Members
the group over the years
The Group
Group (Fall '26) - From left to right, Delaney, Steve, Sehyeok, Vinuri, Ray, Lily, Dylan, Ally, Tung, Lauren, Joey, Emily, Casey, Selene, Hochul
Professor Stephen Maldonado
smald at umich.edu
B.S. Chemistry, University of Iowa, 2001 Ph.D. Chemistry, UT Austin, 2006 Postdoctoral Fellow, Caltech, 2006-2008
American Chemical Society, Member Electrochemical Society, Member Materials Research Society, Member The Society for Electroanalytical Chemistry, Member
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
My parents immigrated to the United States of America from South America and settled in Knoxville, Iowa. I grew up there, away from the bright lights and big city atmosphere of Des Moines, Iowa. I went to the University of Iowa for my undergraduate degree and discovered the world of electrochemistry. I was hooked at first zap. After graduating, I moved to Austin, Texas to study electrochemistry in earnest. My thesis focused on the development of advanced carbon electrode materials. As a postdoc in Pasadena, I learned about semiconductors and the chemistry of semiconductor interfaces. Now as an independent researcher in Ann Arbor, I am directing a group of scientists interested in semiconductor electrochemistry. Our work spans inorganic, analytical, and materials science themes, with emphases on solar energy technologies and semiconductor syntheses.
Doctor Zhihui Liu
B.S. Beijing University of Chemical Technology Ph.D. Michigan State University, 2019
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Zhihui is working on probing semiconductor/liquid contacts using semiconductor ultramicroelectrodes.
Doctor Dhruba Pattadar
B.S. University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh M.S. University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh Ph.D. University of Louisville, 2019
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Dhruba is working on electrodeposition of crystalline inorganic solids for catalysis.
Doctor Sahar Pishgar
PhD, Physics, University of Louisville, 2021
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Sahar is interested in understanding charge transfer reactions at semiconductor/electrolyte contacts using semiconductor nanoelectrodes. She also aims to introduce/demonstrate new strategies in quantitative electroanalysis of semiconductor electrodes.
doctor Dan McCurry
B.S. State University of New York at Binghamton Ph.D. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2016
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Dan worked on developing air-stable lead-halide perovskite solar cells. He is now an assistant professor at Bloomsburg University.
doctor dillip panda
B.S. Utkal University, Orissa, India M.S. National Institute Of Technology (N.I.T), Rourkela, Orissa, India Ph.D. University of Wollongong, Australia
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Dillip worked on synthesis, modeling, and characterization of organolead halide perovskite solid-state solar cells. Dillip is now a postdoctoral researcher at Clemson University.
doctor titilayo shodiya
B.S. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA Ph.D. Duke University, Durham, NC
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Titi developed advanced electrodeposition processes for Ge. Titi is now a program manager at NVLAP at NIST and host of the Dope Labs podcast.
doctor zhijie wang
B.S. Zhejiang University Ph.D. Institute of Semiconductors, CAS
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
While at Michigan, Zhijie worked on solar cells, nano-materials, nano-devices, and organic and organic/inorganic hybrid devices. Zhijie is now a professor at the Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
doctor jhindan mukherjee
Ph.D., Chemistry, Univ. of Toledo, 2008
University of Toledo Fellowship, 2005-2008 Certificate of Merit for Outstanding 1st Year Graduate Student Robert E. Maytag Fellowship, 2003-2004
While in the Maldonado group, Jhindan worked on chemical strategies for surface passivation of III-V semiconductors for application in energy conservation devices. Jhindan is now a Research Scientist at the New Jersey Department of Health.
Kevin Hagedorn
B.S. Chemistry, Univ. of Michigan, 2005 B.S. Biochemistry, Univ. of Michigan, 2005 Ph.D. Chemistry, Univ. of Michigan, 2010
American Chemical Society, Member Alpha Chi Sigma, Member
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]Kevin worked on photoelectrochemistry with nanostructured semiconductors. He is now the founder of Life Magnetics.
