VINSE will host the 15th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium on Thursday, July 30, in the Engineering Science Building. The symposium will feature two poster sessions from 9:30-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-3:30 p.m.

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The symposium marks the culmination of a 10-week summer research experience and will showcase the work of 98 undergraduate researchers from ��ͷ�� and institutions across the United States and around the world. Students will present posters highlighting innovative research in nanoscience, engineering, biomedical science, materials science, photonics, artificial intelligence, computing, and related disciplines.

This year’s symposium features students from the following summer research programs:

• VINSE NSF-REU
• ��ͷ�� School of Engineering Undergraduate Summer Experience (VUSE)
• ��ͷ�� Institute for Surgery and Engineering (VISE)
• ��ͷ�� Internship in Biophotonics for Emerging Scholars (VIBES)
• Chemical Biology REU
• VINSE Tech Crew
• ��ͷ�� Immersion
• Wond’ry IMPACT
• SyBBURE Searle Undergraduate Research Program
• ��ͷ�� Institute for Software Integrated Systems (ISIS)

Faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of ��ͷ�� are invited to attend either or both poster sessions to learn about the exciting research taking place across campus and to celebrate the accomplishments of this outstanding group of undergraduate researchers. Light refreshments will be served during both sessions.

We hope you’ll join us in recognizing the hard work and achievements of this year’s summer research cohort.

Dr. Rachel Carter
Associate Professor
University of Kansas

Evidence of Interplay between Temperature and Battery Phenomena

03.24.27  |  4:10PM |

Rachel Carter is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kansas. At KU she specializes in battery design optimization and globally resilient material supply chains for batteries. Prior to this role, Carter spent 9 years at the US Naval Research Laboratory, where she focused on battery safety science. Carter received both her BE and PhD from ��ͷ�� University in 2013 and 2017, respectively. She was a regular user of the VINSE facilities for fabrication and characterization of battery nanomaterial architectures. Her publications record during this period lead to Nature recognizing her as a top 5 emerging Material Scientist in 2019. In 2024 Carter was honored among C&EN New’s Talented Twelve. In 2025 She received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) and a Department of the Navy Civilian Commendation Metal. Most recently, she gave the Kavli Foundation Emerging Leader in Chemistry Lecture at the 2026 Spring ACS meeting. Carter has published 74 papers and obtained 5 patents in her 13+ years in energy storage research and has an h-index of 39.

Dr. Thomas Werfel
Associate Professor
University of Mississippi

Patient-specific protein corona signatures predict nanoparticle uptake and therapeutic response

02.24.27  |  4:10PM |

Thomas Werfel is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at The University of Mississippi (UM). He received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from ��ͷ�� University in 2017, after which he worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Cell and Developmental Biology at ��ͷ�� University School of Medicine. During his time at ��ͷ��, he studied under Dr. Craig Duvall and conducted his postdoctoral training under the direction of Dr. Rebecca Cook. In 2018, he joined the University of Mississippi (UM) as an inaugural faculty member of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. He has been recognized as a Biomaterials Science Emerging Investigator, an Emerging Scholar in Biomaterials by the Society for Biomaterials, and as an NSF CAREER award recipient. His research group is actively investigating: 1) glycopolymers for targeted drug delivery to the immune system, 2) multimodal materials for interval and sequential drug delivery, and 3) stimuli-responsive polymers for nucleic acid delivery. His group is deploying these technologies to produce new therapies for cancer, mental illness, and women’s health.

Dr. Bozhi Tian
University of Chicago

Nano-enabled Photostimulation for Bioelectronic Medicine

04.07.27  |  4:10PM |

Photostimulation has emerged as a powerful strategy for interrogating and modulating biological systems with high spatiotemporal precision. Recent advances in nanoscience have transformed this field by enabling precise engineering of semiconductor, plasmonic, and bioelectronic interfaces at the nanoscale, where optical energy is converted into localized electrical, electrochemical, and ionic signals. This presentation will discuss how rational nanomaterials design reveals new mechanisms for photostimulation beyond conventional optogenetic and photothermal approaches. Topics will include photogenerated capacitive currents, faradaic charge transfer, interfacial electrochemical reactions, and hot-carrier-mediated bioelectronic interactions, highlighting how nanoscale architecture governs charge transport, energy conversion, and biological responses. Particular emphasis will be placed on semiconductor and plasmonic nanostructures that establish fundamentally new paradigms for optical control of living systems.

