The last week of COSMOS has been a blur. We started the week by seeing what we were learning about in real life — a scanning electron microscope microscope — in a lab tour. We learned that such a microscope uses electrons to create a high resolution image of small objects that are even just a few nanometers long! The electrons are shot into the object with a very high kinetic energy, and the energy is dissipated in a variety of signals. These signals can produce secondary electrons, which, in turn, produces the image. It was cool to see that even something as simple as electrons could produce a high quality image of small objects. Using this microscope, we got to see a bowl of ramen noodles etched onto a surface, which was interesting and cool to see!
In addition to the lab tour, Dr. Shaowei Chen continued his lectures on catalysis and electrochemistry, and we learned about fuel cells and their wide applicability in the real world. For example, we learned that there are various types of fuel cells, including hydrogen, formic acid, and methanol ones, and that they all follow the same general process, with various advantages and drawbacks.
Meanwhile, Dr. Roger Terrill’s lectures focused more on spectroscopy and applications in biology, and we learned about DNA melting using nanoparticle resonance. This was interesting to learn about because we were able to learn a lot of technical aspects about spectroscopy that we hadn’t before.
Forrest Nichols, one of our TAs, taught us about antimicrobial nanomaterials and about his graduate research in Dr. Chen’s lab. It was very interesting to see the various aspects in which the same concepts we learn about are currently being used, and which can be applied to real-life applications!
In addition, we were able to witness one last lab, where we learned about the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles and their applications. We learned that they absorb UV light, and thus are a vital ingredient in sunscreen. In the lab itself, we saw this in action, through the production of zinc oxide nanoparticles. This was then tested by shining light onto the sunscreen using UV light, and it proved to block out some of the light, ensuring protection.
Finally, this week, we had to work on our presentations. We were in a crunch to get things done, and everyone was able to present on topics that we have been learning about. It was so interesting to hear everyone’s presentations!
On behalf of everyone at Cluster 2, we would like to thank the faculty of our cluster, professors Dr. Chen and Dr. Terrill, who have taught us all so much about the world of nanochemistry and nanotechnology, and have really opened our minds to this new and exciting field of chemistry. In addition, we would like to thank TAs Qiming Liu, Forrest Nichols and Davida Simpson for their continued support and for helping us with the labs. We had so much fun! On a personal note, I wanted to thank everyone who I worked with at COSMOS. I really had a great time, even though we were online, and I will miss this experience and everyone who was a part of it. Thank you!! - Ankita Prasad
Cluster 3 Bubblers, Feathers, and Fur: Exploring Animals in the Ocean and on Land
With the final week of COSMOS approaching, many students are feeling down with this experience coming to a close. However, this has not stopped Cluster 3 from making the most of this week, learning about the effects human activities have on marine mammals, along with how to collect small animals. However, class time was not only spent on lectures, but also indulging in multiple videos relating to class discussions, including one stand-out video dolphins.
Cluster 3 had a variety of guest lecturers, one of which was their TA. While their TA was discussing her research as an undergraduate, Cluster 3 had declared their mascot a creature only known as The Pizza Rat! Coupled with these guest speakers, these students have been practicing their final presentations to their clustermates, as everyone was expected to have finished their slides during week 3. While it has been stressful, members of Cluster 3 are grateful that they were able to get a heads start on their project, and finish it early.
Cluster 3 is making the most of their final week, enjoying the new experiences being offered through COSMOS, and will keep their energy high until the very end! - Viggo Vokas
Cluster 4 The Physics of Single-Atom-Thick Sheets
With the final week of COSMOS coming to a close, Cluster 4 has been busier than ever. During the week, we listened to the last lectures given by our professors, heard from guest speakers, and worked on our final projects. While scrambling to get our presentations finished on time, we still managed to make some life-long memories and friendships along the way.
To start off the week in our morning sessions, Prof. Aiming Yan discussed the stacking sequence of 2D materials, focusing specifically on the relationship between AA’ and AB stacking. Next, we looked at the structural engineering of 1D carbon nanotubes, learning about the role of Van der Waals attractions and the capacitive effect. After the lecture, Prof. Aiming Yan helped us get ready for our presentations by sharing tips and guidelines for scientific presentations, such as the appropriate amount of words to put on one slide and what to wear. These tips were very useful and certainly helped a lot of groups later on.
In the afternoon sessions, our guest speaker, Prof. Hsinzon Tsai, discussed imaging dynamical molecular control at the surface of a graphene nanodevice, getting into specifics about capacitors and batteries, electrically-controlled ion density, and the phase changes of molecules on 2D materials. Afterwards, Prof. Jairo Velasco launched into a discussion of graphene as a 2D solid and graphene transistors. We also looked at some photoemission graphs and equations.
