Researcher Mobility Travel Grant Report
Leah C. Frenette
Graduate Student, Department of Chemistry
Travel: June 18th – August 27th, 2014
To: Zurich, Switzerland
Institution: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich
I am a second year graduate student in the Department of Chemistry where I am
studying quantum dot synthesis and mechanism of particle formation in the lab of
Dr. Todd Krauss. In the summer of 2014 I traveled to Zurich, Switzerland where I
worked in the lab of Dr. David Norris at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
(ETH) Zurich. The goal of this trip was to collaborate with the Norris lab in learning
new synthetic techniques and new methods of analysis. The Norris lab pioneered
the synthesis of doped nanocrystals and I intended to learn their doping techniques
and bring them back to our lab at the University of Rochester.
In Zurich, I studied the synthesis of cadmium selenide nanoplatelets, a synthesis that
has been previously described in the literature, but something that neither of our
labs had attempted previously. I was able to reproduce the literature findings and
optimize the synthesis to yield reproducible results. I was able to dope the
nanoplatelets with silver atoms, something that had not been previously done. I also
altered the synthetic procedure and ran experiments to begin to elucidate the
mechanism of nanoplatelet formation. I was mentored by postdoctoral fellow Dr.
Andreas Riedinger and had many meaningful conversations with him and the other
members of the group. At ETH I was able to use state of the art equipment including
an Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES) that was
used to measure dopant concentration in the nanoplatelet samples.
Working at ETH for 10 weeks allowed me to build relationships with my coworkers
and become a contributing member of the group. I plan on maintaining contact with
my peers and we will continue to collaborate with Andreas and Dr. Norris in the
future. The work that I conducted there will be continued as a significant part of my
graduate work and will be put towards a publication. Working in Europe alongside
people of diverse backgrounds opened my eyes to opportunities for postdocs or
employment abroad in the future. Living in Zurich for the summer allowed me to
become immersed in Swiss culture and evaluate the differences and similarities
between our cultures, especially in the laboratory environment. As an added bonus,
I had the opportunity to be in Europe during the FIFA World Cup and was able to
celebrate Germany’s win with my newfound German friends. Without funding
provided by the Researcher Mobility Travel Grant this trip would not have been
possible, and I am very grateful to have had this opportunity.