[Eecs_mscs] EECS Retreat Graduate Student Poster Session

Tue Oct 14 17:28:12 EDT 2025

Dear EECS Graduate Students and Faculty,

It is with great pleasure that I want to announce the winners of the 2025 EECS Retreat Graduate Student Poster session:

  *   1st place - Chakraborty, Madhuparna for presenting poster title: Probing the Room-Temperature Electronic Properties of Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Using XAS and XES for Magnetic Ink Applications in Flexible Electronics
  *   2nd place - Speakman, Liam for presenting poster title: Properties and Transcription Factor Enrichment of Neuronal Super-enhancer Networks
  *   2nd place - Sheets, Gregory presenting poster title: Brighter Electroluminescence from Inter-particle Excitonic Energy Transfer in the ZnS/ZnO System

The poster session was well received by the Advisory Board and the EECS faculty. The ad hoc selected EECS faculty evaluated and nominated the posters for recognitions. Please see the abstracts of the wining posters below. Congratulations to all poster presenters and their research faculty mentors!

Presenter: Chakraborty, Madhuparna, advisor: Dr. W. Jadwisienczak
Title: Probing the Room-Temperature Electronic Properties of Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Using XAS and XES for Magnetic Ink Applications in Flexible Electronics
Abstract: Magnetic ink for flexible electronics represents a frontier in developing stretchable, bendable devices, unlocking advanced applications in flexible sensors, wearable technology, and non-volatile memory systems. Nitrogen-doped graphene is a promising material for magnetic ink due to its tunable electronic structure and room-temperature ferromagnetism; however, the mechanisms through which specific nitrogen doping configurations pyridinic, pyrrolic, and graphitic affect its ferromagnetic properties remain unclear. This proposal seeks to use synchrotron-based X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray Emission Spectroscopy (XES) to investigate the local electronic structure, bonding environment, and magnetic properties of nitrogen-doped graphene. By analyzing the nitrogen and carbon K-edges, we aim to identify the nitrogen configurations responsible for ferromagnetism and explore their influence on the overall electronic structure. Combining XAS and XES will allow us to examine both unoccupied and occupied electronic states, providing a comprehensive understanding of the magnetic mechanisms.
This study addresses two key gaps in the current understanding: (1) the need for conclusive experimental evidence linking specific nitrogen configurations to magnetic behavior, and (2) the distinction between nitrogen-induced ferromagnetism and defect-induced magnetism. Based on the collected results we expect to be able to optimize the synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene materials for developing magnetic ink applications in flexible electronics, advancing flexible sensor and wearable technology.

Presenter: Speakman, Liam, advisor: Dr. L. Welch
Title: Properties and Transcription Factor Enrichment of Neuronal Super-enhancer Networks
Abstract: Super-enhancers (SEs) are clusters of enhancers with high transcriptional activity that play essential roles in defining cell identity through regulation of nearby genes. SEs preferentially form multiway chromatin interactions with other SEs and highly transcribed regions in embryonic stem cells. However, the properties of the interacting SEs and their specific contributions to complex regulatory interactions in differentiated cell types remain poorly understood. Here, we compare the structural and functional properties of SEs between embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and dopaminergic neurons (DNs) by combining Genome Architecture Mapping (GAM), chromatin accessibility, histone modification, and transcriptome data. Most SEs are cell-type specific and establish extensive pairwise and multiway chromatin interactions with other SEs and genes with cell-type specific expression. SE interactions span megabase genomic distances and frequently connect distant topologically associating domains. By applying network analyses, we detected SEs with different hierarchical importance. Highest network centrality SEs contain binding motifs for cell-type specific transcription factors and are candidate regulatory hubs. The functional heterogeneity of SEs is also highlighted by their organization into modular sub-networks that differ in structure and spatial scale between ESCs and DNs, with more specific and strongly connected SE modules in post-mitotic neurons. Our results uncover both the high complexity and specificity of SE-based 3D regulatory networks and provide a resource for prioritizing SEs with potential roles in transcriptional regulation and disease"

Presenter: Sheets, Gregory, advisor: Dr. F. Rahman
Title: Brighter Electroluminescence from Inter-particle Excitonic Energy Transfer in the ZnS/ZnO System
Abstract: Alternating-current electroluminescent (AC EL) devices are gaining renewed attention as low-cost, flexible light sources, yet their limited brightness remains a challenge. This work investigates brightness enhancement in ZnS:Cu phosphors through the incorporation of ZnO and related wide-bandgap oxides. Devices were fabricated with 10-40 wt% ZnO, ZnO nanoparticles, chemically deposited ZnO coatings, thermally treated ZnS, and control additions of Ga₂O₃ and BaTiO₃. The addition of 20 wt% ZnO increased brightness by 117%, with ZnO nanoparticles yielding a 96% gain, while dielectric controls improved by only 31% and 12%, respectively. Samples containing ZnO deposited by calcination, or otherwise subjected to furnace heating, exhibited severe brightness decay attributed to ZnS decomposition into ZnO above 400 °C. These results suggest that enhancement arises from inter-particle excitonic energy transfer rather than from dielectric effects alone. This approach provides a clear path toward brighter, tunable, and flexible EL phosphors for next-generation lighting and display applications.

Thank you!
Best regards
Dr.J

Wojciech M. Jadwisienczak
Professor and Graduate Chair
Editor in Chief, Journal of Electronic Materials
Ohio University, Russ College fo Engineering and Technology
School of Electrical Engineering and Compuster Science
Stocker Center 333, 1 Ohio University Drive, Athen OH 45701-2979
T: 740-593-1572, T: 740-593-2067
www.ohio.edu/engineering/eecs<http://www.ohio.edu/engineering/eecs>

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