Quintin C
- Research Program Mentor
PhD at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Expertise
Chemistry, Energy Science, Materials Science, Electrochemistry, Microscopy, General Scientific Research
Bio
My primary field of expertise is materials chemistry, but I truly enjoy all disciplines of both chemistry and science. While in graduate school my research focused on how we can take safe and simple materials and use electrochemistry to convert them into usable, high quality semiconductors such as silicon and germanium. I have also worked on a variety of student-led chemistry focused projects such as the synthesis plastics using carbon dioxide, the creation low cost solar cells, and the determination of the recyclability of various common use plastics. Using science to understand and better the world around us has and will always be a passionate and driving force for me. My favorite hobby in my free time is definitely collecting and playing video games. Beyond just being fun to play, I truly enjoy seeing how the different art styles, music, mechanics, and story can be used in video games to do something that mediums can't as easily replicate. A handful of my favorite video games include Elden Ring, Outer Wilds, Earthbound, Disco Elysium, and Baldur's Gate 3. Aside from playing video games I really enjoying both cooking and baking (though my decorating skills needs work haha) foods from different parts of the world. I'm also an avid hiker and love being able to visit new state and national parks when I have the chance.Project ideas
Preparing a Scientific Communication Presentation on a topic of your choice
Being able to effectively communicate your ideas, results, and conclusions to a general audience is one of the most important skills a scientist can learn. After all, even the best data and results won't be particularly effective if their relevance can't be properly explained to others. In this project, the student would choose a scientific topic that you feel interested in exploring in more detail with the end goal of creating a PowerPoint/poster to present to an audience. One avenue for this project could be in the form of a literature review in which the student analyzes data from papers, books, and other media to create a more "digestible" presentation. Alternatively, the student could formulate their own hypothesis and carry out their own experiments to collect data for the presentation. Ultimately, this project serves to teach students how to both analyze scientific data, organize the data in a logical manner, and effectively present/communicate their findings so that it can be understood by a general audience.