Whether it’s solving the world’s biggest problems or investigating the potential of novel discoveries, researchers at UCF are on the edge of scientific breakthroughs that aim to make an impact. Through the Research in 60 Seconds series, student and faculty researchers condense their complex studies into bite-sized summaries so you can know how and why Knights plan to improve our world.

This episode of Research in 60 Seconds also highlights UCF’s honors undergraduate theses, which have received more than 2 million downloads from UCF STARS, Showcase of Text, Archives, Research and Scholarship.

Name: Nicholas Rose
Colleges: College of Medicine and Burnett Honors College
Major: Biomedical sciences
Research Area: Materials science and engineering

Why are you interested in this research?
My major goal after high school was to become a physician, so I started a journey as a biomedical science major at UCF. As I’ve always had a personal hobby and a love for the basic sciences, I pursued STEM hobbies alongside my biomedical sciences studies. I did NASA academies in my first year and shared my passion for organic chemistry by becoming a UCF Supplemental Instruction leader in my second year.

What really drew me into my current research project was its interdisciplinary nature. It connects physics, biomedicine, electrical engineering and chemistry to study new energy harvesters. This complex network of disciplines both intimidated me and drew me in. I never thought my STEM interests could make their way into my future career as a physician. I now see an exciting future where I merge clinical practice with interdisciplinary research.

Are you a faculty member or student conducting research at UCF? We want to hear from you! Tell us about your research at bit.ly/ucf-research-60-form.

How did you get started in research at UCF?
Before joining my lab two years ago, I had little idea what research was. A free UCF course really helped me figure out what research was all about. I took it in the summer of my first year, and it highlighted the basics of what research is and how to get started. It even gave a guide on how to message professors to begin research. In combination, I also attended workshops hosted by UCF and the UCF honors college, where people explained research and best practices for getting involved.

With all this knowledge, I began searching through UCF’s extensive catalog of projects and professors to find some that resonated with me. I crafted emails to meet with professors, and this started it all.

My first meeting with Dr. [Kaitlyn] Crawford, my mentor, [and associate professor of material science and engineering] was super impactful. She shared her passion for what she was studying and her plans for the future, which drew me in. Her lab was super free-flowing, and she let me try out anything I wanted. I worked with different PhD students until I found what interested me the most.

It was intimidating at first, joining a materials science and engineering lab and studying phenomena that were distant from what my biomedical sciences courses taught me. However, it was also really rewarding and freeing. Since this field was outside my area of expertise, I could let my guard down and ask a million questions. I always carried a little notebook around and jot down everything I learned.

Who is your mentor? Who inspires you and how?
My mentors are Dr. Crawford and all the Ph.D. students in her lab. Everyone in the lab answered any and every question I had, which set me up for success in the long run. They’re all highly supportive and willing to help; they even visited me during my student scholar presentation this Thursday and cheered me on.

As for who inspires me, my mom, dad and grandpa were major inspirations. My mom immigrated from Russia to America when she was 18, traveling through the circus. Despite language differences and many challenges, she now works as a successful software engineer. My dad was extremely inspirational as well. He overcame a period of intense difficulty while I was in middle and high school. However, these struggles made him stronger and more determined to pursue his goals. I went to live with him during this transitionary period, and I witnessed his goals become a reality as I helped him build his first bagel shop, Bagel Bros, in Clermont, Florida. Finally, my grandpa constantly pushed me to chase the things I loved. He always supported me through every roadblock, reminding me I could do anything I set my mind to.

How does UCF empower you to do your research?
Doing research at UCF has been amazing. Since UCF has so many professors, students and organizations, there was so much support and networking available to find great opportunities. UCF research workshops, specifically the honors thesis workshops, were super helpful for getting me on the right path with a project I loved.

Furthermore, UCF offers grants to undergrads. I’m thankful to have received two undergraduate grants offered, the Office of Undergraduate Research and Al Dallago Gerontology Research grants. These open up every semester, and this support laid the groundwork for my early research.

Why is this research important?
My research focuses on finding new ways to improve energy harvesters. I genuinely believe these devices, called triboelectric and piezoelectric nanogenerators, will significantly impact our lives. These devices can be microns thin and a few millimeters in size or large and cover entire fields. My research focuses on improving how we test these devices and interpret their output, an essential prerequisite to developing reliable and powerful energy harvesters in the future.