, they huddle into balls, and these clouds of polymers condense into shells, creating micelles, or host capsules that can carry materials. Chin studied these micelles to determine whether, when applied properly, they likely had the properties to enable existing solar panels to operate more effectively.<\/p>\nApplying for the GRFP<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What\u2019s next<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nEditor\u2019s note: Six NAU students were selected for the National Science Foundation\u2019s Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Read about their research.<\/em><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
\n(928) 523-8737 | heidi.toth@nau.edu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"