Later on in the week, we had the opportunity to hear from more guest speakers about specific aspects and applications of single-atom thick sheets. One of our lectures actually dealt with three dimensions!
By the end of the week, each group was able to practice presenting in front of each other, getting the chance to receive feedback from our professors and other cluster members. This also allowed us to work on our timing and become comfortable presenting.
It’s hard to believe that four weeks of COSMOS have already gone by. It feels like only yesterday we were meeting each other for the first time. While it’s hard to say goodbye, I’m grateful to have learned so much and made so many memories during these past few weeks. - Tania Firouzabady
Cluster 5 Video Game Design
Other than the instructors’ show-and-tells of various games they found each morning, Cluster 5’s last week of COSMOS was solely dedicated to developing the games for our groups’ final projects.
After coming up with our game’s basic concept and a studio name for our groups, we started our final week by using the game engines utilized in our previous weeks of COSMOS (such as Ren’Py and Twine) to create a playable prototype of our games to share with the class. Once our prototype was created, our final few days were spent polishing our games, debugging any last bits of code, and recording all our changes in a development log. At the end of the week, each group presented their new indie game. Whether they drew inspiration from COSMOS inside jokes or games they all enjoyed, each group’s game was creative and unique from the rest of the class. Cluster 5 games were relatively random, and they included games where you navigate a zombie apocalypse or collect mushrooms on an island. Other studios incorporated Cluster 5 jokes through student-created emojis or the duck image (named Quenton) that we used to practice editing in the game engine Processing. The studio named LRNJJ even created Yearn, Don’t Learn, a dating simulator inspired by the “no COSMOS couples” policy that was posted in COSMOS 2019’s newsletter.
The games Cluster 5 created for our final projects have varying genres and draw inspiration from several different sources. Despite this, our games are memories we can look back on, play, and remember COSMOS by. Through the COSMOS program and our amazing teaching team, us Cluster 5 students were able to go from aspiring game developers to programming masters with games of our own, all while making great friends along the way. *You can find a compilation of Cluster 5’s games at https://itch.io/c/1736519/cosmos-cluster-5-2021 - Jordan Lee
Cluster 6 Introduction into Smart Power
This final week of COSMOS has Cluster 6 on the grind! This week I had the chance to talk to Cluster 6’s Prisca He, and I was able to learn more about the kinds of lectures and final projects that the class is undertaking.
After a short period of community building and chatting, the first day dove right into a lecture about semiconductors, including their valence bands and electric fields. Additionally, Cluster 6 learned about photon energy, band gap, and different photovoltaic systems.
As for final projects, there are four options that each group can choose to tackle: an application extension, a literature review, hardware development, or software development, while topics include solar, thermal, and hydro power, as well as electromagnetism. With the deadline for final projects soon approaching, the next few days saw the cluster doing some peer editing and review, and groups were able to have some time to further develop their work and practice presenting the final products to each other!
The cluster explored wind energy and hydropower, discussed infrastructure, the making of a wind turbine, and the lack of hydro energy use due to the drought. They also brainstormed ways to prevent animals from nesting on turbines. On Thursday, Cluster 6 was joined by Dr. Yu Zhang’s research group — an event that had been anticipated since Monday— and students were able to gain more insight from these PhD students, learning more about their research and daily life.
This past week has been, to say the least, very fruitful for Cluster 6, and students have been working hard to polish and complete their final projects. Although COSMOS is soon coming to an end, the past month has left everyone with lasting memories and experiences, and all the skills and knowledge gained are sure to leave an impact on each student’s future. - April Gong
Cluster 7 Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology
Well, folks, it’s here: the final week. Cluster 7 started with a bit of a melancholy feel. After spending so long with our cluster mates, professors, TA’s, and teacher fellow, good-byes are difficult. But that didn’t stop us from having a fulfilling last week.
On Monday, we closed up some of our labs by observing the results of our Kirby Bauer antibiotic plates. Those of us who got results were able to see the zone of inhibition where the antibiotics inhibited the bacteria.
