{"692963":{"#nid":"692963","#data":{"type":"news","title":"High School Students Create Microscopic Boat in a Bottle","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMost high school students spend their summer breaks working part-time jobs or traveling with family. For four rising high school seniors from metro Atlanta, summer was spent at Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/matter-systems.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EInstitute for Matter and Systems\u003C\/a\u003E (IMS), where they gained hands-on experience with advanced microfabrication technologies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs part of the IMS Summer Internship, the students worked in the IMS Biocleanroom on a special project: creating a microscopic boat in a bottle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnder the mentorship of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/matter-systems.gatech.edu\/people\/nik-roeske\u0022\u003ENik Roeske\u003C\/a\u003E, a process-equipment engineer with IMS, the students experienced every stage of the research process, from design and prototyping to testing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe students learned two microfabrication techniques to create the project. First, they used an Exaddon CERES metal 3D printer to deposit copper ions and build a 3DBenchy, a model designed to test 3D printers. Then they used a Nanoscribe 3D printer to print a polymer enclosure around the boat.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe ability to comprehend 3rd dimensional space at such a small scale is very impressive,\u201d said Roeske. \u201cThe high school students were working at the scale of single microns, approximately 100 times smaller than the width of a human hair. This project serves as a gateway to combining two high-resolution 3D printing systems, which could open the door to research in advanced packaging, MEMS, and biomedical engineering.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen we were talking about combining the prints into a ship in a bottle, I suggested we replace the ship inside with a benchy,\u201d said Gabby Sutter, Biocleanroom summer intern and senior student at South Paulding High School. \u201cBoth the Exxadon and the Nanoscribe are 3D printers, after all!\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELike many research projects, the work involved multiple rounds of trial and error. Early attempts revealed challenges involving materials, printing alignment, and structural integrity. Rather than seeing the setbacks as failures, the students used each iteration to better understand the manufacturing process, analyze data, identify sources of error, and refine subsequent designs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe ship-in-a-bottle model and the Benchy are two separate models that we combined,\u201d said Sutter. \u201cSince they were not designed to be printed at this scale or to fit together, there were several adjustments. We scaled both models down but then realized the Benchy was too tall to fit in the bottle. To solve that problem, we adjusted the scale of the bottle.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe final boat in a bottle is approximately 200 microns long, making it smaller than grains of table salt. The team has submitted the project for world-record consideration.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeyond their fabrication project, the interns helped introduce younger students to nanotechnology. Throughout the summer, they led tours of the IMS cleanroom facilities for middle school students in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/stemgemsbook.com\/summer-camp\/\u0022\u003ESTEM Gems\u003C\/a\u003E summer camp. They shared their knowledge and demonstrated how researchers use specialized equipment to address complex science and engineering challenges.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe experience provided technical training while helping students build communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. By participating in research projects and engaging with Georgia Tech researchers, they gained firsthand insight into careers in science, technology, engineering, math, and the research environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWorking in the cleanroom has only made me more eager to go to Georgia Tech and work in STEM,\u201d Sutter said. \u201cI want to become an engineer at NASA, so it was really exciting to work in a cleanroom like one I could use at NASA.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy the end of the summer, the interns left with much more than a microscopic boat in a bottle. They gained technical knowledge, professional experience, and confidence in their ability to solve complex problems. They can carry those skills into college classrooms, research laboratories, and, eventually, the workforce.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFour metro Atlanta students used advanced microfabrication technologies during a summer internship at Georgia Tech to create a boat in a bottle approximately 200 microns long.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Four metro Atlanta students used advanced microfabrication technologies during a summer internship at Georgia Tech to create a boat in a bottle approximately 200 microns long. "}],"uid":"35272","created_gmt":"2026-10-01 16:19:59","changed_gmt":"2026-10-01 21:00:39","author":"aneumeister3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-10-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-10-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681332":{"id":"681332","type":"image","title":"benchyPrint.png","body":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EMicroscopy and analysis software used to inspect, measure, and characterize microscale fabricated structures during the research workflow.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","created":"1790888249","gmt_created":"2026-10-01 20:57:29","changed":"1790888249","gmt_changed":"2026-10-01 20:57:29","alt":"Microscope software interface displays a microfabricated structure alongside measurement, calibration, and image-analysis tools used during characterization. Detailed description required in adjacent page content.","file":{"fid":"265708","name":"benchyPrint.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/01\/benchyPrint.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/01\/benchyPrint.png","mime":"image\/png","size":10160874,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/10\/01\/benchyPrint.png?itok=1Zbte9wY"}},"681331":{"id":"681331","type":"image","title":"final_print.png","body":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ECompleted bottle-shaped metallic microstructure imaged by using a scanning electron microscope, demonstrating successful fabrication and preservation of the design geometry.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","created":"1790888143","gmt_created":"2026-10-01 20:55:43","changed":"1790888143","gmt_changed":"2026-10-01 20:55:43","alt":"Scanning electron micrograph of a completed bottle-shaped metallic microstructure on a textured surface, shown with instrument settings and scale information. Detailed description required in adjacent page content.","file":{"fid":"265707","name":"final_print.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/01\/final_print.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/01\/final_print.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1707788,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/10\/01\/final_print.png?itok=Y6ceqwD1"}},"681330":{"id":"681330","type":"image","title":"benchy_on_computer.jpg","body":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EA researcher uses microscopy imaging software to examine a microscale 3D Benchy, a boat-shaped test structure commonly used to evaluate additive manufacturing processes.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","created":"1790888068","gmt_created":"2026-10-01 20:54:28","changed":"1790888068","gmt_changed":"2026-10-01 20:54:28","alt":"Researcher operates microscopy imaging software at a workstation displaying a high magnification image of a microscopic 3D boat-shaped structure.","file":{"fid":"265706","name":"benchy_on_computer.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/01\/benchy_on_computer.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/01\/benchy_on_computer.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":52466,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/10\/01\/benchy_on_computer.jpg?itok=UvVbUq73"}},"681333":{"id":"681333","type":"image","title":"failed_print2.png","body":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ESEM image of multiple failed microfabricated structures, illustrating deformation and material accumulation that occurred during manufacturing.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","created":"1790888249","gmt_created":"2026-10-01 20:57:29","changed":"1790888249","gmt_changed":"2026-10-01 20:57:29","alt":"Scanning electron micrograph of multiple damaged metallic microstructures and fabrication debris on a textured surface, documenting print failure. Detailed description required in adjacent page content.","file":{"fid":"265709","name":"failed_print2.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/01\/failed_print2.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/01\/failed_print2.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1061148,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/10\/01\/failed_print2.png?itok=_xaYCvvA"}},"681334":{"id":"681334","type":"image","title":"hs_interns_group_photo.jpg","body":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EHigh school interns and research mentors gather outside the Marcus Nanotechnology Building at Georgia Tech, where students participated in hands-on nanotechnology and microfabrication research.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","created":"1790888249","gmt_created":"2026-10-01 20:57:29","changed":"1790888249","gmt_changed":"2026-10-01 20:57:29","alt":"Student researchers stand outside the Marcus Nanotechnology Building on the Georgia Tech campus.","file":{"fid":"265710","name":"hs_interns_group_photo.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/01\/hs_interns_group_photo.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/01\/hs_interns_group_photo.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":40708,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/10\/01\/hs_interns_group_photo.jpg?itok=RoI0okDQ"}}},"media_ids":["681332","681331","681330","681333","681334"],"groups":[{"id":"660369","name":"Matter and Systems"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"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 | Communications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Institute for Matter and Systems\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["amelia.neumeister@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}