During the summer of 2021, the IIRM-URA partnered with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the Nuclear Science and Engineering Research Center at the United States Military Academy West Point to enrich the educations of 12 U.S. military school or ROTC students. IIRM-URA matched the students with researchers throughout the Alliance for a four-to-six-week hands-on internship.
Interns
MIT
Peter Spengler
Project: Detector semiconductor screening and selection
Service Academy: Cadet Third Class
Academic Institution: United States Air Force Academy
Major: Physics, Mathematics
Minor: Chinese
Intent to Graduate: Spring 2023
During his summer internship, Cadet Peter Spengler worked on screening and selecting semiconductor materials for solid-state radiation detectors. In his research, Peter focused on compiling literature and selection criteria on selected materials and predicting bandgap and dielectric properties of these materials using machine learning. Specifically, the existing regression model and featurization code were integrated into a pipeline to enable training. Crystal graph networks 1 and ensembled-based models 2 were trained for predicting the dielectric constant of crystals with a mean absolute error of 0.15 and with an R 2 of 0.98.
New materials and their insertions into advanced technologies are essential to DTRA’s mission to detect, deter, and defeat WMD. Leveraging new developments in AI and machine learning and conducting first-principles computations could enable the high-throughput searching capability for novel candidate materials classes that can disrupt the status quo. In this project, Peter focused on predicting the most fundamental properties such as bandgap and dielectric constant, which can be further extended to the understanding of carrier mobility, trapping centers, and so on. The machine learning pipeline here can serve as a practical tool for the methodical design of materials in systems where other figures of merit are desired, providing support for computationally predicting the mechanisms of radiation interaction with materials and optimizing materials performance by materials genomics approaches.
Catherine McAlister
Project: Radiation Sensing Functional Fabrics
Air Force: Cadet, First Class
Academic Institution: US Air Force Academy
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Minor: Nuclear Weapons & Strategies
Intent to Graduate: Spring 2022
Catherine McAlister is a senior at The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) and is currently studying Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Nuclear Weapons & Strategies. This summer at MIT, Catherine expressed interest in the research conducted by Areg Danagoulian’s lab on Functional Fabrics with Radiation Sensing Technology. In this project, she learned a number of simulation and data processing skills including working in a Linux environment, Python, Paraview visualization, and Grasshopper, Professor Danagoulian’s Geant4 based development toolkit, which allows programming of complex particle tracking and particle-matter interaction with Monte Carlo simulations. In preparation for future fabric testing, Catherine used a lanthanum bromide scintillator to measure background radiation sources within a lab test environment and used the above skills to begin work on a computer model of background radiation that matches the real measurement. Specifically, she constructed a simulation of a generic background radiation environment containing a lanthanum bromide detector, then modified the background radiation source to match simulation results to observed measurements. A model of a fabric detector will be placed in this simulated background source to predict the detector’s background noise rate during measurements. Congruent research efforts will also look to predict and optimize the efficiency of the sensors in detecting sources of radiation in the environment.
The development of sensor-embedded portable or wearable fabrics capable of collecting and communicating exposure to high radiation has immense application potential for the warfighter. Micro sensing data offers vast applications to include the capability to identify radiation strength, type, and source location information critical for not only radiation detection, but also wearer exposure. Sensor-embedded wearable fabrics also provide the potential for future features to include vital medical information of the wearer such as body temperature, heart rate monitoring, blood-oxygen levels, etc. Sensor-embedded wearable fabrics truly represent the future of American warfighter equipment.
The continued research towards Functional Fabrics for Radiation detection aligns directly with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s objective to “develop, test, and evaluate specialized capabilities to protect against and defeat Weapons of Mass Destruction”. The sensor-embedded technology will represent a unique capability of detecting and warning warfighters of radiological threats within their environment. With the aid of these wearable sensor-embedded fabrics, warfighters would minimize a load of on-person equipment while maintaining radiation detection capabilities. The seamless integration of sensors within warfighter wearable fabrics provides the rapid detection and identification needed to protect against and defeat the enemy in potential radiological environments.
