To the Class of 2020 – Congratulations and Best Wishes to the Future

Nanoscience PhD’s Graduates:

Zuowei Ji –

PhD Nanoscience

Dissertation Title – Carbon Nanodots (CNDs): Tuning Structures and Functions in Oxidative Radical Interactions

Favorite memory at JSNN – Made friends with some wonderful people.

Proudest Accomplishment while at JSNN – Got my PhD done.

Favorite class at JSNN – Nanophysics!!!

Favorite thing to do in Greensboro –  Hiking!!!

Advice for new students – Work harder, and play harder.

Future plans – Be a billionaire!!!

Alex Sheardy –

PhD Nanoscience

Dissertation Title – Experimental and Theoretical Optical Properties of Two Emerging Nanoparticles

Favorite memory – I’d have to say having my dad and all my friends coming out for my Dissertation Defense, and successfully defending of course!

Proudest Accomplishment – Saying “Getting my Ph.D.” would be too easy of an answer, so I will actually say the praise I got from my committee after my proposal presentation.

Favorite class at JSNN – Either Nanomedicine or Nanophysics; I learned a lot in Nanomedicine, but Nanophysics ended up being more relevant for my project.

Favorite thing to do in Greensboro – I was able to go to some pretty awesome concerts while I was here.

Advice for new students – Getting a Ph.D. is often difficult and stressful.  While you will need to work hard, it is most important to take care of yourself, both mentally and physically.

Future plans – While I eventually want to be a professor, I am currently looking for a postdoc either in academia or at a national lab.

Ali Shiave –

PhD Nanoscience

Dissertation Title – Processing and Characterization of Cobalt Nanowires-Growth Characteristics and Thermal Characterization of Cobalt Nanowire Modified Nanofluid

Favorite memory at JSNN- When I won an award for poster presentation in nanomanufacturing conference (It was a surprise)

Proudest Accomplishment while at JSNN- Completing Doctoral Oral Exam

Favorite class at JSNN- Nano technique by Dr. Dennis LaJeunesse

Favorite thing to do in Greensboro- Attending the folk festival, and 4th of July fireworks among many

Advice for new students- Publish results in Journal

Future plans- Start and develop a career in industry

Durga Arvapalli –

PhD Nanoscience

Dissertation Title – Carbon Nanodots: Potential Applications in Biosensing, Drug Delivery and Free Radical Regulation

Favorite memory at JSNN – Passing my qualifiers and dissertation defense

Proudest Accomplishment while at JSNN – Won 1st place in ACS Poster night at Syngenta 2019.

Favorite class at JSNN – Dr. Jarett Lancaster Math class

Favorite thing to do in Greensboro – Hanging out with friends at Sarah’s Kabob Shop

Advice for new students – Be yourself, focus on organized research and don’t put off work/research until tomorrow….act now……

Future plans – To secure job as a research scientist and work on a social cause

Ryan Yarbrough –

PhD Nanoscience

Dissertation Title – Metal Oxide Nanostructures for Thermometric Materials: Experimental and Computational Materials Performance Evaluation

Favorite memory at JSNN – Taking time to conjecture about ideas with colleagues regardless of how crazy they sounded.

Proudest Accomplishment while at JSNN – Integrating both experimental and computational work into my dissertation, not just one branch of research.

Favorite class at JSNN – “Nanomaterials and Reactions by Design”; learning how to apply statistics to process control and experimental design changed fundamentally how I thought about research.

Favorite thing to do in Greensboro – Go for walks in the parks to think.

Advice for new students – This is your degree, take charge and work hard. Push yourself to do things beyond what you are asked to do.

Future plans – Manage and lead R&D for a startup focused on applying artificial intelligence to finding underlying dynamic patterns in financial markets

Nanoscience MS Graduates:

Parth Desai –

MS Nanoscience

Thesis Title – Selective Enrichment of Rare Mutations as a New Biotechnology to Study DNA Mismatch Repair Processes in Bacteria

Favorite Memory at JSNN – Late night studies with Friends

Proudest accomplishment while at JSNN – Science Impactor through IMPACTS program, an online mentor in bio builder club, 1st prize in entrepreneurship workshop at A&T April 2019.

