Author: Ben Gatz

Ben Gatz is a Marketing Major at Grove City College with a minor in Biblical and Religious Studies. He has a propensity to wax eloquent, whether with friend or foe, and happens to be mildly sarcastic to boot.
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Nanotechnology in Grove City: Part Three

Nanostructures- Micrometers-wide Bridges

Dr. Wolinski of the Grove City College Physics Department leads a study on the development and uses of Gallium Oxide nanowires. Six young men of the department work week after week tuning machines and making discoveries on the possibility of building bridges micrometers wide. Part three concludes the process (as of current) with Kaleb Slaatthaug and Michael Thompson. Kaleb shows the camera how to bake gallium oxide wires onto a gold wafer base. Michael takes it beyond the present scope of the project, and ideas for potential uses of these wires and structures in the future.

Kaleb Slaatthaug

Yes, Slaatthaug. Imagine it as Sloat-howg. His name is Norwegian. He runs a device called a Tube Furnace for the team. The furnace is a device used for the stimulation of gallium oxide nanostructure growth. Kaleb will spend several days setting up a run of the furnace, pumping in the proper gases, getting it to the right temperature, sealing in the samples, then letting it run. He begins by inserting one of Zach’s sample wafers into the furnace, alongside a boat of gallium oxide. By the time the furnace is finished, strings of gallium oxide microstructures coat the face of Kaleb’s sample, attaching to little golden “Oreo Bumps” etched by the SEM. The gold provides the perfect base for gallium to grow on, and now the team has a plethora of structures to explore with the SEM.

Michael Thompson

But where to go from here? Michael Thompson has been with the project for years now, and knows a few things about the broader scope. The initial goal of the project was to build a bridge at microscale. With plenty of structures to work with, the project aimed to build a bridge out of nanowire. This goal has been significantly pushed back, but remains in sight. Michael’s job is to make building a bridge into a possibility again. He works with a device called a Nanopositioner, essentially a laser with several mirrors. It can show him the difference between wavelengths of light, and use that information to tell the thickness of a substance. This should allow for Michael to determine the thickness of a given wire and thus its usefulness for their project. First, however, he has to spend his time programming and calibrating his nanopositioner to get him results.

Have you enjoyed this series on the Nanostructure Study? If so, there are so many more studies and blogs to read about on Insider! Make sure to check them out, along with the video below for more details on Dr. Wolinski’s group.

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Nanotechnology in Grove City: Part Two

Nanostructures- Seeing the What Cannot be Seen

Dr. Wolinski of the Grove City College Physics Department leads a study on the development and uses of Gallium Oxide nanowires. Six young men of the department work week after week tuning machines and making discoveries on the possibility of building bridges micrometers wide. Part Two consists of Zachary Johnson and Ryan King, programming and running tests with the SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope). The device images, engraves, and scans samples to give the team a good view of their work.

Zachary Johnson- Introducing the SEM

Zach begins today’s journey with the SEM. He does much of the actual sample scanning for the group. After Seth Byard creates a sample, he sends it to Zach to take some photos. Zach fits cut up silicon wafers into the SEM and vacuum seals the electron chamber for a clear image. After that, most of his work takes place on the computer, isolating the micrometers of area he wants to photograph. Inside the chamber, electrons bombard the sample and bounce off every which way. A specialized sensor inside can follow the motion of electrons and generate an image of what they bounced off of. At this point, Zach zooms and refocuses repeatedly until he has gone in far enough and has a clear image. The electron beam can focus in to allow for better photos, and can even concentrate enough to carve the samples themselves!

Ryan King- Software to Keep the Electrons Scanning

However, in order to use the SEM at all, Zach must control dozens of variables at the time, an arduous process for sure. Yet Ryan has come to solve this problem. His job for the research team is to create a program for the SEM, a job requested by the manufacturers themselves! Tescan, the company that built the SEM, has quite a number of clients who cannot keep track of the variables. In fact, they have a number of buyers who break their machines by running too many parameters at once. Ryan’s program keeps track of the parameters running and gives updates about them- warning users of dangerous situations before they run out of time. Ryan’s work is a pivotal part of the research, and is quite impressive to boot.