Merck Index Award, 2005 James B. Angell Scholar, 2003
Dr. Michelle Chitambar
B.A. in Physics, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN, 2008, B.A. in Political Science, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN, 2008 Ph.D. Applied Physics, Univ. of Michigan, 2012
Office of Science Graduate Fellow, U. S. Department of Energy Graham Doctoral Fellow, Univ. Michigan Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute
Michelle modeled the operation of semiconductor nanowire photoelectrodes. Michelle is currently a Technology Manager at the University of Illinois.
Dr. Sabrina Peczonczyk
B.S. Chemistry, University of Buffalo, 2009
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Sabrina demonstrated a new route to functionalize III-V semiconductor surfaces. Sabrina is currently a surface chemist at Ford.
Dr. Gu Gu
B.S., Fudan University, China
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Junsi developed new SERS methods to study semiconductor surface chemistry. Junsi is currently a Sr. Chemist at Analytical Sciences Department of Dow.
Dr. Wen Wen
B.S., Peking University, China, 2008
M.S., Arizona State University
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Wen was interested in the synthesis of novel nanomaterials and their use in solar energy applications. Wen is now an analytical chemist at General Motors.
Dr. Betsy Brown
B.S., University of Wisconsin La Crosse, 2011
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Betsy studied the effect of wet chemical surface treatments on III-V semiconductor photoelectrodes. Betsy is now working as a Research Chemist I in the Pre-Treatment/Metal Solutions team at PPG in the automotive sector.
Dr. Eli Fahrenkrug
B.S., The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, 2011
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Eli investigated new strategies for semiconductor electrodeposition. He is now an assistant professor at Colorado College. Student Spotlight:[link]
Dr. Tim Zhang
B.S., Duke University,Durham,NC, 2012
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Tim was interested in synthesizing single crystalline nanowires from ultramicroelectrodes.
Dr. Luyao Ma
B.S., Nanjing University, China
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Luyao worked on nanosized pattern fabrication using natural lithography, and using the pattern for bench-top electrodeposition of crystalline semiconductor on low melting temperature metal cathode. He was a Process Engineer at Micron Technology and is now a Consultant at Boston Consulting Group.
Dr. Sudarat Lee
B.S., Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 2012
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Susu worked on preparing phosphide semiconductors nanowires with well controlled physical properties for photoelectrochemical cells using simple and benign CVD methods. She also developed doping techniques that offer tunable electronic properties in the nanowires. Susu is now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan College of Engineering.
Dr. Josh Demuth
B.S., Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, 2013
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Josh developed new strategies for electrodepositing semiconductor thin films. He is now an Engineer at Intel Corporation.
Dr. Sofiya Hlynchuk
B.S., Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, 2014
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Sofiya worked on improving the surface properties of GaP and Si electrodes through surface modification with organic functional groups. Sofiya is now an Engineer at Intel Corporation.
Dr. Mitch Lancaster
B.S., University of Minnesota Twin Cities, MN, 2014
Curriculum Vitae [pdf] LinkedIn
Mitch is interested in electrochemical investigation of charge transfer processes at semiconductor/liquid interfaces and low-temperature semiconductor electrodeposition for energy and electronic applications.
Dr. Molly MacInnes
B.S., Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, 2013
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Molly is working on forming graphitic surfaces on gallium phosphide through the chemical oxidation and reduction of bulk graphite to reduced graphene oxide. These surfaces will then be used to functionalize the gallium phosphide semiconductor with small molecule proton reduction catalysts.
Dr. Saurabh Acharya
B.E., University of Mumbai, India, 2015
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Saurabh is an EECS PhD student. He is interested in characterizing the electrical properties of electrodeposited semiconductors and is working on fabricating active devices using the elecreodeposited semiconductors.