Penn State
Amethyst Massaquoi
Project: Nanosphere Fabrication and Deposition for Enhancing Transport and Collection of Light from Scintillators
Navy ROTC: 4/C MIDN
Academic Institution: Clark Atlanta University
Major: Physics
Minor: Mathematics, Military Science
Fall 2021: Transferring to Georgia Tech to Major in Nuclear Engineering
Intent to Graduate: Spring 2024
During Amethyst Massaquoi’s summer internship at Penn State, under Dr. Douglas Wolfe, her research project was centered on enhancing the transport and collection of light from scintillator materials using photonic crystal structures. Scintillators are capable of converting high-energy g-rays into visible light, which is then converted into an electronic signal for detection measurements. Despite rather high light yields, scintillator device efficiencies suffer from total internal reflection (TIR) due to their high refractive indices. To combat this, Amethyst focused on enhancing the transport and collection of light from g-ray sensitive scintillators by using photonic crystals to improve the optical interface between scintillators and photodetectors. Her work aimed to optimize polystyrene (PS) nanosphere (NS) fabrication and deposition techniques in order to make an ideal PS NS photonic crystal for improving light transport efficiency.
Her first task was to set up and baseline an emulsion polymerization chamber. In this chamber, she would run two reactions simultaneously to help understand how processing parameters would influence the final PS NS size and microstructure. In addition, she was trained in Penn State’s Nanofabrication facilities to spin cast the PS NS into a monolayer film and to use analytical characterization techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and particle size distribution (PSD), to assess the processing-structure-property-performance relationships of her PS NS development. Amethyst was able to successfully create monodisperse PS NSs ranging in sizes from 150-500 nm and transfer them from solution onto substrates to form self-assembled monolayer films.
Developing these material systems for novel photonic applications to enhance scintillation-based detectors is critical to advance technology in one of DTRA’s areas of interest, which is the transport and collection of scintillation light for various scintillation-based detectors. Amethyst’s research efforts on PS NS process development and monolayer PS NS film depositions helped to address a key basic research focus area for advancing the fabrication of photonic crystals to enhance the detection efficiency of high refractive index g-ray sensitive scintillators. The addition of these new materials will assist DTRA with its mission to detect, deter, and defeat weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The development of a robust set of nanotechnology-based on photonic crystal structures has the potential to enhance our ability to react quickly to changes in a radiation environment as a result of increased detection efficiency and detector resolution, which is essential for combating WMDs and protecting members of the DoD.
Trevor Wilson
Project: Titanium Nitride Depositions for Enhancing the Stability of Perovskite Radiation Detectors
ARMY ROTC: MS4
Academic Institution: University of South Carolina
Major: Chemical Engineering
Minor: Chemistry, Military Science
Intent to Graduate: Fall 2022
Throughout his internship at Penn State, under Dr. Douglas Wolfe, Trevor Wilson’s research focused on improving the quality of Schottky contacts for metal-halide perovskite CsPbBr3 g-ray detectors. CsPbBr3 perovskites that utilize Ga Schottky contacts and Au ohmic contacts have recently provided essential breakthroughs in the field of low-cost g-ray detection due to their temperature stability up to 70°C and large µτ product (~10-3 cm2/V). However, metallic contacts are known to diffuse into the perovskite, degrading the crystal and its g-ray detection efficiency, and Ga is especially impractical due to its low melting temperature (29.7 °C). To improve the quality and lifetime of perovskite g-ray detectors, Trevor focused on fabricating titanium nitride (TiN) films for use as a new Schottky contact. His work aimed to understand the effect of various processing parameters on the quality of sputtered TiN films.
Trevor deposited TiN films at room temperature via reactive DC magnetron sputtering to study the film quality as a function of several deposition parameters, including Ar:N2 ratio, sputtering power, and substrate bias. In addition, he was trained at Penn State’s Material Research Institute to use analytical characterization techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and van der Pauw method to measure thin-film conductivity, to gather data on his TiN films assess their processing-structure-property-performance relationships. After characterization, Trevor deposited TiN onto a solution-grown CsPbBr3 crystal to form a rectifying contact and gold was evaporated onto the other side to finish the gamma-ray radiation detector.
The optimization of a TiN contact for use on metal-halide perovskite g-ray detection devices supports DTRA’s goal of enhancing g-ray detection technology, by developing a device that could be practically used in field conditions. The development of g-ray detectors with enhanced energy resolution at decreased costs is essential to DTRA’s mission to detect, deter, and defeat weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
Alec Mlikotin
Project: Workforce Development Student Drone Competition
West Point USCC
Academic Institution: United States Military Academy
Major: Economics
Intent to Graduate: Spring 2024
Souleymane Bah
Project: Drone Radiation Detection Simulation
ARMY CADET: Yearling
Academic Institution: United States Military Academy
Major: Systems Engineering
Minor: Modern African History and Development
Intent to Graduate: Spring 2024
Spenser Haslam
Project: Workforce Development Student Drone Competition
Cadet USCC
Academic Institution: United States Military Academy
Major: Mechanical Engineering.
