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The experiments run by Haotian Wu’07 (Suzhou, China) as part of a research project at Lafayette were not typical ones. Most of the key ingredients were present: Wu worked in a lab, focused on a relatively unknown area of study, made changes to his trials, and waited patiently for results to develop.
But Wu, who hopes to double major in math and physics, used a computer instead of microscopic elements, reactors, or metals to conduct his experiments. Working with Anthony Novaco, Metzgar Professor of Physics, Wu simulated experiments that deal with the way xenon atoms attach themselves to the surface of certain metals such as platinum.
“People have constructed models for the interaction of atoms with each other,” Novaco says. “In a sense, we were exploring the predictions that have been made using the models. We were testing the validity of those models.”
Interested in the theory of condensed matter — the study of the liquid and solid phases of materials — Novaco has received research grants from the National Science Foundation, Petroleum Research Fund, and Research Corporation. His mentoring of Lafayette students has included supervision of honors theses on computer simulations of monolayer melting, adsorption of quantum solids, and deterministic chaos.
He and Wu worked together as part of Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, which allows students to conduct research with faculty while earning a stipend. The program has helped to make Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the more than 160 students who participate each year share their work through articles in academic journals and/or conference presentations.
As nanotechnology and the area of micro-machines advances, engineers and scientists are finding they need to build smaller and smaller structures to continue to progress. But in order to make those microscopic and sometimes molecular-level components, those scientists need to understand precisely how atoms interact with different environments.
“The whole area of surface physics has become important” to the study of nano-technology and micro-machines, Novaco says.
Wu notes that his results have agreed with published results, and based on the congruence, he will be able to proceed with computer simulation in future investigation. Discovering results that have real applications has piqued his interest in the field of surface physics.
“When you do a simulation, you do get some results that are encouraging and it pushes you to further investigation,” he explains.
More than learning about a field he knew little of before working with Novaco, Wu has picked up some other useful knowledge along the way. He learned a computer language and now knows the intimate details of an unfamiliar computer system.
“The hardest part of the simulation was understanding what I was doing,” Wu says. “Often I was dealing with a mysterious box and I had to type in the commands. It’s important to understand what the code is really doing. Rather than being bound to the program, you are the master.”
In addition to scientific knowledge, Novaco believes Wu will take away from the project the foundation for continued intellectual curiosity.
“I hope he’s understanding the beginning steps of learning how to work independently, how to learn on his own,” Novaco says. “He’s had to read original papers and go through a glut of information needed to get an understanding of what [the project] is about.”
Wu says the close relationship that he has developed with Novaco is the greatest benefit of his EXCEL work.
“The most enjoyable part was the talks with Professor Novaco — discussing the work, the plan for next week, and sharing the data we had that showed [the simulation] was producing some desired results,” says Wu, who hopes to collaborate with Novaco again.
As a national leader in undergraduate research, Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Forty-two students were accepted to present their work at the last annual conference in April.