Dr. Quintin Cheek
B.S., Wayne State University, MI, 2015
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Quintin is currently working to determine a method for the spontaneous growth of indium selenide thin films to be used for various devices, including photovoltaic devices. Additionally, he will be investigating various techniques that allow for in-situ TEM measurements.
Robert Vasquez
B.S., San Diego State University, CA, 2016
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Robert is investigating surface functionalization using dehydrogenative coupling reactions using saline reagents on Si(111) to form new Si-Si bonds. Additionally, he is investigating chromophore analogs for dye-sensitized solar cells.
Nathanael Downes
B.S., Allegheny College, PA, 2017
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Nathanael is interested in understanding the electrochemical reactivity of various silane precursors in non-aqueous media using voltammetric techniques. He aims to identify eligible candidate precursor chemicals for the synthesis of c-Si thin films via electrodeposition at liquid metal electrodes using electrochemical-liquid phase epitaxy (ec-LPE).
Nehal Idris
B.S., University of California, Irvine 2019
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Nehal is working on developing advanced photoelectrochemical systems.
Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do. Pele
Henry Wu
B.S. in Biochemistry, Portland State University, Portland 2019
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Henry is interested in using the technique, Electrochemical Liquid-Liquid-Solid Growth (ec-LLS), pioneered in the group to synthesize various intermetallic compounds. Additionally, Henry is interested in understanding how changing physical and electrochemical parameters affect the resulting formation of those compounds.
Jacob Waelder
B.S., University of Washington, Seattle 2018
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Jacob is working on developing an automated method of analyzing growth rates of nanowires via in-situ TEM measurements.
Ying Hur
B.S., Tianjin University of Technology, China 2019
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Ying is working on the synthesis of CsPbI3 quantum dots used for solar energy conversion.
Josh Hazelnis
B.S. in Chemical Engineering & B.A. in Chemistry, University of Buffalo, Buffalo 2020
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Josh is interested in understanding liquid metal interfaces under potential control through in-situ X-Ray Reflectivity Measurements. His goal in this work is to better understand the underlying mechanisms which occur during electrochemical liquid-liquid-solid (ec-LLS) growth. Additionally, Josh is interested in the electrodeposition of 2D metal thin films at liquid metal interfaces.
Ryan Van Daele
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Ryan is a first year graduate student rotator working on germanium electrochemical liquid phase epitaxy (ecLPE). Next generation semiconductors may utilize germanium as it has improved carrier mobility when compared to silicon.
Jake O'Hara
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Jake is a first year graduate student rotator learning to functionalize Si(111) surfaces to observe effects to the different properties of volammetric data.
Dylan Vitt
B.S. in Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 2021
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Dylan is interested in understanding semiconductor/electrolyte interfaces using cyclic voltammetry and freely diffusing redox couples. His goal in this work is to use redox probes to quantify the electronic structure of semiconductor electrochemical systems and understand the effects of different interfacial modifications
Lauren Rich
B.S. in Chemistry, Trinity University, San Antonio 2022
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Lauren is interested in exploring scanning electrochemical cell microscopy for electroanalytical analysis and synthesis of semiconductor materials.
Tung Nguyen
B.S. in Chemistry and minor in Math, Denison University, Granville 2022
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Tung is interested in studying the electrochemical liquid-liquid solid growth of semiconductor nanowires for Li-ion batteries.
Ally Tonsberg
B.S. in Chemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene 2023
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Ally is interested in modifying silicon surfaces with ferrocene derivatives with the goal of measuring interfacial energetics of photoelectrodes in an illuminated system.
Kayleigh Reilly
B.S. in Chemistry, Alma College, Alma 2023
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Kayleigh is interested in studying crystal growth on liquid metal.
Naomi Raicu
B.S. in Physics, The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee 2023
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Naomi is working on simulating cyclic voltammetry experiments and will use machine learning to train an algorithm so that it will be able to identify key characteristics of real voltammetry datasets to provide more insight into future experiments.
