We are excited to welcome Michelle Mercado, a rising fourth-year Chemical Engineering major at UC Irvine, to the Kaner group! She joins us for her second summer through the UC LEADS program, participating in an eight-week research experience with Sophia Uemura and Dr. Mackenzie Anderson. Outside the lab, Michelle enjoys learning piano, crocheting, caring for her growing houseplant collection, and spending time with her two cats, Joy and Coco.
Dr. Maher El-Kady (Ph.D. ’13) is featured in the Chemistry Shorts film Energy to Spare: Building Better Batteries, showcasing his research on zinc-ion batteries as a safer, more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion technology. Several Kaner group graduate students (Gray Carson, Isabelle Davis, Puyuan Du, Bradley Kroes, Haemin (Joanne) Oh, and Zhiyin (Tara) Yang) also appear in the film, which blends engaging visuals with insights into next-generation energy storage for the renewable energy era.
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Congratulations to Sophia Uemura on receiving the Michael E. Jung Excellence in Teaching Award for her exceptional instruction of undergraduate students. Congratulations also to Andrew Huang, awarded the Chemistry & Biochemistry Alumni Undergraduate Research Fellowship to continue his research in the Kaner group this summer.
Several Kaner group members celebrated their graduations this year with notable honors, including Spencer Hamilton (Ph.D.) receiving the Herbert Newby McCoy Commencement Award; Haemin (Joanne) Oh (MACS) with the Excellence in Research Award; Min Kyu Lee (MACS) with the Outstanding Capstone Research Award; Celeste Elkort (B.S. Chemistry) with the James Blaine Ramsey Commencement Prize; and Suzy Matinyan (B.S. Chemistry) with the Maria Rebecca and Maureen Bellettini Commencement Award.
Congratulations also to graduates Puyuan Du (MACS), Malachi Warneke (B.S. Chemistry), Puyuan Du (MACS), Mark Munteanu (M.S., Materials Chemistry), and Mikołaj Sidziński (B.S. Bioengineering)
Kaner group graduate student Izzy Davis has successfully passed her candidacy exam, marking a major milestone toward the completion of her Ph.D. journey. Congratulations, Izzy, on this important achievement!
Cheng-Wei was a guest speaker at the California NanoSystems Institute’s Nanoscience Teacher Training Workshop, sharing insights and expertise with educators to support the advancement of nanoscience education.
Michelle Xie, Joo Wan Kim, and Cheng-Wei have published “Heterophase Reduction of the Fully Oxidized Aniline Tetramer” in ACS Materials Letters. Using phenyl-capped aniline tetramer (TANI) as a model of polyaniline (PANI), the study explores the heterophase reductions of the pernigraniline base, offering new insights into conductive polymer chemistry.
Zhiyin (Tara) Yang’s research, “Ultra-fast Sodium-Ion Batteries Based on Vanadium Oxide and Laser-Scribed Graphene Electrodes,” has been published in Chemistry of Materials. This work introduces a novel synthetic strategy for creating vanadium oxide laser-scribed graphene (VOLG) electrodes as highly functional anode materials for sodium-ion batteries.
As of August 2024, Dr. Kaner’s research has surpassed 100,000 citations, reflecting his lasting impact and influence in the fields of chemistry and materials science.
Congratulations to Yuto Katsuyama (Ph.D. Chemistry), Joo Wan Kim (MACS), and Michelle Xie (MACS) on their graduations! We celebrate their hard work and achievements, and wish them success in their next endeavors.
