Category: 2025

“I am very grateful for the WIC+ Professional Development grant supporting my attendance at the Ultrafast Optics XIV conference held October 5-10th 2025 in Furnas, Portugal. I gave an oral presentation titled “Integrated terahertz generation with high spectral brightness”, in which I discussed my recent work on developing on-chip narrowband THz sources and using them to demonstrate fully integrated nonlinear two-dimensional spectroscopy. The experience was incredible! The conference was highly specialized with only ~200 attendees, which allowed for a single-session conference format. Being able to attend every talk helped me gain a deeper understanding of the current state of the art for ultrafast laser sources, particularly the sources I don’t work with. There is a strong emphasis in the field to develop high average power mid-infrared laser sources, and I had the chance to discuss with several attendees how such sources would advance strong light-matter interaction experiments. I made connections with researchers from all over the world, and have had several follow up conversations and ideas for collaborations. My talk also ended up winning the first-place student oral presentation award! Overall, attending UFOXIV was a great opportunity to present my research and build connections.”

“The 2025 Photochemistry GRS and GRC was held on the last week of July at Bates College in Maine. I attended both and presented my poster “Characterization of Vibrationally-facilitated Energy Relaxation Pathways in Osmium-based Photocatalysts using Ultrafast 2D Electronic Spectroscopy,” where I discussed my most recent work on identifying oscillations and vibrations underlying triplet MLCT manifold relaxation pathways. The poster sessions at the GRS and GRC were both quite rewarding – I was able to have extensive conversations both on my work and of other topics of interest to me. In particular, I was able to meet the scientist who conducted extensive stark spectroscopy analysis on my photocatalysts and we had a fruitful conversation about the limits of stark spectroscopy and TD-DFT in determining the order of electronic excited states in osmium polypyridyls. I was also able to learn about recent work identifying polaron formation/hopping in alpha-hematite, a material that is of major interest for applications in solar energy conversion. At the end of the conference, I also had the great honor of sharing my results in the form of a short talk, which spawned more discussions, specifically about the amount of spin-orbit coupling in osmium-based complexes. In all, both the GRS and GRC were a great experience for me to interact with the broader photochemistry community and share my results.”

With support from the WIC+ professional development travel grant, I was able to attend the 2025 Spring Materials Research Society Meeting in Seattle, WA. This was my first time attending and participating in a week-long conference out of state and it was an incredible opportunity. Getting to spend a full week immersed in cutting edge research and focused on my own professional development was extremely rewarding. I was able to make valuable connections and start collaborations within my field. Additionally, I was able to learn about adjacent fields and get introduced to new topics in a way that would not be possible outside of large conference setting. I made several connections with other researchers around the world that I hope to use as I build my career. Lastly, I presented my research in a seminar which lead to fruitful discussions and ideas with leaders in my field. I am extremely thankful for this opportunity and appreciate WIC+ and the Dow Professional Development Grant for making this valuable experience possible!

“I am grateful for the opportunity to attend the American Chemical Society (ACS) Spring 2025 Conference in San Diego, made possible by the WIC+ Professional Development Grant. The conference featured an exciting lineup of talks across many areas of chemistry, and I was specifically drawn to sessions focused on light–matter interactions in molecular systems and emerging semiconductors, which closely align with my research interests. It was a valuable experience to learn from both established leaders and emerging voices in the field, many of whom shared recent and unpublished work that sparked engaging discussions.

This was my first time attending the ACS Spring Meeting, and it provided a meaningful opportunity to connect with a broader scientific community. I was fortunate to present my research on light-harvesting supramolecular assemblies through both an oral talk and a poster. Sharing my research in these formats allowed me to reach a wide audience, engage in meaningful scientific discussions, and receive insightful feedback from researchers and professionals in the field. The professional development workshops and networking events I attended were also incredibly helpful for career growth and provided a strong sense of community within the chemistry field. Overall, ACS Spring 2025 was an unforgettable experience that significantly contributed to both my professional development and personal growth. I am sincerely grateful to the WIC+ program for supporting my participation. I hope others in the department will also take advantage of this incredible opportunity in the future.”

“The WIC+ professional development travel grant allowed me to attend the 2025 American Chemical Society March Meeting in San Diego, CA. This was my first time attending a conference with a week-long session dedicated to studying metal-electrolyte interfaces. Through listening to these talks and being able to discuss problems with other experimentalists and computational chemists in the field, I learned a tremendous amount of information in a short amount of time. I was also able to present my research in this session and received helpful feedback. In addition to my current research, I am interested in computational chemistry applications to pharmaceutical research, and given the breadth of topics covered at the ACS March Meeting, I was able to attend talks on fascinating medicinal chemistry fields, such as molecular chameleonicity, macrocycles, and peptide therapeutics. I sincerely appreciate WIC+ for making this experience possible. Attending this conference was a valuable experience that contributed to my academic and professional growth.”