The talk will further demonstrate how these advances are enabling wireless bioelectronic interfaces for previously inaccessible anatomical targets. Examples will include optical modulation of peripheral nerves, spinal circuits, cardiac tissues, and respiratory control pathways using implantable semiconductor platforms engineered from the nanoscale upward. These studies illustrate how innovations in nanomaterials, interfacial electrochemistry, and device engineering are creating new opportunities for bioelectronic medicine, providing minimally invasive strategies for sensing, therapy, and closed-loop physiological regulation. More broadly, they establish a framework in which nanoscience serves as the foundation for next-generation photostimulation technologies that bridge materials science, optoelectronics, and biomedicine.

Bio. Dr. Bozhi Tian earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Harvard University and completed postdoctoral training in regenerative medicine at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is currently a professor at the University of Chicago, where his research bridges physical chemistry and bioelectronics to advance both fundamental understanding and practical applications at bioelectrical interfaces. His work has enabled the creation of novel semiconductor-based materials and electronic systems designed to probe subcellular dynamics and explore the translational potential of bioelectrical platforms. His lab is particularly active in emerging areas such as photoelectroceuticals, living bioelectronics, and sustainable healthcare technologies. Dr. Tian’s contributions have been recognized with many honors, including the Raymond and Beverly Sackler International Prize in the Physical Sciences and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

Previous speakers include:

• , University of Texas, Austin, 2026
• , University of Pennsylvania, 2025
• , Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2024
• , University of California, Berkeley, 2023
• , Stanford University, 2022
• , Northwestern University, 2020
• , Rice University, 2019
• , Harvard University, 2018
• , Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018
• , University of California, Los Angeles, 2016
• , University of Toronto, 2015
• , Georgia Institute of Technology, 2014

Congratulations to Rachel Moen in the Ethan Lippmann research group! Rachel’s paper, “Hydrogel Embedding of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Supports Extracellular Vesicle Production,” published in Biotechnology and Bioengineering, has been selected as this week’s Spotlight Publication.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from adherent cells are promising therapeutics for a wide variety of diseases. Previous studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived EVs have many applications in wound healing and regenerative medicine. Specifically, MSC-derived EVs are safer than cell-based therapies because they do not involve the administration of live cells to patients. However, a lack of scalable workflows for producing EVs from 2D adherent sources is a major current limitation of the field. One proposed method for culture scale-up is to encapsulate MSCs in a gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel, which provides a 3D matrix that better mimics the in vivo microenvironment of human cells and can be shaped into spherical beads or thin films to support growth of shear-sensitive cells inside bioreactors. To establish proof of concept, we embedded MSCs in a layer of GelMA hydrogel to assess the production rate, molecular properties, and functional characteristics of EVs collected from 3D cultures. Hydrogel-encapsulated MSCs yielded a greater number of EVs per volume of culture compared to traditionally grown unencapsulated MSCs, and 3D cultures produced EVs with improved functionality in a scratch assay relative to vehicle treatment. These findings support the hypothesis that GelMA can be used to support scalable manufacturing of bioactive EVs from adherent cell sources.

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She was recognized for her presentation, “Biofunctionalized Zwitterionic Polymers for High Specificity Porous Silicon Biosensing.” In this work, zwitterionic antifouling polymers grafted from porous silicon were biofunctionalized to provide selective capture sites on a fouling-resistant sensor surface. The research demonstrated detection of low concentrations of DNA oligonucleotides and SARS-CoV-2 antigen in 50% human blood serum without the need for complex biofluid processing or amplification techniques.

This achievement represents a significant advancement for porous silicon optical biosensors and their potential application in clinical sample analysis, enabling highly specific biomolecule detection in complex biological fluids.

