Janzen awarded national laboratory residency through Department of Energy program
MANHATTAN — Eli Janzen, doctoral student in the Tim Taylor Department of Chemical Engineering at Kansas State University, is one of 44 awardees nationally through the Department of Energy's Office of Science Graduate Student Research, or SCSGR, program.
The program provides Janzen with world-class training and access to state-of-the-art facilities for continuing his doctoral research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, while also providing the opportunity to collaborate with a laboratory scientist onsite. The program pays for inbound and outbound travel to the laboratory, as well as a monthly stipend during the five-month residency.
Janzen, from Galva, will continue his doctoral research, which centers on growing hexagonal boron nitride single crystals via the solution growth method. Hexagonal boron nitride crystals are wide-bandgap semiconductors with many applications in devices, particularly in those that use two-dimensional materials like graphene.
"I am very excited to have an extended stay at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab," Janzen said. "During a short two-week visit, I was able to make huge advancements in analyzing my experimental results, met new experts in my field and discovered new avenues that I can pursue in my research. I can only imagine how much more I'll be able to accomplish during five months in the same environment."
The goal of the program is to prepare graduate students for science, technology, engineering or mathematics careers critically important to the DOE Office of Science mission by providing graduate thesis research opportunities through extended residencies at DOE national laboratories.
"The Department of Energy is committed to growing the American science and technology workforce," said Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, director of the DOE Office of Science. "SCGSRs are one way we contribute to nurturing the incredible talent and curiosity in students from all walks of life to meet the great scientific challenges of the world. I know the future is bright for these students, and I'm honored that the Department of Energy can be a part of their stories."
According to the DOE, awardees were selected from a diverse pool of graduate applicants from institutions around the country. Selection was based on merit review by external scientific experts. Since 2014, the program has provided more than 900 U.S. graduate awardees from 155 universities with supplemental funds to conduct part of their thesis research at a host DOE laboratory in collaboration with a DOE laboratory scientist.
