NSF award will yield more polymer research experiences for undergraduates

Dr. Xiong Gong (left) instructs Abigail Wilhite, a then-Research Experience for Undergraduates student at UA, to measure the electrical conductivity of polymeric thin films.

Over the past 10 years at The University of Akron (UA), Dr. Xiong Gong’s polymer research group, the Laboratory of Organic and Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Materials and Electronics, has promoted and provided research opportunities for students at various academic levels. Notably, undergraduate and high school students seeking expert, hands-on lab experiences have been a part of his team each year. These positive experiences encourage students to continue their studies in STEM fields and graduate programs at UA or other prominent universities.

To help continue support and fund these undergraduate research efforts, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has recently awarded Gong, a professor of polymer engineering, an additional $8,000 for his solar energy cell project, “Bulk Heterojunction Perovskite Solar Cells by Novel Hybrid Perovskite Materials.” With the addition of these funds, the total award amount for this project is $483,000.

Media contact: Alex Knisely, 330-972-6477 or aknisely@uakron.edu.