Troy Townsend, assistant professor of chemistry at St. Mary's College of Maryland, left, and Jeff Croisetiere, '04 SMCM alumnus and project manager for Solar Tech Inc. are working together to develop a proof-of-concept process to print low-cost and lightweight solar modules. (Photo: SMCM)Professor Wins MIPS Award for Research Innovation
Troy Townsend, assistant professor of chemistry at St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM), was awarded a $100,000 technology product development grant through the Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program. Townsend will be working closely with Solar Tech Inc., a Maryland-based startup company, to develop a proof-of-concept process to print low-cost and lightweight solar modules from the bottom up.
Townsend explained that with this process in place, Solar Tech Inc. aims to produce solar panels faster and at a fraction of the cost of traditional silicon-based photovoltaics.
"We are very excited to partner with the College to develop new solar technology that can be applied both for commercial and residential applications," said Jeff Croisetiere, '04 SMCM alumnus and project manager for Solar Tech Inc.
Solar Tech Inc. specializes in solar electric and solar thermal systems for residential, business and municipal applications. The company has served the Southern Maryland area since 2005.
Townsend said the project involves using inorganic nanocrystal inks in air under ambient conditions to produce printable solar modules. This comes in contrast to current solar modules, which are created using high-purity silicon under vacuum and high temperatures.
"It's mostly about getting solar power to people in a more cost effective way. Solar cells right now are a little bit too expensive for the average person," he said. "By reducing the cost of fabrication and installation, solar companies will be able to sell more affordable systems."
"The collaboration between our research group at St. Mary's College and Solar Tech Inc. strengthens the college's ties with the community and offers our students first-hand experiences bringing new technology out into the entrepreneurial market." Townsend said, "We predict that this partnership will create jobs in Maryland in the next few years as we develop our process."
Along with this project comes more opportunities for state-of-the-art undergraduate research, while students also benefit from the broad liberal arts college experience. Elena Donahue, a rising senior chemistry major and math minor, is the lead research student on this project. She has been working on synthesizing nanocrystal inks and fabricating devices since her freshman year. "I was very fortunate to begin research early in my undergrad career, and under the guidance of Dr. Townsend I have learned many useful skills in the lab," Donahue said. Solar Tech Inc. and Dr. Townsend expect that this project will lead to more undergraduate research opportunities and future collaboration.
The Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program promotes the development and commercialization of products and processes through industry/university research partnerships. MIPS provides matching funds to help Maryland companies pay for the university research.
Dr. Kortet Mensah Announced as Associate Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion/Chief Diversity Officer
Dr. Kortet Mensah. (Photo: SMCM)St. Mary's College of Maryland has appointed Dr. Kortet Mensah to the inaugural role of associate vice president of diversity and inclusion/chief diversity officer. She joined St. Mary's College on Nov. 28 and reports directly to St. Mary's College President Tuajuanda C. Jordan.
Mensah brings over 19 years of experience with initiating, overseeing, and evaluating programs and initiatives that facilitate diverse students and employees' successful inclusion and adjustment. Her background in multicultural programming, fostering student success, advancing academic and social relationships, as well as examining cultural influences on individuals' psychosocial development provide Mensah with a unique skillset to serve as the College's first chief diversity officer.
In this inaugural role, Mensah will collaborate with administration, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners to infuse inclusion, diversity and equity efforts into all aspects of the College. Through these collaborative efforts, she will propose and jointly implement programming and initiatives, policies, procedures, goals and resources needed to enhance diverse students and employees' educational, employment and social experiences on campus.
Mensah earned her bachelor's degree from Stephens College, and her master's degree and PhD in Human Development, Family Studies, and Psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
St. Mary's College of Maryland, designated the Maryland state honors college in 1992, is ranked one of the best public liberal arts schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Approximately 1,700 students attend the college, nestled on the St. Mary's River in Southern Maryland.
Professor Collaborates on Research of Dryland Mosses
Kirsten Deane-Coe, assistant professor of biology for St. Mary's College of Maryland, was awarded $130,079 by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Dimensions of Biodiversity Program. She will be working with collaborators to investigate the drivers of diversity in an ecologically important clade of dryland mosses.
Syntrichia is a large and diverse genus of mosses occurring worldwide and generally in dryland habitats. Despite its dominance in certain communities such as biological soil crusts, surprisingly little is known about the drivers of biodiversity in this clade according to the grant proposal.
