Scenes Around NSM
Inside NSM: Glass Shop
The glass shop, located inside the Lamar Fleming Jr. building, is part of the Department of Chemistry. The shop services a variety of departments, including physics, chemistry and biomolecular engineering. In this Inside NSM segment, master scientific glassblower Nathan Bonnet shows what a typical glassware repair project looks like. In his role, he shapes new glassware and repairs existing items. The Inside NSM video series spotlights some of the hidden, and not-so-hidden, gems around our College.
Undergraduate Experiments in Alaska
Fourteen UH undergraduates, many from NSM, participated in the Undergraduate Student Instrument Project (USIP). It gives students the opportunity to design and build airborne experiments or ground instruments to study physics, atmospheric science or earth science. During this two-year program, students enroll in multiple classes to build their experiments. The project culminates in a three-week trip to Fairbanks, Alaska, to test their experiments. Six student teams created experiments addressing conductivity, microplastics, frequencies, high-energy particles, remote sensing and project DAGGER, which stands for Diagnostic of Air Glow in Ground-based Emission Research. USIP is funded in part by the UH Office of the Provost Cougar Initiative to Engage. Related Article
Spencer Fuston: Dan E. Wells Outstanding Dissertation Award, Spring 2022
Spencer Fuston’s dissertation is titled “Reconciling North American Tectonics with the Deep Mantle through Structurally Unfolding Subducted Slabs and Mantle Convection Modeling.” The result of his research is a new plate tectonic reconstruction of Western North America since the time of the dinosaurs, made by restoring tectonic plates lost to subduction. His dissertation represents a paradigm shift in our understanding of the tectonic history of North America. Fuston, a geology Ph.D. graduate, received a certificate and an award of $1,000. His advisor was Jonny Wu, Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences. Fuston accepted a position with EOG Resources, an oil and gas company.
Students Behind the Science Video Series
NSM launched a new video series “Students Behind the Science.” The first video in the series highlights the work of Ph.D. student Shruti Hariyani in the Department of Chemistry. The goal of the series is to highlight the work of our students and the significant role they play in scientific breakthroughs through their diligent work in NSM laboratories.
Commencement Traditions: Student Speaker Hanan AbdelGilil
More than 650 NSM students completed degree requirements in Spring 2022. This semester, NSM returned to its tradition of having a student speaker who is selected through a competition of the summa cum laude graduation candidates. Hanan AbdelGilil, a 4.0 summa cum laude graduate majoring in biology, delivered the student speech. She will enter the University of Texas School of Dentistry in the fall. Commencement was held on May 13 at Fertitta Center.