Robert Wilson
B.S. in Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin 2022
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Robert is interested in studying the effects of grafting organic molecules onto carbon working electrodes on electrochemical reactions.
George Fritze
B.S. in Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh 2024
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
George is currently working on using Scanning Electrochemical Cell Microscopy(SECCM) and Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy(SICM) to further understand the macroscopic landscape of electrochemical reactivity at the semiconductor-liquid interface.
Grace Young
B.S. in Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit 2024
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Grace is interested in probing electrochemical response of liquid gallium at the surface
Jorge Perez-Vazquez
B.A. in Chemistry, Hamilton College, Clinton 2024
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Jorge is working on single-crystal MOF-in-nanopipette electrochemical sensing platforms in aqueous environments, hoping to realize the full potential of MOFs and their intrinsic properties for ion-selective transport.
Yolmarie Del Valle Gonzalez
B.S. in Chemistry, Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Arecibo 2023
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Yolmarie is interested in developing planar substrates for thin film liquid gallium electrodes to optimize electrodeposition and X-ray reflectivity studies.
Sehyeok Ki
B.S. in Chemistry, Hanyang University, Seoul 2021
M.S. in Chemistry, Hanyang University, Seoul 2023
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Sehyeok is interested in utilizing scanning electrochemical probe microscopy to study redox behavior and structure of functionalized silicon electrodes.
Casey Huettman
B.A. in Chemistry, B.A. in International Studies, and minor in Spanish, University of Iowa, Iowa City 2024
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Casey is interested in electrochemical behavior of liquid gallium and defining the interfacial speciation to better understand the mechanism behind its applications for inorganic crystal growth.
Esther Adelson
B.S.C. in Chemistry, B.S. in Mathematics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 2025
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Esther is interested in the use of electrodeposition for the synthesis of useful materials. An example of this research appears in the making of iron nickel alloys which are a form of permanent magnets.
Vinuri Gunasekara
B.S.C. in Chemistry (Honours), University of Colombo, Sri Lanka 2024
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Vinuri is interested in the use of electrodeposition of FeNi intermetallic to replace rare-earth magnets in the future.
Lily Mansfield
B.A. in Chemistry (magna cum laude), and minors in mathematics & English, Barnard College, New York 2026
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Research Interest: Cathodic Corrosion
Delaney Carroll
B.S. in Chemistry and minor in Musical Studies on Classical Guitar, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 2026
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Research Interest: Photoelectrochemistry
Hannah Bartels
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Hannah is working on the electrochemical synthesis of single crystalline semiconductor materials with a particular interest in making group III-V, IV microwires and thin films.
Jack Liu
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Jack is working on a python program to aid the analysis of multiple Si nanowires growth events captured by in-situ Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM).
Vincent Vermeulen
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Vincent is researching single crystalline thin films via electrochemical liquid-phase epitaxy with an overall focus on semiconductor materials.
Brandon Bregoli
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Brandon is currently working on depositing Pd or Pt onto different liquid metal alloys to form intermetallic compounds.
Elizabeth Troia
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Elizabeth is working on the electrochemical deposition of single crystalline semiconductor thin films onto insulating substrates.
Navi Singh
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Navi is working on various projects including preparation of micropipettes for SECM and electrodeposition of Pb onto liquid metal electodes.
Charlotte Park
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Charlotte is working on the synthesis of viologen compounds of various R'-group lengths for modifying Si surfaces used for voltammetry studies.
Berant Perry
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Berant worked on electrodeposition techniques for semiconductor thin films.
Michael Kolakowski
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Michael is optimizing the processes for synthesizing methylammonium lead iodide hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite photovoltaic solar cells, specifically using electrochemical deposition to make the overall process more scalable for mass-production.
Tianyue Qian
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Tianyue focussed on preparing air-stable lead-halide perovskite solar cells.
