UA Undergraduate Student Wins Prize for Research Presentation at INSPIRE Conference

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Jeremy Lawson, a University of Alabama undergraduate physics major doing research in the UA Materials for Information Technology (MINT) Center, recently won a first-place prize for his research presentation at the INSPIRE conference at the University of Southern Mississippi Oct. 16-18.

The conference featured presentations by undergraduate students throughout the region in the areas of materials science, polymers and biomaterials. Lawson won his award in the materials science division; it included a check for $500.

Lawson, a senior from Huntsville, began his research under the supervision of Dr. J.W. Harrell, UA professor of physics, during the summer of 2003 as part of the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program.

The REU program offers undergraduates the opportunity to participate in materials research projects for 10 weeks during the summer. His research involves chemically synthesized iron-platinum nanoparticles, which have the potential for increasing the amount of information stored on hard disks by a factor of 1000.

“Specifically, he is studying the effects of time and temperature on the nanoparticles’ phase transformation. This phase transformation is critical for their use in high density information storage,” said Harrell.

“I have had a number of undergraduates do research with me over the years, and Jeremy is among the best,” said Harrell. “He is more mature intellectually and emotionally than most undergraduate students. He is also an excellent communicator, and this is probably one of the reasons that he won the INSPIRE award.”

According to Lawson, the experience provided by his work with the MINT Center has been invaluable. “MINT has provided me a chance to work in a world class research facility, gaining the skills I’ll need to be highly successful in the job market,” he said. “Their willingness to actively mentor me and give me real world experiences (for example, the INSPIRE conference) is probably one of its greatest aspects.”

The UA MINT Center pursues basic research in materials and processes used in information storage devices such as magnetic hard drive and tape systems. The Center educates students in relevant science and engineering disciplines and facilitates technical exchange within the information storage industry.

The College of Arts and Sciences is the University’s largest division and the largest public liberal arts college in the state, with approximately 5,500 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students. The College has received national recognition for academic excellence, and the College’s students have been selected for many of the nation’s top academic honors, including 13 Rhodes Scholarships, 14 Goldwater Scholarships, seven Truman Scholarships, and 15 memberships on USA Today’s Academic All-American teams.