Favorite class at JSNN – Nanobiology and Nanotechniques

Favorite things to do in Greensboro – Go to an Indian restaurant for Dinner

Advice for New students – You have to believe that your personality will be unique after your education from the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering

Future Plans – I want to become a scientist, Mentor and Entrepreneur.

Jenni Schultz –

MS Nanoscience

Non-Thesis – Huntington Disease Capstone

Favorite class at JSNN – Class I liked the most was with Dr LaJeunesse – Nano techniques

Future plans – Start PhD program in Nanoscience with advisor Dr. Kepley in the fall

Favorite Memory at JSNN – playing board games with other students and eating pizza

Favorite things to do in Greensboro – trivia night at Greys tavern

Amanda Matherly –

MS Nanoscience

Non-Thesis – Internship – Evaluation of Controlled Release Pellets for Groundwater Remediation

Favorite memory at JSNN – Nanodays festival
Proudest Accomplishment while at JSNN – finishing my internship at AxNano

Favorite class at JSNN – tossup between nanobiology and the hydroponics lab rotation

Favorite thing to do in Greensboro – Boxcar barcade

Advice for new students – spend as much time as possible at the school – you’ll get so much more accomplished surrounded by your peers who are also working hard

Future plans – I’ve accepted a research technician position at NCA&T working on heat and cold tolerances of leafy green crops

Mary Morgan –

MS – Nanoscience

Non-Thesis – HIV and the potential of autophagy proteins to promote pathogenesis

Favorite memory at JSNN – All the long days spent working together with classmates to help each other through some of the tough classes.

Proudest Accomplishment while at JSNN – Being able time earn my degree while growing my family, working mostly full time, and being a caretaker to my mom.

Favorite class at JSNN – Nanotechniques

Favorite thing to do in Greensboro – Any activities that involve my kids

Advice for new students – Keep your eyes on the prize. The pursuitof your degree won’t be easy. But it will be worth it in the end.

Future plans – I’m currently a Bio professor at FTCC and an Anatomy and Physiology professor at RCC.

Md Al Amin

MS – Nanoengineering

Project Title: Electrospun Carbon Nanofiber Supported Zeronoparticles (nZVI@ECNFs) for Heavy Metal Remediation in Ground and Waste Water”

Favorite memory at JSNN – I got surprised while I met with Ms Karen Courtney. She gave many things that encouraged me a lot. I will remember her all day.

Proudest Accomplishment while at JSNN -I am getting MS in Nanoengineering degree from here.

Favorite class at JSNN – Dr. Kelkar classes. Although it was quite complicated to me as a chemistry background student, it was informative and knowledgeable. He gave us lot of task to adjust with it. Now I feel I know many things and what it is like to be a Nanoengineer.

Favorite thing to do in Greensboro – I like to visit lakes and parks.

Advice for new students – My advice for new student as an international student to adjust with new environment first etc culture, language, new curriculum.

Future plans – My future plan is to do PhD in Nanoengineering. Also, I have plan to go into Industry.

Nanoengineering Graduates:

Qassim Dirar

PhD – Nanoengineering

Dissertation Topic – Prediction of CAR T cells effectiveness via microfluidics

Favorite memory at JSNN – I have a lot of good memories at JSNN, but the one that sticks out was when me and my teammate, Mohamed Nafeez, were was able to use the EVO SEM as an Ebeam lithography tool to pattern lines of 150 nm in width with a pitch of 500 nm as the project for the cleanroom lab course. It was the first time someone succeeds in completing this project at JSNN.

Proudest Accomplishment while at JSNN – My proudest accomplishment at JSNN is in designing and testing a microfluidic device that can be used as a diagnostic tool to predict the success of cancer immunotherapy, saving patients and clinicians valuable time.

Favorite class at JSNN – My favorite class at JSNN was Nano 821: Advanced Nanosystems. I really enjoyed surveying novel and innovative applications of nanosystems in nanoelectronic/photonic devices, organic-inorganic assemblies, and biomimetic devices.

Favorite thing to do in Greensboro – Playing soccer indoor at the Greensboro Sportsplex and outdoor at Smith Soccer Park. I also enjoy going to the lakes.

Advice for new students – My advice for new students is to be curious and ask questions. Take advantage of the collaborative atmosphere at JSNN to learn new things and grow your network.

Future plans – I plan to continue developing and testing my device and exploring the potential of patenting the technology.