Janelle Biehl
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
As part of her REU program, Janelle's research interests include (1)Indium thin film deposition for future use of electrochemically induced alloying of indium arsenide thin films; (2)Electrodeposition of controlled compositional alloys of InxGa1-x nanodroplets on silicon wafers; (3)Development (or refinement) of a microfabrication lift-off protocol for SU8 negative photoresists for germanium microwire growth.Janelle is now back to Millersville University to pursue a B.S. in Chemistry Research.
Justin Fang
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Justin works in our lab as a research assistant.His research is about developing patterning techniques for semiconductor nanowire growth.
Eric Gerber
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Eric spent time in our lab as a undergraduate research assistant.
Yasser Shalabi
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Yasser is working on the dye sensitization of p-Type GaP photoelectrodes, namely testing the effects of different dyes on the external quantum yield of p-Type GaP photoelectrodes.
Samee Aboubakare
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Samee contributed towards the fabrication of SiC membranes to help create a Ga thin film electrode for the electrodeposition of Ge thin films.
Shichen Lian
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Shichen is currently a chemistry graduate student at Northwestern University. While he was with Maldonado group, his research interests include developing novel materials for semiconductor applications.
Elizabeth Keenan
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Elizabeth is involved in Alpha Chi Sigma and Salto Dance Company. Her research includes growing microporous coordination polymers on functionalized surfaces.Elizabeth is currently a graduate student at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Scott Su
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Scott is pursuing a BSE from the college of engineering. He is working on advanced electrodeposition methods.
Jessie Rafson
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Jessica is pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry Research at the University of Southern California. She is working on finding an electrochemical route to making InSb quantum dots.
azhar carim
acarim at umich.edu
B.S. Chemistry, University of Michigan, 2011
Azhar received a B.S. Chem. degree in May, 2011. During his tenure at UM, he studied electrochemical atomic layer epitaxy (ECALE), surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and electrosynthesis/electrocatalysis. He is currently a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology.
Roger B. Vanko Memorial Award, 2011 James E. Harris Scholarship, 2010 James B. Angell Scholar, 2009 American Chemical Society Analytical Chemistry Award, 2009 Seyhan N. Ege Fellowship, 2009
lingbo zhang
Lingbo is currently pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry Department at Tsinghua University, China. She spent her 2011 summer in Michigan as a US/China REU Exchange Program student, focusing on semiconductor nanoparticle synthesis and characterization.
colin forgacs
B.S. Physics, University of Michigan, 2009
Colin obtained a M.S. in Applied Physics from the University of Oregon. He is currently a diffusion process engineering intern at Fairchild Semicondcutor in Portland, ME.
sean collins
B.S. Chemistry, University of Michigan, 2012
B.M. Piano Performance, University of Michigan, 2012
Sean's research interests include Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Focused Ion Beam (FIB), and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) imaging and characterization of nano- and nano-structured materials. He is presently a Henslow Research Fellow at Girton College in Cambridge, UK.
Barry M. Goldwater Scholar, 2011-2012 Microscopy Society of America Undergraduate Research Scholarship Smeaton Memorial Award, 2011 James B. Angell Scholar, 2009-2011
Ketian Zhang
B.S. Chemistry, Peking University, China 2014
Ketian completed a summer research program through the U.S. to China Summer Undergraduate Research Exchange Program. He studied interfacial chemistry at semiconductor surfaces using SERS. Ketian is now a Scientist at Veri Nano.
jesse maddock
Jesse is pursuing a B.S.E. Chemical Engineering with a concentration in Electrical Engineering (Dec. 2012). His research interests include optoelectronics, intrinsically conducting polymers (ICPs), and characterization of semiconductors.
George 'Nik' Hargenrader
B.S., Lake Superior State University,Sault Ste,Marie,MI 2008
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Nik George is going to pursue a master degree in Univeristy of Oregon.
Rachel Lee
B.E., Cooper Union, New York, NY
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Rachel is developing ultramicroelectrodes and nanoelectrodes for use in Ge nanowire synthesis and scanning electrochemical cell microscopy.
