Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering

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REU Site in Magnetics

Application deadline is April 30, 2024.

The REU site in Magnetics at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) consisting of 12 faculty members from VCU, VUU, and VSU will host 10 REU students in their labs. State-of-the-art  micro and nanofabrication, bulk materials processing, and magnetic characterization facilities at Virginia Microelectronics Center (VMC), Material and Manufacturing Research Center (MMRC) and Nano Characterization Center (NCC) will be used in training the REU students. These centers are located at the College of Engineering of VCU and have received several NSF Major Research Instrumentation awards.

Students will also spend one week at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Gaithersburg, Harvard University, Boston, and at Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM), Petersburg, VA, conducting various experiments ranging from neutron diffraction to brain stimulation. Additionally, REU students will visit Micron Technologies Inc. in Virginia to gain insight into nanofabrication facilities that are currently used in the computer industry.

Institutions participating in the magnetics REU at VCU

The topics of research that students undertake are:

  1. Voltage control of skyrmions and strain-mediated control of magnetism for energy-efficient non-volatile memory and synapses for neural networks.
    Faculty in charge: Dr. J. Atulasimha, jatulasimha@vcu.edu
  2. Development of spin wave nano-antenna and matrix multiplier for machine learning using magnetic tunnel junctions.
    Faculty in charge: Dr. Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, sbandy@vcu.edu
  3. Multifunctional magnetic phase change composites for thermal management technologies.
    Faculty in charge: Dr. Radhika Barua, rbarua@vcu.edu
  4. Structural characterization of core-shell nanoparticles for exchange-spring permanent magnets.
    Faculty in charge: Dr. Massimo Bertino, mfbertino@vcu.edu
  5. Strong exchange coupling of core-shell systems prepared by high-power impulse magnetron sputtering.
    Faculty in charge: Dr. Carlos E Castano Londono, cecastanolond@vcu.edu
  6. Development of magnetocaloric nanoparticles for energy-efficient cooling devices.
    Faculty in charge: Dr. Everett Carpenter, ecarpenter2@vcu.edu
  7. Development of highly focal transcranial magnetic stimulation coils for small animals.
    Faculty in charge: Dr. Ravi Hadimani, rhadimani@vcu.edu
  8. Investigation of the relationship between magnetic properties of dust samples in Richmond City and high asthma rates.
    Faculty in charge: Dr. Francis E. Mensah, FEMensah@vuu.edu
  9. Effect of neuroanatomy on motor evoked potentials after transcranial magnetic stimulation in tetraplegia patients.
    Faculty in charge: Dr. Carrie Peterson, clpeterson@vcu.edu
  10. Investigation of the 3D printing process, magnetic and mechanical properties of the magnetic composite soft robots under applied
    magnetic field.
    Faculty in charge: Dr. Hong Zhao, hzhao2@vcu.edu

To apply for the REU position, please email your research statement and resume to the faculty members based on your topic of interest. The faculty member will contact you if you are selected for the position. You can also direct your questions to the faculty member in charge of specific topics. If you have general questions, please reach out to Dr. Ravi L. Hadimani.