MatSE grads are named Mavis Fellows

Kaitlin Tyler and Jichuan Zhang, Ph.D. students in MatSE, have been named Mavis Future Faculty Fellows (MF3) in the College of Engineering.

The MF3 program provides the opportunity for doctoral students interested in engineering teaching as a profession to gain experience in the areas of research, teaching and mentoring. MF3 participants will have opportunities to attend a variety of workshops, activities, seminars, courses, and events to improve their knowledge of faculty responsibilities.

It was her past experiences with teachers and professors that influenced Tyler’s decision to pursue an academic career.

"Growing up, I had teachers and professors who really made a difference in my education," Tyler explained. "They made me excited about learning and encouraged me to dig deeper into areas that interested me. They also indulged me by answering my questions and working with me outside of class so I could understand difficult topics."

Originally from Apple Valley, MN, Tyler received her B.S. degree in Materials Science and Engineering with a concentration in biomaterials from Michigan State University in 2012. Last fall, Tyler was a TA for the introductory Materials Science course, MSE 182.

"Working with the students during office hours and watching them understand concepts was really rewarding for me," Tyler said. "I am also one of the graduate coordinators for the Girls Learning About Materials (GLAM) summer camp held here at UIUC. Introducing high school girls to Materials Science and seeing their excitement about science and engineering is really awesome. One girl from camp last summer will begin her freshman year here in Materials Science in the fall and that makes the stress of teaching all worth it."

Tyler is a member of Professor Paul Braun's research group where she works on controlling the periodicity of the microstructure of eutectic materials via directional solidification and 3D templating.

"The final goal of this project is to use this periodicity to modify the optical properties of different materials," she said. "Personally, I work with metallic materials and have gotten to learn quite a bit about electrochemistry so far in my research, a topic I did not know much about when I started."

She is excited about being named a Mavis Future Faculty Fellow and credits her former teachers for her success.

"They are a big part of the reason I am here, pursuing my PhD. I hope to be able to encourage students like that in the future," Tyler said.

Jichuan Zhang's "great curiosity on how biological systems evolve and function" brought him to Illinois for his Ph.D. study. He would like to pursue an academic career so that he can focus on research topics that really intrigue him.

Zhang is a member of Professor Taekjip Ha's research group in the Physics Department. The Ha lab is interested in understanding the biological processes involved with nucleic acids and proteins and utilizes sophisticated physical techniques, especially fluorescence and force spectroscopy.

"My own research mainly focuses on development of fluorescence labeling and imaging method to visualize RNA molecules in live cells. RNA molecules play important roles in cells to help convey genetic information stored on DNA molecules and regulate the gene expression. By directly viewing RNA molecules in the cell we are able to know their expression level, distribution, and production and degradation process, which helps us understand how RNA functions in the cell, and how it integrates itself in gene expression and metabolic pathways."

Zhang has been a TA for the Biophysics Lab course, PHYS 598BP, and a TA for the Center for the Physics of Living Cells Summer School in the Physics Department.

"In academia, it is important to show your research to the whole world in a clear and vivid way," Zhang said. "Therefore I enjoy and cherish every teaching experience of mine and regarded it as a good opportunity to practice my presentation skills to convey my knowledge and scientific ideas to other people."

Zhang received his bachelor’s degree in Polymer Science and Engineering from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China in 2010.