If you enjoyed this article, make sure to check out the video in the link below for the full story!

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Nanotechnology in Grove City: Part One

Nanostructures- Wiring Fit for an Ant

Dr. Wolinski of the Grove City College Physics Department leads a study on the development and uses of gallium oxide nanowires. Six young men of the department work week after week tuning machines and making discoveries on the possibility of building bridges micrometers wide. Part One of the series kicks off with an exhaustive look at the work of Seth Byard and Tim Magargee, the first steps of creating nanostructures for the study.

Seth Byard- Preparing Samples for Wires

Seth begins the whole process by synthesizing the samples his group will work with to create all their structures on. Without these basic building blocks there’s no point to the project. It all begins with a disk of silicon. Seth coats the silicon wafer with gold in a Sputter Coater- the first block on a long journey ahead. The atoms thick layer of gold is a substance gallium oxide can cling to, giving a wires proper surface for development. From there he purifies the surface of the wafer with a Plasma Cleaner, then applies a liquid called PMMA. The liquid ensures contact with electrons, giving the team an easy way to see their micro samples using an SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope). When Seth is done, the foundation for the whole project has been laid.

Tim Magargee- Testing Machinery

Meanwhile, Tim’s job for the project is to test a machine called the Ellipsometer. It is a device that uses a laser to measure the thickness of surfaces, down to only nanometers thick. Tim has spent his semester testing and calibrating the machine with a more translucent material. He still sputters gold, but clear material allows the Ellipsometer to get an exact read of the gold’s thickness. In the end, Tim ends up with a reliable test of the machine’s efficiency. He can now check his knowledge of a sputter’s thickness against the machine’s readout. When he gets enough tests done he will know just how accurate the readouts are and how much to calibrate the Ellipsometer.

If you enjoyed this article, make sure to check out the video in the link below for the full story!

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A Fresh Outlook on Vespers at Grove City

 Traditional or Contemporary?

Those of you who visited a year or more ago may have experienced chapel with Dr. Stan Keehlwetter, the previous Dean of the Chapel here at Grove City. Among being a great leader and an excellent orator, Dr. Keehlwetter was very traditional in how he ran his chapel. I enjoyed his Sunday night Vespers (a service hosted in the chapel every Sunday with the opportunity to receive a chapel credit), as a much more traditional liturgy than I grew up with. However, many college students are on the run from traditional backgrounds, hoping to start afresh, looking for something crisp yet consistent about their faith. So what does the new Dean bring to the table?

Changing of the Guard at Harbison Chapel

Upon Dr. Keehlwetter’s retirement, Dr. Dean Weaver has taken to the ministry and has reformed how chapels and Vespers are run on campus. As interested as I was in Vespers last year, I knew I wanted to see how Dr. Weaver ran them. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed! If you enjoy music, as I do, Vespers will be an instant hit for you. Dr. Weaver spends a majority of his chapel time in worship, with a team of students leading the charge. The music does an impressive job of not only appeasing my love of contemporary worship, but also weaving in the traditional. Some old hymns are spiced up, some are left as they are, and many newer songs are used as well. Consequently, when it comes to music, vespers are pleasing to both the traditional audience and the contemporary.

Furthermore, the message Dr. Weaver presents is pertinent and consistent. He challenges the congregation with his insights of the scriptures, and is an excellent orator to boot. As a pastor, Dr. Weaver has a clear understanding of how to lead God’s sheep. Additionally, as a Grove City grad, he knows what motivates us, and how to guide us. In a word, Dr. Weaver is an incredible believer with a gift for sharing the word of God, Grove City is lucky to have him.