UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.— Penn State graduate student Ryan Fair is currently participating in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California. Fair is one of 65 graduate students representing 29 states in this year’s program.

The SCGSR program prepares graduate students for science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) careers critically important to the DOE Office of Science mission, by providing graduate thesis research opportunities at DOE laboratories.

For Fair, a doctoral student in materials science and engineering, working with top-notch equipment, facilities, and tools, in addition to the networking opportunities with researchers from all over the world are some of the major advantages of being in the program. For example, the electron microscopes Fair uses for his research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory can obtain higher resolutions and magnifications than most microscopes.

“Gaining access to that kind of equipment is a really, really valuable opportunity, both for myself professionally in my development and also for my research,” Fair said. “Working in a national lab provides really great opportunities for getting your hands in not just one project, but 100 or 1,000 projects.”

Since 2014, the SCGSR program has provided more than 765 U.S. graduate awardees from 153 universities with supplemental funds to conduct part of their thesis research at a host DOE laboratory in collaboration with a DOE laboratory scientist. Fair’s research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory focuses on conjugated polymers, which have unique mechanical properties that aid in the design of flexible electronics, such as computer chips made entirely out of plastic, solar panels printed by an ink-jet printer, and OLED television displays.

Fair said one of the more exciting parts of his research on flexible electronics is the potential to develop biomedical devices in the future, such as flexible synthetic skin for people who lose their skin due to skin grafts. The flexible, synthetic skin would communicate electrical signals with the body’s nervous system, which is where conjugated polymers come into play.

“Ryan's receipt of this fellowship is a testament to his perseverance and ability to carry out cutting edge work in the field of polymer microscopy. He is ideally suited for his proposed work, which encompasses synthesis of model materials and advanced characterization in a unique way,” said Enrique Gomez, professor of chemical engineering at Penn State.

While these biomedical devices may not be developed for many years, Fair said it requires a “leap of faith” in his research in hopes that one day he could make an impact on somebody’s life.

“The thing that gets me really excited about conjugated polymers is making biomedical devices,” said Fair. “If I could improve somebody’s quality of life, or at least have a part in producing the technology that improves people’s quality of life, then I think that’s a valuable contribution at the end of the day.”