Field team reflects on experience at Argonne National Laboratory

Four students, three of them members of our lab, were part of a field team who recently conducted experiments at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). Experiment campaigns at ANL are rigorous and demanding, but highly rewarding. The students reflect on their experience.

Matthew Northam, graduate student:

“I am, overall, very happy with how this year’s ANL trip went. Our group hit a few road blocks during the XRD experimentations, as to be expected, but everyone was constantly focused and determined to work together and get around the problems. Because the beam went down, we had to do twice as much work in the last day of experiments in order to reach our goals, but we came up with a new sample holder design and became more efficient regarding data collection and achieved our goals and then more. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of dedicated people to work with.”

Lin Rossmann, graduate student:

“Zac was our MVP, hands down. It’s impressive enough for an undergrad to be in charge of their own study, but not only did he do that, he also took the lead on our data analysis. With some help from the beamline scientists, he was able to analyze some of our XRD data to get strain information while we were still there. Being able to analyze data while the experiment is still ongoing is very important, because then you can be confident that your collection parameters are good, and if they’re not, you have time to fix it.”

Peter Warren, graduate student:

“To be able to go to Argonne National Lab and conduct experiments was an amazing and transforming experience. The entire trip was very enlightening, and was filled with excitement. I feel extremely lucky and blessed to have been a part of this trip. Being able to interact with some of the most brilliant scientists in the world felt quite surreal. This trip has given me both motivation and encouragement to continue my academic career in engineering.”

Zachary Stein, undergraduate student:

“It was definitely challenging to run my own study and ensure the best possible data was being produced, but the rest of the team was there assisting me along the way. Teamwork and on-the-spot problem solving is essential, meaning everyone must know each other’s projects as well as their own to be able to contribute fully. It was a week of important life lessons, but the most important of all is to keep a persistent, determined, and focused attitude so that no obstacles can stand in the way.”

Left to right: Matt Northam, Dr. Seetha Raghavan, Lin Rossmann, Dr. Ranajay Ghosh, Peter Warren, and Zac Stein.