Smoky Mountain research

By Rebecca Bell
Dean of Community Relations & Special Events

Each year, thousands of tourists from all over the world visit the Great Smoky Mountains that straddle the border between North Carolina and Tennessee; however, few have an opportunity to spend 10 weeks there taking part in a new scientific breakthrough! This summer, Midland College (MC) Assistant Professor of Chemistry Dr. Pat Nandakumar had just such an opportunity when she participated in the Visiting Faculty Program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) near Knoxville, Tennessee.

ORNL was established in 1943 as part of the World War II Manhattan Project, and today it is the largest science and energy national laboratory in the Department of Energy system.

Nandakumar said that she learned quite a bit about the beginnings of ORNL during her stay in the area and explained, “During World War II, the material for making the atom bomb was produced at ORNL. Because of its unique location hidden in the Smoky Mountains, the lab was not easy to locate. In fact, at the time, Oak Ridge was referred to as a ‘secret city.’ Once Plutonium was produced at ORNL, they were shipped to Los Alamos National Laboratory in northern New Mexico, where the bombs were assembled.”

This past summer, Dr. Nandakumar and one of her MC research students Jasmine Flores spent 10 weeks researching ways to extend the lives of high capacity batteries, such as those found in I-phones, IPADs, laptops and hybrid cars. The two women had the honor of working with Dr. Parans Paranthaman, who is the group leader of the Materials Chemistry Group in the Chemical Sciences Division at ORNL.

Pictured from left to right are MC Assistant Professor of Chemistry Dr. pat Nandakumar, MC research student Jasmine Flores, and ORNL Materials Chemistry Group Leader Dr. Parans Paranthaman

During a recent telephone interview conducted while Dr. Nandakumar was still at the laboratory, she exclaimed, “I am learning so much that I can take back to share with my students and colleagues at Midland College! In addition, I am working with Dr. Parans and other staff members at ORNL to coordinate a possible visit to the laboratory by MC faculty, and we are discussing ways for ORNL and MC to collaborate on a variety of projects in the future.”

The process to be accepted to the Visiting Faculty Program was not a simple one—Nandakumar and Flores each had to submit extensive applications detailing each woman’s qualifications and previous research projects.

During the same telephone interview, Nandakumar’s research student Jasmine Flores, a 25-year-old Odessa native, said, “When Dr. Nandakumar approached me about the summer internship, I was excited to be offered such an opportunity. I have never considered research as a career. The experience at ORNL opened my mind to further educational and career opportunities. I am currently investigating several leading research universities in order to further my education.

“I am synthesizing materials and characterizing them by using high-tech instruments,” continued Flores. “Part of my responsibilities this summer has been to assemble CR2032 coin cells that are being used to experiment with the life extension of lithium ion batteries. I am in a very team-oriented environment and currently collaborating with five scientists. I have not only met world-renowned chemists, but also have met people who are experts in computational science, forensic anthropology and genetics. There are about 500 other interns here representing schools from community colleges like Midland College to research institutions like MIT and Harvard.”

Flores graduated from Odessa High school in 2005 and received two bachelor degrees at Texas Tech University in 2010 in dance and biology. She attended Midland College during the 2011-2012 school year in order to fulfill prerequisite requirements for a graduate program. While at MC, she worked with Nandakumar on solar cell research.

Midland College is one of the few community colleges in the nation that have a research component to their science program.

MC Dean of Math and Natural Science Dr. Margaret Wade explained, “When we initiated our first research projects a few years ago, we knew that this would be a great opportunity for MC students. Today, our students and faculty are benefitting from the research projects we have implemented in biology, chemistry and geology. The research that Dr. Nandakumar has accomplished at Midland College in the field of lithium ion batteries and solar cells is one of the reasons she and Jasmine were chosen for the prestigious summer program at ORNL.”

Nandakumar said, “Even though Jasmine and I have worked hard this summer and we are a long way from our families, the program has been so amazing. We are beginning to see promising characteristics with our research. Dr. Parans and I are discussing the possibility of collaborating in the future and to publish papers on our work. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience!”


Pictured from left to right are Dr. Parans Paranthaman, Jasmine Flores and Dr. Pat Nandakumar performing research on life extension of high-capacity batteries