IREE Blog and IRES 2008
The Purpose of NSF IREE/IRES
In an increasingly global nanoscience community, it is important for American engineers to have the skills and abilities to work collaboratively with their counterparts in other countries. A capacity for international collaboration entails more than the mastery of scientific knowledge. It also requires an understanding of and respect for cultural differences, a comfort with international travel, and at least rudimentary fluency in languages other than English. The proposed project is predicated on the assumption that the earlier prospective engineers are exposed to international education and research experiences, the more likely it is for them to develop both a capacity and desire for international collaboration.
The overall goal of this IREE project is to establish a foundation for on-going interdisciplinary collaboration on nanoscale science and engineering education and research between the University of Pittsburgh and two Korean research institutes (Semiconductor Physics Research Center and SungKyunKwan University). To accomplish this goal, the following four objectives will be completed:
- Provide three undergraduate and one graduate engineering student with a fifteen week summer study and research experience at two Korean research institutes;
- Publish the results of the summer research project through the preparation of a co-authored manuscript for submission to an international, refereed journal;
- Promote interest in international educational and research experiences among University of Pittsburgh engineering students; and
- Develop policies and procedures for facilitating future international research experiences.
For more information about IREE/IRES please visit:
Friday May 16, 2008
Today we arrived sometime around 4 am. We took a bus from the airport to Suwon. At the bus stop we were picked up by Seong Chu from of the lab and taken to our apartment. We dropped off a few things and then met up at the lab. As Dave saw many friendly faces of the people he already knew, I was able to meet people more easily. Everyone was very nice. Later we went shopping for a few items and ate lunch with Songjin and Dr. Heo. After that we returned back to the lab for some more of the day. Later that night we went out with some of the members of the lab to get dinner (Dr. Heo, Songjin, Woo Song, Bo Ram, and Yao Fei). After dinner we went to one more place where the members of the lab got me a birthday cake. It was very nice to have been with so many friendly people. It was an excellent night and I look forward to seeing them again as well as working with them in the lab.
Saturday May 17, 2008
This morning we had a group meeting. Some members of the lab gave presentations on different research papers they chose to read. After the meeting we went for lunch together. The rest of the day went quickly. Dave and I ended up going out for pizza at Pizza School, a local pizza place here in Suwon.
Sunday May 18, 2008
Today was much of a free day so Dave and I decided to go down to Seoul by using the metro. It was a bit rainy, so we had to stay more inside. We ate at a Subway in Seoul for lunch and took the metro back to Suwon Station. Here we looked at a few different places and ended up going to a movie. We saw Ironman. Afterwards we took the metro back to Suwon which was about 2 stops, and then went out for some chicken. It was a good end to the first weekend in Suwon.
Week of Monday May 19, 2008
This week started off slow, but soon sped up. We stayed on the campus to eat in the cafeteria some days, and tried new places other days. Here we finally started to get some work done. I am still waiting for Prof Lee to return to give me my specific assignment so I tried to learn some more Korean and observed some tests on Dave’s samples. On Monday a bunch of us from the lab played a game that was a mix of soccer and volleyball. It was very fun. Still a lot of time was spent at the lab. May 20th was Dave’s Birthday. It was a good day. We went out with Woo Jong, Bo Ram, and Yao Fei for dinner and cake. As the week continued, I kept reading papers about different possible research topics. After meeting with Professor Lee, we decided upon doing more of an experimental route of research versus theoretical. This week I also played basketball with Dave and others from the lab. And as I got busier, the week went by very quickly.
Week of Monday May 26, 2008
Today Professor Lee and I have decided upon research that deals with the photoluminescence (PL) of CNTs. I am excited to work in this area especially because I get to work on the newest machine in the lab. After hearing this I began to further research this topic. I was also told that there would be a good chance of performing some scans on the AFM here in the lab. Later in the week Dr. Lim and I set up the PL machine and did our first tests. It was very interesting to see the insides of the machine and how the lasers work. The process of getting the PL machine to start was a little slow. After getting the machine working we seem to have some kind of communication problem. I still am reading other papers to further my knowledge of the topic while we try to figure out what is wrong. As for the food I ate this week, it was sometimes similar to the food I have already eaten. And other times we try something new. It is nice to have so many foods that I have not had. It makes every meal interesting up to this point.
Week of Monday June 2, 2008
This week we moved the PL machine to SAINT (the building across from where we are currently at) because the building is cooler and we believe it might help with the connection problem. I continue to run sample tests to see if the machine will work correctly. I also am starting to learn the Lab View Software. I hope it can be helpful in many different aspects to my future research here at Sungkyunkwan University, and back in Pittsburgh. This should allow me to make an easier transition to many different pieces of lab equipment that Professor Lee has in his labs. Friday June 6th was Memorial Day here in Korea. It was a rather enjoyable weekend. Very laid back. I went to Seoul with Dr. Heo and we met up with her sister down there for some coffee and then dinner. I am very happy to have met so many nice people in the lab. It is much easier to get around Seoul when you are actually with someone who knows the area well. We visited the Seoul campus of Sungkyunkwan University, as well as a few other places. It was one of the days where I had the most fun this trip.
