Furman physics students explore their interests and campus through summer research

With a flip of a UV light switch, a group of Furman University physics students get to watch their hard work glow this summer.

Furman students are studying nanocomposites that glow under UV light. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.

Physics majors Max Delia ’27, Sastika Bhandari ’28, Grace Bernard ’27 and Zach Risinger ’29 have stayed on campus during the summer as they research rare-earth nanocomposite coatings. These fine nanomaterial powders are tuned to glow bright colors under ultraviolet lights and have applications in creating anti-counterfeiting coatings or developing fabrics that are easier for UV search and rescue cameras to find, said Courtney Kucera, physics laboratory program manager.

Summer research fellowships at Furman are fully funded opportunities for close collaboration with faculty mentors and other student researchers. Furman invests $1.8 million annually in stipends for unpaid internships and research, so students can focus on their work without worrying about financial stress.

Grace Bernard ’27 conducts undergraduate physics research using rare earth nanocomposites in a lab in Plyler Hall. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.

“I had no idea what making a nanoparticle even meant when I joined the lab,” Bernard said with a laugh. When Kucera first demonstrated how to synthesize these nanocomposites, the students found themselves handling chemicals with unrecognizable names within a fume hood.

The work started out seeming complicated and intimidating, but Bhandari said collaborating with her fellow researchers from the start helped make the process digestible.  Bernard said it’s a lot like baking – you follow a recipe.

Soon enough they were comfortable with branching off and pursuing their own interests in the lab. Bernard and Delia enjoy the routine of making the nanocomposites, which get sent to Risinger who specialized in making polymers from those materials that Bhandari then tests with finely tuned lab instruments.

Physics laboratory program manager Courtney Kucera works with Sastika Bhandari ’28 on testing and graphing the results of nanomaterials research. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.

That collaborative approach is what the lab is all about to Kucera. When she did her own undergraduate research as a student, she found she learned best when working together with other students – something she wants to pass down to the students who join her lab.

“They may wonder, ‘What if we do something like this?’ I say sure, let’s give it a try,” she said. “You don’t know what you’ll love or hate about a particular field of study until you get your hands on it.”