Chemical engineering student Kyle Gray won the Outstanding Poster Award for the Nature, Life, and Environmental category at the 16th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. His research mentors are chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Charles Schroeder and materials science and engineering professor Gabriel Burks.
Written by Molly Fried
Kyle Gray, Outstanding Poster Award Winner at Undergraduate Research Symposium
Chemical engineering student Kyle Gray won the Outstanding Poster Award for the Nature, Life, and Environmental category at the 16th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. His research mentors are chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Charles Schroeder and materials science and engineering professor Gabriel Burks.
I am most excited about the recognition that this research project and my research group, the Schroeder Lab, received at the symposium as well as in the future. It is really exciting when people share the same level of interest and enthusiasm as I do when I explain the project to them, making my work towards the research truly fulfilling and rewarding,” said Gray. “I am also very excited about the possibility of other researchers gaining a new level of interest in this field of research through learning about my project, opening up more opportunities for the community to grow.”
Gray’s poster is titled "Brochosomes: Investigating and Characterizing Naturally Produced Nanoparticles". This work can be applied to anti-reflective coatings. Prior observations and studies involving brochosomes stated that these nanoparticles provide anti-reflective properties to leafhoppers, leading to a wider understanding that the brochosome's unique morphology may contribute to this phenomenon. Building on this past research, Kyle Gray wanted to further the understanding of how nanopatterning of surfaces could be used to control optical interactions with certain materials, whether in the form of a coating or even for various light and heat management applications.
Starting this fall, Kyle Gray will be at Northwestern University's Materials Science & Engineering Ph.D. program, where he will be able to apply all of his learned techniques, knowledge, and newfound skills from this research.
Overall, Gray emphasized his growing interest in materials science, specifically in biomaterials.
“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to further develop my expertise and proficiency within the field,” Gray said.