PARADIM Highlight #88—Education and Outreach (2023)
Jim Overhiser, PARADIM Director, Education and Outreach (Cornell University)
Jayson Johnson, a rising sophomore and Karsh STEM Scholar at Howard University participated in the 2023 PARADIM REU Summer Program at PARADIM’s Bulk Crystal Growth Facility at Johns Hopkins University. During the 10-week program Jayson worked hand in hand with JHU graduate student Thomas Whoriskey on a project entitled “Incorporating machine learning into free energy calculations to aid in the synthesis of rare earth nickelates.” At the end of the summer, Jayson presented the result of his effort, the online tool Ternary Oxide Synthesis Predictor with Integrated Reactant Exploration.
Figure 1: Jayson Johnson, Karsh STEM Scholar | Vivien Thomas Scholar | Howard University '26 | Mechanical Engineering | Math and Computer Science Double Minor
Jayson has also presented on his research at:
- The Leadership Alliance National Symposium July 28-30, 2023, Hartford CT.
- The ASME (The American Society of Mechanical Engineers) International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE 2023) Oct. 29 – Nov. 2, 2023, New Orleans, LA, where he earned the 3rd place at the Undergraduate Research and Design Expo Student Poster Competition.
- The Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS) November 15-18, 2023, Phoenix AZ.
During his REU, Jayson participated in several professional development sessions that focused on science communication and presenting science research and has continued working with the bulk facility to further refine his tool.
The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) has been an integral part of PARADIM since its inception in 2016,
- From 2016 to 2021 supported as part the main awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF) via corporate agreements DMR-1539918 and DMR-2039380, and
- Since 2022 with dedicated funding from NSF as the “REU-Site: Summer Research Program at PARADIM,” via grant number DMR-2150446.
