The Institute for Inclusive and Transformative Scholarship (IFITS) offers scholarships for undergraduate research activity. This spring, 16 Boise State students were awarded these paid 12-week research experiences, including two Electrical Engineering majors. Rafael Whynman and Camden Webster, both students in the Electrical Engineering bachelor’s program at Boise State, are part of this year’s cohort.
Both students are working with faculty mentor Dr. Karthik Srinivasan in the Applied Magnetics and Photonics (AMPS) Laboratory. Srinivasan’s AMPS research group is focused on tackling key problems in computation and wireless communication. Employing state-of-the-art methods, they specialize in synthesizing magnetic and optical materials and seamlessly integrating them with nanoscale devices to pioneer solutions.
Rafael Whynman’s project will focus on the design and development of photonic interferometers, a crucial component that enables the transmission and routing of light within photonic integrated circuits. The project will provide valuable simulation and experimental skills spanning tools in the Idaho Microfabrication Lab and the AMPS Lab.
Rafael is excited to see his research advance the state-of-the-art in integrated photonics and gain experience in the field as he prepares to pursue a doctoral degree in the future.
“I am always eager to learn new things and dive deeper into the world of research,” says Rafael, “especially when such research is heavily involved in physics. I am also happy that I get to work in a lab that appreciates my involvement and encourages my ongoing development.”
Under Dr. Srinivasan’s supervision, Rafael is performing research centered on manipulating light within integrated circuits. His duties involve performing simulations of heat transfer and optical transmission. He’s also working in the IML to learn fabrication techniques like sputtering. His goal is to complete his project with a stronger knowledge of phase change materials and their role in optical manipulation. Rafael hopes to apply his experience as an IFITS scholar to future work on renewables and precision sensing.
Camden Webster’s research project will focus on building a measurement system for ferromagnetic resonance in the AMPS Lab. Ferromagnetic resonance, or FMR, is the coupling between an electromagnetic wave and the magnetization of the material through which it passes, leading to strong absorption of the wave and a loss in power. Consequently, devices that use such magnetic materials have implications for filtering high-frequency signals in wireless communications. Camden’s project will train him to develop new measurement instrumentation and provide foundational knowledge in electromagnetics.
By analyzing the resonance frequency, Camden can determine the ability of the magnetic material to absorb waves of specific frequencies and powers. The FMR measurement is designed to be highly sensitive to magnetic interactions within different classes of magnetic materials, such as ferromagnets, ferrimagnets, and anti-ferromagnets. This information is crucial in determining appropriate materials and designs for integrated magnetic devices in wireless communications.
“I am glad to have such a great professor like Dr. Karthik Srinivasan to guide me along this journey,” says Camden. “He’s been instrumental in my pursuit of understanding magnetism and electromagnetics.”
As the program draws to a close, each scholarship recipient will create and present a poster showcasing their research at the Boise State Undergraduate Research Showcase (URS) and/or the Idaho Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR). In addition to the incredible opportunity to gain hands-on research in their field under the supervision of a faculty mentor, scholarship recipients also receive a $3,000 scholarship.
Funding for the scholarships is provided by the Higher Education Research Council of the Idaho State Board of Education, Boise State’s Division of Research and Economic Development, and the Institute for Inclusive and Transformative Scholarship.