Minor: Possible East Asian Studies
Intent to Graduate: May 2024
Alec, Souleyman, and Spenser worked with Meghan Hayes at Penn State on the Workforce Development and Student Pipeline activity to develop a drone and radiation sensing simulation. The overall goal of the project was to create a tool that could be used as an educational platform for high school and freshman college-level engineering students to learn about the interaction of ionizing radiation with matter. The three worked to build a virtual simulation of a small desert town that has been compromised for first responders by potential harmful radiation-containing objects. The virtual simulation also teaches the user technical skills related to the need to pilot a drone while the focus remains on radiation sensing. The three interns learned how to build a virtual environment within UnREAL including how to code a virtual radiation sensor into the environment, the fundamentals of how to fly drones and translate the required controls and terminology into a virtual platform, and how different types of radiation such as alpha, beta, and gamma work with respect to detectors.
The three NSERC interns’ work was a critical part with regards to creating and implementing an educational tool to help teach and motivate the student pipeline about IIRM related topics. Establishing a strong student pipeline will help to ensure that our nation will be supported in the future by the best workforce possible.
University of Michigan
Eamon Mott
Project: Non-iodizing radiation to detect unknown gas samples
Academic Institution: USMA
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Intent to Graduate: May 2024
Eamon Mott is a rising Sophomore/Yearling at the United States Military Academy, who spent three weeks at the University of Michigan with Professor Igor Jovanovic. While he was at Michigan, he worked with graduate students at the Lambda Cubed Lab while they focused on researching laser technology that can be used to detect unknown gas samples in the air. The fundamental aspect that governs this detection capability is that lasers are used to excite the air into a plasma. Data is then collected by measuring the photons, or yielded a light, with a spectrometer. The spectroscopy data can then be analyzed to determine the contents of the sample, i.e. the unknown gas present. The applications of this technology are vast, but it has mainly been used to improve the safety of nuclear reactor environments. This technology can be implanted as a device to aid the warfighter in a response situation. It could be attached it a UAV or other surveillance vehicle to first monitor the environment before sending civilians into a potentially harmful location.
H3D, Inc.
Dawson Stec
Project: Gamma-Ray Imaging Spectrometer Testing and Evaluation
Academic Institution: West Point
Major: Economics
Minor: Grand Strategy
Intent to Graduate: Spring 2024
Air Force Institute of Technology
This past summer, Dawson interned with H3D, Inc. under Dr. Steven Brown. His research topic was working with Non-Intrusive Mercury Detection and Measurement techniques. Dawsons was working towards the goal to experimentally quantify the sensitivity of CZT-based gamma-ray detectors to characteristic gamma and x-ray emissions from mercury. In doing so, he was trained to operate a gamma-ray imaging spectrometer and perform statistical analysis using specialized software. To perform his analysis and correlate the data to application, Dawson was required to become familiar with the relevant physics and counting statistics used for radiation measurements. These efforts were important to evaluate the sensitivity of pixelated CZT detectors for concealed mercury detection. Pixelated-CdZnTe semiconductors are sensitive to the incident energy and direction of gamma rays, making them ideal for high-energy detectors. When paired with a neutron or gamma-ray excitation source, these imaging spectrometers can be used for prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA) and k-shell x-ray fluorescence (KXRF). With Dawson’s efforts, systematic testing can be done to realize the sensitivity of PGAA and KXRF for detecting and localizing concealed mercury, a new application of pixelated CdZnTe that is currently under investigation to help clean up longstanding mercury contamination in the U.S.
Mason Goulet
Project: Atomic Force Microscopy
Academic Institution: West Point
Major: Chemical Engineering
Intent to Graduate: 2024
Douglas Rennels
Project: Atomic Force Microscopy
Academic Institution: West Point
Major: Physics
Intent to Graduate: 2024
Mason and Douglas interned with the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) under Drs. Abigail Bickley and Darren Holland. Their research was exploring the use of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) as a technique to determine and quantify the strength of single strand fibers. This is of importance because has there is an ongoing research project at AFIT to develop a method to identify the export control status of a fiber based on its strength from a microscopic fragment. These high-strength carbon fibers are export-controlled due to their potential for being used to construct centrifuge rotors. Mason and Douglas performed tasks to investigate the fibers as a function of synthetic base material and to correlate the observed spectral features with that of reference materials to help build credibility in the technique