This recognition highlights Smail’s contribution to advancing next-generation biosensing technologies with improved sensitivity, specificity, and real-world clinical applicability.

Soren Smail is a member of the  led by , Cornelius ��ͷ�� Professor of Engineering and director of the VINSE She is co-advised by Paul Laibinis, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering.

VINSE successfully concluded its June professional development programming with four hands-on short courses and a collaborative quantum computing workshop, welcoming more than 90 participants from across academia, industry, K-12 education, and the broader community.

More than 40 participants attended VINSE’s short courses in Microfluidic Device Fabrication, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Microfabrication, and Advanced Imaging Techniques. Attendees included ��ͷ�� students and researchers, participants from other universities, industry professionals, a high school teacher, and members of the community, reflecting VINSE’s commitment to expanding access to advanced research training.

In partnership with Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), VINSE also hosted From Atoms to Quantum Computers, a full-day workshop introducing participants to the fundamentals of quantum science and hands-on programming with Qiskit using IBM Quantum hardware. The workshop attracted more than 50 attendees interested in exploring the rapidly evolving field of quantum computing.

VINSE’s short courses and workshops provide hands-on training in advanced research techniques while fostering collaboration across disciplines and institutions. By bringing together participants from ��ͷ��, other universities, industry, K-12 education, and the community, these programs support VINSE’s commitment to advancing research, education, and workforce development in nanoscale science, engineering, and emerging technologies.

VINSE is excited to announce that the Elionix ELS-BODEN 50 electron beam lithography (EBL) system is now available to users in the cleanroom.

The new tool brings a major boost in both resolution and throughput, enabling fabrication of features as small as 10 nm while reducing write times from days to just hours. With advanced automation, dynamic write-field correction, and a range of beam currents for nanoscale to large-area patterning applications, the BODEN makes high-performance nanofabrication faster and more efficient than ever.

The system also features automated multilayer alignment with accuracies of ±20 nm and a optical prealigner that streamlines sample setup and minimizes resist exposure.

For training and access information, please visit: EBL Elionix ELS-BODEN

Bartelsen’s research focuses on the sub-diffraction confinement of electromagnetic energy using polaritons and the design and fabrication of nanoscale optical structures. Her work advances photonic sensing technologies for sensitive gas detection, with applications in environmental monitoring and noninvasive breath-based metabolic sensing for diabetic care.

In addition to her research, Bartelsen is actively engaged in STEM outreach through programs such as VINSE NanoGuides, where she introduces students to optics, nanotechnology, and cleanroom nanofabrication.

Emma is a member of the VU Nanophotonic Materials and Devices Group led by Josh Caldwell, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Materials Science.

The Interdisciplinary Materials Science (IMS) graduate program is pleased to announce the arrival of 10 new PhD students who will join the program this upcoming academic year. This cohort reflects the program’s commitment to bringing together scholars from diverse academic disciplines and institutions to advance innovation in materials science.

The incoming students are:

• Sonja Boettcher – M.S. in Physics, Fisk University; B.S. in Physics, University of Nevada, Reno
• Christian Heffner – M.S. in Physics, Fisk University; B.S. in Physics, Fisk University
• Ke Huang – Doctoral study in Chemistry, Florida State University; M.S. in Engineering Mechanics, Xi’an Jiaotong University
• Kayla James – Doctoral study in Chemistry, Florida State University; B.S. in Biotechnology, University of Central Florida
• Joonyoung Kee – Doctoral study in Chemistry, Florida State University; M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Kyung Hee University
• Kenneth Klutse – B.S. in Biochemistry, Lipscomb University
• Brianna Landwersiek – B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, West Chester University
• Xiaozhao Liu – Doctoral study in Chemistry, Florida State University; prior study in Chemistry, Northern Illinois University
• Jose Rosario Figueroa – M.S. in Nanoengineering, North Carolina State University; post-baccalaureate certificate in Nanotechnology, University of Texas at Austin
• Robert Shields – B.S. in Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara

The Interdisciplinary Materials Science program looks forward to supporting these students as they begin their doctoral studies and contribute to collaborative, cross-disciplinary research.