{"121121":{"#nid":"121121","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Research \u2018Puts Learning into Practice\u2019 for Student","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn class, Lin Fan has listened to his professors explain the theory behind mechanical engineering. But his experiences in Todd Sulchek\u2019s lab \u2014 both the challenges and successes \u2014 have ensured that he actually learned and understood it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI wanted to put what I was learning in lecture into practice, and getting involved in research was a way to make this happen,\u201d said Fan, who will receive his bachelor of science in Mechanical Engineering next month.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFan is one of 165 students who will present at this year\u2019s Undergraduate Research Spring Symposium on April 10 from 1 to 6 p.m. The event is an opportunity for undergraduate students to share their research with students, faculty and staff from across campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Chris Reaves, director of undergraduate research, about 42 percent of graduating seniors indicate that they had an undergraduate research experience.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFan began working with Sulchek, an assistant professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering, two years ago. Sulchek\u2019s interest in working with undergraduates stemmed from his own positive experience as a student.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAs an undergraduate, I was able to get involved with research and had a great experience,\u201d Sulchek said. \u201cSo it\u2019s important to me to provide students with the same opportunity. I just wish more undergraduates would take advantage of these opportunities while they\u2019re at Tech.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen Fan began working in Sulchek\u2019s lab, there were some initial challenges. For example, the first project he worked on wasn\u2019t the best fit for him. It was more chemical engineering-based than mechanical, and it was difficult to collaborate with fellow students in the lab because none of them were working on a project similar to Fan\u2019s.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBut I appreciated that Dr. Sulchek let me pursue the project and figure this out for myself,\u201d Fan said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore Fan could get frustrated, Sulchek offered him the opportunity to work on another project that was a better fit.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne aspect of Sulchek\u2019s research in nanotechnology is using an atomic force\u003Cbr \/\u003Emicroscope (AFM). The AFM \u201csees\u201d tiny objects (such as molecules) with the help of a small probe that touches the object\u2019s surfaces and creates an image based on what it feels.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnfortunately, the probe or the surface often gets damaged during the process. To remedy the problem, Fan created a method to hover the AFM\u2019s probe at a fixed distance above the surface, which decreases the risk of damage to the probe and the surface.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELast month, Fan\u2019s research was published for the first time in an academic journal, the Review of Scientific Instruments \u2014 which doesn\u2019t happen to most undergraduates, Sulchek added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s so amazing to see more than a year\u2019s work finally pay off, \u201d said Fan, who will spend the summer working in Sulchek\u2019s lab before he moves on to graduate school.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe two do have a few words of advice for faculty members who work with undergraduate researchers. For example, Sulchek recommends that the faculty member ensure that the student\u2019s project be well defined so that progress can be made in the time the student is working in the lab. He also suggests that a graduate student mentor be assigned to each undergraduate researcher.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFan suggests that faculty members make time to meet with the students one-on-one, as that was an important part of his success in Sulchek\u2019s lab.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor more about the spring symposium and other undergraduate research opportunities at Tech, click \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.undergradresearch.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn class, Lin Fan has listened to his professors explain the theory behind mechanical engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"In class, Lin Fan has listened to his professors explain the theory behind mechanical engineering."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2012-04-02 09:04:07","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:11:56","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-04-02T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-04-02T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"120951":{"id":"120951","type":"image","title":"Todd Sulchek and Lin Fan","body":null,"created":"1449178279","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:31:19","changed":"1475894741","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:41","alt":"Todd Sulchek and Lin Fan","file":{"fid":"194379","name":"dscn0197.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dscn0197_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dscn0197_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2553101,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dscn0197_0.jpg?itok=Foh27wf2"}}},"media_ids":["120951"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.undergradresearch.gatech.edu\/","title":"Undergraduate Research at Georgia Tech"}],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"594","name":"college of engineering"},{"id":"541","name":"Mechanical Engineering"},{"id":"365","name":"Research"},{"id":"13574","name":"Todd Sulchek"},{"id":"28941","name":"undergraduate research spring symposium"},{"id":"12918","name":"undergraduate students"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications \u0026amp; Marketing\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}