Tuesday was different as two guest speakers, Lisa Uttal from NOAA and Kendra Negray from UCSC, came to give us a lecture about the Monterey Bay national marine sanctuary. During the talk, we learned about harmful algal blooms and different types of plankton and zooplankton. We even got to see plankton and zooplankton under microscopes, and one interesting one was a Zoea, or a crab larvae! And being the experts that they are, Lisa Uttal and Kendra Negray immediately identified every organism they came across. After the exciting talk, we transitioned to the topic of DNA sequencing to identify bacteria. Using a program called BLAST, we got to analyze three bacterias that our cluster mates sent to Prof. Chad Saltikov. Surprisingly, one turned out to be a yeast instead!
By Wednesday, Prof. Peter Weiss handed us back the results of the mercury concentration in the hairs we sent him last week. And do not fret, our mercury concentrations were all within the safe limit.
On our final day of lessons, Prof. Chad Saltikov had something exciting in store for us. We designed microbial superheroes after reading through all the fascinating abilities microbes have. From producing light, gold, oxygen, and so much more, it’s very much like they possess superpowers! And though I’m writing this before the presentations, I know that Cluster 7 has been working hard on finishing touches and that we are going to have an amazing time presenting on Friday. Thank you Prof. Saltikov, Prof. Weiss, Mr. Aceves, Juliana, Gabriel, and Michael. These four weeks have been amazing, and we have learned so much. - Wendy Li
Cluster 8 Marine Mammals Oceanography
It is crazy how fast four weeks can fly by in Cluster 8! In both classes, the main focal points were conservation and our final projects.
In Professor Marinovic’s class, we talked about natural and human activities impacting the ocean, such as carbon emissions and strong weather. In Dr. Noren’s class, we watched a video on how polar bears are impacted by climate change and got the chance to play climate bingo! Many of us were able to get three squares in a row, showing how many of us help the environment and mitigate climate change already. We split up in breakout rooms and discussed five issues that marine mammals face: oil spills, entanglement, commercial fishing, human caused injuries, and plastic pollution. We then concluded our week by watching The Ultimate Guide to Dolphins and a video about Steller sea lions.
Luckily, Cluster 8 is already done with their projects, so this week was dedicated to finalizing and polishing our final projects to get them ready for presentation day! Throughout the week, we each received feedback one-on-one on our projects. Splitting off into two groups, Professor Marinovic and our amazing teacher fellow Lindsay looked over our slide presentations and gave helpful suggestions and tips.
It is safe to say that all of us had so many amazing experiences at COSMOS 2021, and I wish my fellow Cluster 8 classmates (aka The Walrus Gang) the best of luck in the future! - Allie Wang
Cluster 9 The Building Blocks of Life: Molecules and Cells in Biology
You know, they weren’t lying when they told us that these four weeks would be some of the best of our lives. As an enthusiastic member of Cluster 9, I can proudly and definitively say that we have all emerged as brilliant geniuses — and as good friends.
In our morning lectures with Dr. Wang, we spent our remaining days in the program discussing the final stages of organism development with a strong focus on environmental factors and epigenetics. We started the week by studying the molecular mechanisms behind limb development, looking specifically at the formation of chickens’ wings in their embryonic stage. On Tuesday, we learned about the development of the urogenital system (which elicited both questions in the Zoom chat and the inevitable jokes in the Discord). Finally, we explored the behavioral, environmental, and microbial factors that shape our biology and phenotype. We even had a chance to delve into ongoing research about the human microbiome, a hot topic in the world of science. Naturally, the studies we discussed were infinitely cool. Did you know that scientists actually created mice from the genetic material of two mothers? For the most part, we never recognize how nature has refined itself over millennia to code and form us. That is what Dr. Wang showed us — the mutations, genes, and proteins that make us who we are (at least biologically — my obsession with The Office certainly isn’t coded in my DNA).
In the afternoon session with Dr. Shanks, we finally got a glimpse into #LabLife! Dr. Shanks and graduate student Nettie Calvin showed us how to perform an experiment with micropipettes, agar plates, and bacteria cultures to isolate a bacteriophage, a virus that affects bacteria. And wouldn’t you know, we did it! Using samples submitted by some of our cluster members, we were able to find a bacteriophage that will go on to be part of some amazing research into the nature of phages. Alongside this experience, we worked on pulling together our final presentations on the genetic cloning process. After all, this is what our four weeks of hard work had culminated in. We went through practice runs and received feedback from our cluster mates, presenting our final products to Cluster 7 on Friday afternoon. Needless to say, we all nailed it! Told you we were geniuses.