Deane-Coe is a physiological ecologist and has spent much of her career studying dryland mosses. She explained that mosses are the second most diverse group of land plants next to angiosperms (flowering plants), and they play important ecological roles in terrestrial ecosystems.
"My role on the grant is to lead research that helps us gain insight into the comparative physiology of these dryland mosses with regard to the trait of desiccation tolerance."
This important trait—the capability to dry without dying—allows many mosses to survive and reproduce even in drylands and may be the key to their survival in the face of rapid climate change.
The overall goal of the project is to understand the evolutionary and ecological mechanisms that have produced and maintained diversity at different levels of organization (i.e. genes to ecosystems). The approach will include examining tradeoffs between asexual and sexual reproduction and between phenotypic plasticity and canalization into specialized genotypes.
"This is cutting edge research because my lab will be using novel imaging fluorescence techniques coupled with infrared gas analysis to examine variability in photosynthetic capacity in a diverse but understudied clade of dryland mosses," says Deane-Coe. "We believe photosynthetic capacity under various hydration regimes directly relates to the degree of desiccation tolerance, a key trait that may give us insight into the drivers of biodiversity in these organisms."
Deane-Coe is looking forward to the opportunity to involve students in the research, exposing them to unique organisms and plant physiology techniques they likely haven't interacted with before.
Physics Program Recognized for Best Practices
The St. Mary's College of Maryland physics program is highlighted as a role model in the report, "Phys21: Preparing Physics Students for 21st Century Careers." The report, published by the Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs (J-TUPP) and convened by the American Physical Society (APS) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), selected the College as one of five case studies of successful, innovative physics programs.
Josh Grossman, associate professor of physics and chair of the department for the public honors college, said those involved with the report put out a call for best practices and "just how many we do caught their eye."
St. Mary's College is cited eight times, highlighting examples of the department's best practices, including its use of assessments to truly measure innovations; keeping its finger on the pulse of the department; getting students involved in the career center early; keeping in touch with alumni; embedding career exploration into the introductory course sequence; giving administration values for the money spent and giving exit surveys to students majoring or minoring in physics.
To see the College highlighted several times in one report, Grossman said, shows how much the department has evolved since 2000.
Grossman said the goal was to get students to come to St. Mary's for the physics program. "I think we're starting to succeed with that," he said.
St. Mary's College averages 11 or 12 graduates per year from the physics department putting it in the top 10 percent among schools with undergraduate-only programs.
"The physics department is preparing me for a 21st century job for many reasons," said junior Brigid Morris. … "Professors make sure we not only understand the material we learn in class, but also that we understand how to apply that knowledge in the lab setting. … [Professors make] sure we can 'write and explain' physics as opposed to just being able to plug numbers into an equation not really knowing why. … Lastly, we do a lot of group work in the classroom as well as in the lab, which teaches us how to work in a team … which is an important part of any job," Morris said.
Grossman credits all of the faculty and staff in the department for its success especially former chair of the department Chuck Adler, who has been instrumental in building up faculty and best practices over the years.
College Earns National Recognition as College of Distinction
National guide to colleges highlights innovative learning opportunities at top schools
Innovative application of high impact educational practices at St. Mary's College earned the school recognition among the nation's Colleges of Distinction.
Schools must demonstrate results across the Four Distinctions—Engaged Students, Great Teaching, Vibrant Community, and Successful Outcomes. Each school is evaluated on key indicators including student engagement, student empowerment, and curricular innovation. Colleges that have distinguished themselves in each of the Four Distinctions and that have demonstrated dedication to enriching student outcomes through innovative learning opportunities are then invited to join Colleges of Distinction.
More than 50 percent of St. Mary's College students earn college credit and valuable life experience while participating in study abroad programs in 10 different countries, as well as through intensive internships within the United States and across the world, and annually performing more than 9,000 hours of volunteer work in the local community.
The annual process to select the nation's Colleges of Distinction also includes a review of each institution's experience for first-year students, as well as its general education program, strategic plan, and alumni success and satisfaction measures.
Board of Trustees General Session Meeting, Jan. 28
The next quarterly meeting of the St. Mary's College of Maryland Board of Trustees will be held on Saturday, Jan. 28. The general session is open to the public and will start at 8:30 a.m. in the St. Mary's College Glendening Annex building (18952 E. Fisher Road St. Mary's City, MD 20686). For more information, contact Kathy Grimes at (240) 895-3058. The agenda will be posted prior to the meeting at www.smcm.edu/board/bylaws-agendas-minutes.