Selene Koremenos-Tsebelis
Huron High School, Ann Arbor, MI
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Charlotte is working on exfoliation and characterization of functionalized layered material.
Zachary Ibrahim
B.S. in Chemistry, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Zachary is interested in electrochemical intercalation and characterization of 2D Sb2Te3 nanosheets.
Jayden Jones
B.S. in Chemistry
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Jayden's current project is rehabilitating the AFM to take accurate measurements of the topography of a sample on a nanometer scale. Additionally, he is tasked with designing and conducting ALD experiments on Si wafers to determine the amount of cycles required to deposit a conformal layer. He will use AFM to verify that a conformal oxide layer has been deposited on the Si wafer sample. Lastly, he will use ellipsometry to measure the oxide's film thickness so he can create a calibration curve of the oxide's film thickness to the amount of cycles of ALD.
Joey Chung
Majoring in Chemistry, University of Michigan
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Joey is interested in analyzing sample surface data using AFM and ellipsometry. He is currently working on an ALD (atomic layer deposition) project, where he prepares silicon wafers through degreasing, chemical etching (piranha solution and HF etching), and plasma etching, while learning to operate the ALD system and building his skills at each step of the process.
Emillie Lee
Majoring in Chemistry, University of Michigan
Curriculum Vitae [pdf]
Emillie is interested in investigating methods for fabricating thin films of liquid Metal and observing film behavior under applied bias.
Teaching Statement
My scientific training has strongly shaped my teaching philosophy. I view the process of learning a new concept as intrinsically an 'uphill' reaction (Figure 1). The process of education is akin to a student making the transition from the 'ground' state of unawareness to a higher state of comprehension. To learn, the student must supply the driving force. The teacher should be the catalyst for the transformation. Good teaching minimizes the barrier(s) such as misconceptions, disjointed concepts, and lack of context that prevent a student from understanding an idea. A good teacher presents a student with a clear, direct pathway for comprehension. A good teacher makes sure the student's drive to learn is used efficiently. Most importantly, a good teacher remains active throughout the whole process.
From the start of my career as an independent faculty member in 2008, my teaching efforts in the chemical sciences have followed this philosophy, i.e. all have been designed to make science more relatable, foster an interest in further study, and/or generate excitement about my group's research area (semiconductor electrochemistry). In the classes I teach, I like to make connections between core concepts and everyday life. I think teaching concepts in physical sciences without discussing either how the initial discoveries were made or the humanity of science is dull. pH meters can be a drag to learn until you find out that they were originally invented to check the 'tastiness' of lemon juice, they made their inventor a billionaire (and an incredibly important philanthropist), and the profits made from pH meters supplied the money to seed the creation of 'Silicon Valley'. Similarly, listening to a lecture about Normal distributions can be mind numbing. But learning about how the first person to identify the Normal distribution concept thought he had proved the existence of god is more tantalizing. Discovering that the first people to recognize and really utilize the value of Normal distributions were gamblers is interesting. And figuring out that Gauss had nothing to do with any of it is surprising enough to stick in your head.
In the last few years, my lab has had the unique opportunity to redesign some sections within the first year chemistry laboratory course in our department. We came up with a class focused entirely on solar cells that manages to sneak in most of the traditional concepts of freshman chemistry (except ideal gas laws - sorry Clapeyron!) in the course of learning how to make solar cells. This class represents what I like most about education at the University of Michigan: if there is a good idea on how to improve the status quo, there are abundant resources to make it happen.
In my research group, I believe the best way to train graduate students is to give them space and time to become autonomous. One way to gain the management skills to be competitive for high quality post-graduate careers is to mentor someone. I like to have my graduate students mentor an undergraduate/high school student at some point in their time in the lab. I think mentoring is perhaps the best way for a developing scientist to gauge their own abilities(i.e. 'lab' hands, communication skills, managerial capacity, and time management skills).
