PhD student Kierstyn Anderson (Spokoyny lab) has been selected for the AFRL 2021 Space Scholars Program to work on the design, fabrication, characterization, and development of functional coatings and materials.
Kierstyn is a 4th year graduate student in Professor Alex Spokoyny’s lab working on the development and characterization of luminescent boron-containing compounds. This summer, she will work with mentor Dr. Thomas Peng at New Mexico’s Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to incorporate these unique molecules into downshifting layers for space-operable photovoltaic devices. Due to the harsh conditions of space, these molecules must not only exhibit desirable photoluminescent properties, but also exceptional stability. At the AFRL, Kierstyn will be working at the interface of chemical synthesis and materials design to achieve these goals. Her AFRL internship will be virtual for nine weeks beginning in May 2021.
The AFRL Space Scholars Program is geared towards giving students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) an opportunity to experience research in an Air Force laboratory and to work on projects directly related to promoting national security.
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penny@chem.ucla.edu.
