{"682533":{"#nid":"682533","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Empowering Undergraduate Research Through Collaboration","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor many researchers, access to advanced instrumentation and toolsets can be the difference between an idea and getting published. But not all academic institutions can prioritize research instrumentation on the same scale. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJacob Sylvie, an undergraduate researcher at Berry College, experienced this firsthand. His research focused on developing benchtop electrochemical methods to grow crystalline semiconductor materials \u2014 work that required highly specialized techniques and tools. Even though Sylvie performed most of his research at Berry, he still had one problem: He needed access to resources that weren\u2019t available on campus.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cSince Berry College is a small, liberal arts, primarily undergraduate institution, we only have access to a limited range of in-house instrumentation,\u201d said Zachary Lindsey, assistant professor at Berry College and Sylvie\u2019s advisor. \u201cThe combination of the available instrumentation and focused support offered by expert personnel at Georgia Tech presented a rare, world-class opportunity for my students.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESylvie and Lindsey reached out to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/matter-systems.gatech.edu\/core-facilities\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EInstitute for Matter and Systems\u2019 Materials Characterization Facility\u003C\/a\u003E regarding characterization services. They were advised to apply for the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/senic.gatech.edu\/catalyst\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESoutheastern Nanotechnology Infrastructure Corridor (SENIC) Catalyst Program\u003C\/a\u003E to support Sylvie\u2019s research needs.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe program supports researchers in microtechnology, nanotechnology, and the broader scientific community by providing access to SENIC facilities to aid in research, obtain preliminary data, conduct proof-of-concept studies, or for educational purposes. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOne of the goals of SENIC is to democratize access to world-class facilities, like the ones here at IMS,\u201d said David Gottfried, associate director of external user programs and SENIC site director at Georgia Tech. \u201cThe Catalyst Seed Grants are one way we can make sure that anyone can benefit from our research infrastructure.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThrough the program, Sylvie and Lindsey received use-of-tool access, staff time, and materials and supplies for six months. During this time, Sylvie published his first peer-reviewed article in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0921452624012213?via%3Dihub\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EPhysica B: Condensed Matter\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E. \u003C\/em\u003EThe publication played a pivotal role in his successful application for the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/goldwaterscholarship.gov\/2025-scholars\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EGoldwater Scholarship\u003C\/a\u003E in March.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI cannot emphasize enough the magnitude of the support and efficiency of the SENIC Catalyst Seed Grant,\u201d said Lindsey. \u201cThe impact that this program has had on my students and me is irreplaceable, and I highly recommend that other faculty and students take advantage of this opportunity to push your research to new heights.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPrograms like SENIC don\u2019t just support research \u2014 they bridge the gap between potential and achievement, empowering students from all backgrounds to reach new heights in science and innovation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis work was performed in part at the Georgia Tech Institute for Matter and Systems, a member of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI), which is supported by the National Science Foundation (Grant ECCS-2025462).\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe SENIC Catalyst Program provided resources that helped a liberal arts college student publish his first scientific paper and win a top national scholarship.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The SENIC Catalyst Program provided resources that helped a liberal arts college student publish his first scientific paper and win a top national scholarship"}],"uid":"35272","created_gmt":"2025-05-27 13:45:08","changed_gmt":"2025-05-27 19:01:50","author":"aneumeister3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-05-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-05-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677134":{"id":"677134","type":"image","title":"250424-Jacob-Sylvie-Goldwater137391-BS542_web.jpg","body":null,"created":"1748372471","gmt_created":"2025-05-27 19:01:11","changed":"1748372471","gmt_changed":"2025-05-27 19:01:11","alt":"Berry College student Jacob Sylvie and his advisor Zack Lindsey working at a materials imaging tool","file":{"fid":"261002","name":"250424-Jacob-Sylvie-Goldwater137391-BS542_web.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/27\/250424-Jacob-Sylvie-Goldwater137391-BS542_web_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/27\/250424-Jacob-Sylvie-Goldwater137391-BS542_web_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":146880,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/05\/27\/250424-Jacob-Sylvie-Goldwater137391-BS542_web_0.jpg?itok=zG1IBFK6"}},"677135":{"id":"677135","type":"image","title":"250424-Jacob-Sylvie-Goldwater137700-BS553_web.jpg","body":null,"created":"1748372471","gmt_created":"2025-05-27 19:01:11","changed":"1748372471","gmt_changed":"2025-05-27 19:01:11","alt":"Berry College student Jacob Sylvie working at a materials imaging tool","file":{"fid":"261003","name":"250424-Jacob-Sylvie-Goldwater137700-BS553_web.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/27\/250424-Jacob-Sylvie-Goldwater137700-BS553_web_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/27\/250424-Jacob-Sylvie-Goldwater137700-BS553_web_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":158821,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/05\/27\/250424-Jacob-Sylvie-Goldwater137700-BS553_web_0.jpg?itok=pQJhc8Oy"}}},"media_ids":["677134","677135"],"groups":[{"id":"660369","name":"Matter and Systems"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193652","name":"Matter and Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.neumeister@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Neumeister\u003C\/a\u003E | Research Communications Program Manager\u003Cbr\u003EThe Institute for Matter and Systems\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["amelia.neumeister@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}