Spring of 2009 was a great semester for Baleeswariah Muchharla (Balu for short) and his research. A Materials Science graduate student in the Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Materials Science (PAMS), Balu was the second place winner in the student presentation competition at the spring Central States Microscopy and Microanalysis Society (CSMMS) meeting in Columbia, Missouri, on May 4, 2009. Balu’s second-place prizes were a check for $100 and a free membership to CSMMS.
Balu also participated in the sixteenth annual Graduate Interdisciplinary Forum on April 18 here at Missouri State. He placed second for his poster, “Utilizing Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes to Enhance the Performance of Solar Cells.”
Balu is an international student from India and a graduate teaching assistant who enjoys teaching undergraduate physics labs in Kemper Hall. His research advisor is Assistant Professor of Physics Dr. Lifeng Dong.
Associate Professor of Physics and Materials Science Dr. Katrik Ghosh was honored at this year’s Graduate Interdisciplinary forum with the Outstanding Faculty Research Advisor Award.