Student Awarded 2018–19 Mazilu Engineering Research Fellowship

Dual-Degree Program student Lisa Je '18 was awarded The Mazilu Engineering Research Fellowship for 2018–2019. Je is majoring in chemistry with a minor in physics at Vassar College and spent her junior year at Thayer. The award will support Je's work with Dartmouth engineering professor Jifeng Liu toward developing environmentally-friendly and economical materials for solar cells. Ultimately, Je plans to obtain a PhD to become a professor of engineering.

Lisa Je '18

"I am humbled for this research opportunity as this year’s Mazilu Fellow to possibly shape the future of the solar industry," says Je. "With gratitude to the Mazilu family, I am excited to explore my interests in solar energy with the tools I have learned at Thayer as a chemical/materials engineer. Furthermore, I am thankful to the Mazilu family and fellowship committee whom are also committed to creating a sustainable planet through renewable energy research, specifically improving the current efficiencies on tandem solar cells. Dr. Liu’s current research on germanium-indium as an alternative tandem solar cell virtual substrate can lower production cost and potentially allow people of all incomes to afford solar energy one day. I look forward to improving current germanium-indium tandem solar cell materials for higher efficiency at lower costs."

"We are grateful to the Mazilu Fellowship for offering our best undergraduate students an opportunity to conduct independent and innovative research," says Professor Liu. "It is an invaluable support to the experiential learning experiences that we advocate at Thayer. Lisa has demonstrated great enthusiasm and outstanding capability in materials-related research, and I’m excited to work with her towards a practical low-cost 'virtual substrate' for high-efficiency solar cells."