Undergraduate Experience
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Four students participated in the NCI-SW Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program during the summer of 2017. These participants included two veterans and one female, and all were from regional community colleges. They were selected from a group of well qualified applicants with the aim of addressing one of the NCI-SW’s goals to recruit and retain a diverse population.
These REU students paired up to form two teams to investigate different micro- and nanoscale techniques to improve the performance of silicon solar cells. These were collaborative projects between ASU’s NanoFab and the Solar Power Lab. One project aims to create small pyramidal features on the cell surface, while the other studied the fabrication of arrays of nanoscale pillars. Upon the completion of their projects, the students presented their results in poster sessions at the NNCI REU Convocation in Atlanta, GA and the Arizona Student Energy Conference in Tempe, AZ.
Teacher Experience
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In 2017, NCI-SW’s Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program hosted a 5th grade teacher from St. John Bosco School located in Phoenix, AZ. She teamed up with other participants in a concurrent RET program conducted by the Engineering Research Center for Quantum Energy and Sustainable Solar Technologies to collaboratively develop methods, hands-on activities, and curriculum that can be used to teach solar cell and related technologies back at their home institutions.