Doctoral student Zihao Lin recognized with multiple MRS awards

Doctoral student Zihao Lin received three awards at the 2024 Fall MRS (Materials Research Society) National Conference that recently concluded in Boston. Lin received the Graduate Student Award (Gold Award), the MRS Best Poster Award, and the Arthur Nowick Graduate Student Award (for teaching).

The Graduate Student Award supports students who demonstrate excellence in their academic as well as research endeavors. It recognizes their exceptional ability and promise for "significant future achievement in materials research." It is a competitive award featuring finalists from the United States and other countries. Lin is currently pursuing his doctoral degree under the guidance of Professor Jeong-Hyun Cho and is working on origami like micro- and nano- 3D self-assembly techniques. Lin’s doctoral research in particular focuses on patterning materials onto 3D micro- and nano-architectures, particularly those with high curvature. 3D curved architectures are challenging to realize using traditional lithographic techniques. Recently developed 3D printing methods  often suffer from materials compatibility issues. Origami-like self-assembly techniques are expected to overcome these issues because they are compatible with conventional planar lithographic processing and are applicable to a wide range of material categories. Different materials patterned on the 3D curved surface enable many new functionalities and opportunities (as compared to 2D devices) such as 3D sensors, robotics, neural probes and artificial muscles.

Lin received the Best Poster Award for his poster titled, “Fabricating Vertically-Aligned Monolayer Graphene Helices for Chiral Metamaterial Development.” It is closely related to the Cho research group’s recent publication “Self-Assembly for Creating Vertically-Aligned Graphene Micro Helices with Monolayer Graphene as Chiral Metamaterials” in the journal Advanced Materials (Lin was the first author on the paper). The group successfully fabricated vertically-aligned monolayer graphene micro helices via self-assembly approach. The 4 mm high graphene helices (4 million times the height of a monolayer graphene) developed by the group and wafer scale in parallel processing cannot be achieved by any currently available techniques. The fabricated device has the potential to be used as a chiral sensor to distinguish the chirality of biomolecules and medicines. A widely known example of chirality's impact in medicines is the case of thalidomide which has two isomers one of which has the desired effect, while the other has toxic effects. (The drug was responsible for the causing significant birth defects in over 10,000 babies in the 1960s.) 

The Arthur Nowick Graduate Student Award for teaching is presented to students who show promise as future teachers and mentors. As a teaching assistant (TA) starting in 2020, Lin has worked on addressing the needs of students in his courses. Recognizing that students were often unable (for a variety of different reasons) to use instructor and TA office hours to work on their course queries, Lin decided to make the most of the resource he had on hand: Canvas. He began posting supporting materials, often in video format, that included hints for homework questions, discussions that addressed questions that students typically struggled with, and exam reviews. Students can watch them wherever they are, and as many times as needed. The feedback from students each semester has been positive as documented in his Student Rating of Teaching reports. 

Lin is a recipient of several other awards and honors that recognize his teaching excellence. Some of the prominent ones include the University of Minnesota Graduate Students Council (COGS) Outstanding TA Award, the Hartig Special Scholarship for teaching, and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost’s “Thank a Teacher” program (twice recognized).

Lin was admitted to the Ph.D. program in the ECE Department after earning his B.S. degree in 2019 in China. Under the guidance of Professor Jeong-Hyun Cho, Zihao works on developing 3D micro and nano self-assembly structures. He is expected to get his Ph.D. degree in spring 2025 after which he plans to pursue a postdoctoral position. He hopes to eventually be a professor.