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Lisa Simms ’03 (Prospect, N.Y.) is completing research that may have implications for alternative energy resources: a study of oxidation behavior of materials that might be used to enclose a fusion reaction. The work is part of an international collaboration on nuclear energy research among the United States, Japan, Russia, and the European Union under the auspices of the Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, Ill.
Simms is working as an EXCEL Scholar with Mehmet Uz, professor of chemical engineering. “We are analyzing data from different vanadium alloys coated with calcium oxide when these materials are placed under various pressures, temperatures, and lengths of time. We hope to see which would be the best material to house a fusion reaction,” says Simms, who is pursuing a dual degree in chemical engineering and international studies.
The alloys, or refractory metals, serve as the structural material of fusion reactors. According to Uz, it’s important to characterize the properties of these metals to determine how they might function in nuclear power systems.
“One problem with these metals is that they tend to oxidize. Lisa is conducting experiments to analyze the oxidation kinetics of this material under different pressures and environments. This work will help determine the best way to manufacture the material for use in advanced fusion power systems,” he says.
Simms is excited to conduct research in the field of alternative energy sources.
“I would like to work one day with either fusion or fission in hopes of making these energy sources safer to those around them. I believe that I can contribute to this field through my study of the properties of different materials,” she says.
Simms believes Lafayette offers many chances for students to broaden their skills.
“Lafayette provides a fabulous opportunity in that undergraduates are able to perform research without competing with graduate students for the positions,” she says. “Academically, the school is very strong, and the research opportunities here enhance the classroom work. I have had no specific classroom instruction about the project on which I am working, though topics in various classes have aided in my understanding of the research I am performing.”
A graduate of duPont Manual High School, Simms is a member of American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Society of Women Engineers, Lafayette Choir, and Calculus Cavalry.
Lisa Simms ’03 analyzed oxidation in possible fusion-housing materials in EXCEL Scholars research with Mehmet Uz, professor of chemical engineering.