5Q: Charlotte Humes Measures Energy and Charge Transfer in Alternative Energy Materials at WKU

Since 2010, the Gatton Academy has offered students the ability to pursue summer research experiences through the Gatton Research Internships Grants (RIG) program.  Made possible through the generous support of Mr. Carol Martin “Bill” Gatton, the program offers competitive grants to Gatton Academy students between their junior and senior years to support summertime research internships across the Commonwealth and the world.  By providing a funding mechanism, the program directly creates new avenues for growth and exploration.  Throughout the summer, we’ll share insights from students who are the recipients of our 2011 grants.

Charlotte Humes (’12) of Bardstown is performing research with Dr. Matthew Nee of the WKU Department of Chemistry where she is designing, constructing, and using a time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectrometer for the purpose of measuring energy and charge transfer in alternative energy materials.

1. Tell us a little about the research experience in which you are participating this summer that the Research Internship Grant is funding.

I am working in the Chemistry department under the instruction of Dr. Nee. The lab in which I am working is home to a number of lasers, but unfortunately, most of them are currently not working. During this summer, I’m fixing a couple of the lasers with the intent of making them ready for use in fluorescence measurements.

2. What is the part of the summer experience you are enjoying most?

I really enjoy the setting of research. Going home to see family during the summer is always nice, but the chance to spend part of my summer in a very independent, highly academic, environment is a great opportunity. It allows me to have a foretaste of what it will be like to live on my own.

3. What does research mean to you as a young person interested in STEM?

Research allows me to really become involved in a subject I love. It allows me to use my interests and curiosities as a springboard for ideas—I can pursue the questions I truly care about answering.

4. What do you love most about the Gatton Academy?

Everything! The Academy has provided me with an opportunity for which I am so grateful. Your experience at the Academy is what you make of it, and you have wonderful resources at your fingertips. It has allowed me to take courses that force me to think, has taught me skills (such as computer programming) I would never have been able to learn otherwise, and provided me with a community of so many amazing people.

5. How did you feel on your first day at the Gatton Academy? Now?

I was actually the first person to arrive on move-in day, and I remember being ecstatic to finally be there, practically skipping in to the dorm. Last year, going to the Academy felt like embarking upon an adventure; this year, it feels like coming home.