Gus Workman awarded Undergraduate Research Scholarship

In the Ohio State College of Engineering, undergraduate students have the opportunity to follow their investigational instincts through research. The experience offers students the chance to specialize in a specific area of interest, connect with faculty, and gain first-hand experience in the areas of research and development. Research that culminates in the production of an undergraduate research thesis allows the student to graduate with honors research distinction. 

Gus Workman, an undergraduate student research assistant at Ohio State's ElectroScience Laboratory (ESL), recently received approval from the College of Engineering's Honors Committee to pursue his proposed research project titled, "Thermal Cycling Reliability of Vanadium Oxide Films for Switching Applications." The committee also awarded Workman a scholarship for his project. 

Workman, who plans to graduate in December 2020, will execute his research project at ESL under the direction of Nima Ghalichechian, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Ghalichechian serves as the principal investigator and director of the RF Microsystems Laboratory at ESL; the interdisciplinary research group focuses on micro/nanotechnology and electromagnetics. 

"The project is a reliability study on vanadium dioxide (VO2), which is a thermally-activated phase change material," Workman shared. "It changes from an electrical insulator to an electrical conductor at about 68C. What we're trying to find out is how the performance of the material changes after millions of these thermal cycles."

In his project proposal, Workman explained his interest in this research area stemmed from an opportunity to work at Samsung Research America. He credits internships and involvement with the Underwater Robotics Team in circuit design, software development, data analysis, and debugging issues for giving him the experience needed to execute his project successfully. 

"This research project is one way that I can continue to embed myself in the research community and gain academic research experience that will help me showcase my ability to succeed in graduate school," Workman continued. 

To learn more about undergraduate research and distinction within the College of Engineering, please visit advising.engineering.osu.edu.