Week of Monday June 9, 2008
This week I continued to run tests on the Photoluminescence (PL) machine. We are still finding some problems, but overall the machine's data analyzation is improving. I believe we have found the main problem of the machine and we expect it to work correctly for us, which means now we can start scanning many samples in the machine. Also, I am learning about I-V (current-voltage) testing on the picoammeter. Dr. Lim and I build a box to put samples in that will help to reduce the noise level of our tests. It was a good experience to be able to build the box because I can see that it is very useful in experimental testing of samples. The picture below is the box we built, but with the top of the box removed.
Also, I have collected a good amount of data on the PL machine and I thought it would be a good idea to put some visual information about the machine. The first picture shows a general setup of the PL machine with the computer monitors. The second picture shows the analyzer with the cover open to load the sample. It also shows the detector just left of that. The third and fourth pictures shows a sequence acquisition taken from a liquid CNT sample.
Week of Monday June 16, 2008
This week we continued to run a few tests on the PL machine. By next week we should be ready to do a lot of testing on samples. The only reason for the delay is this is finals week for the students here. During this week I started using the I-V testing machine more. This allowed me to learn a new machine, the wire bonder. It is a very useful machine, but when the wire breaks, it is very hard to thread the wire back in the needle. Like many things my first try took the longest, but after that it was a lot easier. I can usually do it within 5 minutes now. The picture below is a picture of the wire bonder.
The rest of this week, like many others went by very quickly. Sunday Dave, Hyo-Sun, Sun-Wha, Hye-Won, and I went to Youngson which was a place where they sell many different electronics. It was very interesting and exciting to see all the different places. Later we went bowling. That too was very fun. It was a very fun day and a good end to our week.
Week of Monday June 23, 2008
This was an interesting week. I continued to do the research I had been working on in the previous weeks. Near the end of the week Dr. Lim and I have started to do heat treatment on his sample. We need to find one or two things first before we do the test, so we should have it done hopefully by Monday or Tuesday of next week.
Also, this week I went with Dr. Lim and Dave to a restaurant on the other side of Suwon. It had very good noodles.
On Thursday I ended up going with Sun-Wha and Hyo-Sun down to Seoul. It was a good time and we ate some good dumplings.
Overall I had a very good week. Next week, Dan and Heather plan to come down to Suwon and we will probably do some traveling. It looks to be a good week ahead.
Week of Monday June 30, 2008
As planned, Heather and Dan came to Suwon on Tuesday and left on Sunday. On Wednesday we all went to Itaewon. There we walked around a little and bought a few things. We ate the the Hard Rock Cafe, which was very nice. It appeared very small on top, but the entire seating area was underground. It felt almost as if for a short time we were back in the US. After a good amount of time there, we headed back. The following day we went shopping in Seoul at a big market. It was very interesting and we spent a lot of time there. Both Dan and I bought one thing each, and Heather bought a few things. Friday we stayed in Suwon for a more quiet day in the lab and Saturday I spent more time in the lab to get a few things done while Heather and Dan went traveling again. Overall, I thought it was a good week. I got a good amount of work done in the lab, as well as seeing more areas in Seoul.
The main things that happened in lab this week was I continued to run a few tests and did a heat treatment with Dr. Lim on his sample. I feel I am learning a lot of useful information from him and I am glad to have him as my advisor. Also, Prof Lee returned this week from France. He plans to stay the rest of the time I am here and he moved the labs Jiri Mountain trip to next week so Dave and I can go. It looks to be a good experience and I am looking forward to it. This was a busy week, but I enjoyed it a lot.
Week of Monday July 7, 2008
This week I focused a lot on the vacuum chamber and doing heat treatments on samples followed by Current-Voltage testing. We are looking to find semiconducting CNTs in our sample, but up to this point we have found mostly metallic and insolating.
The first 3 pictures are of the vacuum chamber and the final picture is of the current-voltage testing. I spent a lot of time doing work in the lab this week because next week is our trip to Jiri Mountain. Overall I had a good and interesting week. It feels like the time in Korea is really going fast.
Week of Monday July 14, 2008 (Jiri Mountain)
This is one of the most exciting weeks here. After a few more days of performing tests in the lab, we left for Jiri Mountain on Wednesday night. We traveled by train and then by taxi. After reaching the first camp area, we made breakfast. The sights up on the mountain were amazing.
We had a group of 31 people. It was a very fun 2 day climb. We came down a little earlier than we were supposed to because of possible bad weather on the third day. It was nice to go up into the mountains and see all the terrific sites.
Week of Monday July 21, 2008 and our trip back
This was the last full week of our trip. I did a few more testing of samples during the week. On the weekend I decided to travel to the area where the other Sungkyunkwan University was located at. I took a few pictures and explored around the area.
The time in Korea went by very quickly. It felt as if our trip had just began, but already we were back at the airport ready to make our way back to the US. As we gathered at the airport we took a final picture with the four of us to commemorate the IREE.
After a long plane flight back I finally met back up with my family and best friend. It was an excellent experience and one of the best summers I have ever had.
I would like to thank NSF who funded this trip
and allowing me to have this great experience