All jokes aside, being a part of Cluster 9 and COSMOS 2021 was an amazing experience, even in the confines of Zoom. Not only did we have the opportunity to explore scientific processes that are part of rigorous college curriculums, but we also made good friends (and great inside jokes, courtesy of Discord). Until the very end, we were cheering each other on, and I have no doubt that each and every one of us will go on to make our mark on the world. But for now, this is your editor and honorary staff writer Ridhi Goyal, signing off. - Ridhi Goyal
Cluster 10 Semi-conductor Materials and Device Engineering
Hello everyone! After four eventful and educational weeks, the COSMOS program is finally drawing to a close, leaving all of us in Cluster 10 with amazing experiences and memories. We kicked off our final week with an exciting tour of the Holger Lab at UCSC, led by Dr. Tom Yuzvinsky. We explored the exciting world of scanning electron microscopy, or SEM, and members of Cluster 10 examined the minute details of everything from pencil tips to ants. The tour culminated in a chance to have the equipment etch shapes of our choosing at the scale of microns.
The next day, we had our final lecture of the program, covering bipolar transistors. Teaching us about the structure and function of these devices through tools like energy band diagrams, this lecture helped us to synthesize the knowledge we’d developed over the past four weeks to explore a new type of device. And, of course, we exercised our engineering mindset by comparing bipolar transistors to other devices, such as heterojunction transistors.
On Wednesday, we were treated with the opportunity to attend an exciting industry meeting hosted by the Northern California Chapter of AVS to explore the real life applications of the materials science and semiconductor engineering topics we had been learning about. The topic of the presentation was “Advances in Metrology,” and we heard from four different speakers as they described advancements in their fields.
And of course, throughout the week, we had plenty of time to concentrate on our group research projects. Groups worked to rehearse their presentations, covering exciting device and processing topics such as RAM, etching, and LEDs. Receiving detailed feedback from teacher fellows, professors, and peers alike, we were able to polish our presentations to perfection. I’m sure that we are all extremely excited to see all our hard work come to fruition, and Cluster 10’s final projects are certainly not ones to miss. - Sarina Mayya
Cluster 11 Feedback Control with Applications to Robots
The final week of COSMOS has been an exciting one for Cluster 11 students. As they have been doing throughout the weeks, the young programmers developed their programming skills with MATLAB and CoppeliaSim. This time, however, Prof. Ricardo Sanfelice threw them an obstacle. Yes, a literal obstacle. Students were tasked with modeling the successful route of a quadrotor while avoiding obstacles and reaching the target. Though tough, this challenge only leads up to FCAR’s pièce de résistance: the “Drone.” If students are able to complete this assignment successfully while using MATLAB and CoppeliaSim, they receive a free mini drone. With the ones and zeros of programming acting as their tools, Cluster 11 has only until August 6 until the entire offer expires. The pressure is on.
On top of Prof. Sanfelice’s competition, students have been challenged by the conceptual nature of Prof. Abhishek Halder’s curriculum. Student Sarah Zhang says that they studied filtering algorithms while also having time to discuss their futures in computer programming. Despite being computer whizzes, Cluster 11 has their own troubles with Zoom’s private messaging as they had a few awkward snafus.
With the last day of COSMOS approaching, students are prepared to take what they have learned in their clusters and apply them to the passions they chase. - Luke Garcia
Cluster 12 Scattering and Diffraction of Materials
The last week of COSMOS was more hectic than usual, with everyone scrambling to do something, whether it’s collecting group photos, participating in the last few events, or bonding with cluster-mates in our last few days together at COSMOS. Those of us who love to procrastinate have been rushing to complete our final projects.
Luckily, by sharing our presentations with each other to practice and constantly discussing with each other, we managed to remind ourselves to wrap up our projects in time.
In the morning sessions, everything Cluster 12 learned in the past three weeks accumulated into the discussions we had this week. We learned about frustrated systems and chiral behavior, as well as the result of having Ising spins on triangular lattices. Using the story of the blind men and an elephant, Prof. Belanger remarked that it’s dangerous to make conclusions by implementing only one technique and then generalizing, as it is not easy to back down once you claim your results are indisputable. To wrap up this week, we summarized all the various topics we covered, from the wave properties of light to the magnetism of LaCoO3 in thin films, and we shared life tips with each other about college and research.
On Monday afternoon, Cluster 12 watched fascinating videos on how pure, synthetic quartz is made as well as how to grow opal. We further studied the types of X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods, such as powder XRD and single-crystal XRD, along with systematic absences. On Thursday, we were fortunate enough to have Dr. Tim Johnstone, an expert on crystallography, give us a quick tour of an X-ray diffraction lab. Being able to see instruments that turn a process that once took a whole day to complete into one that can be done in a matter of minutes or even seconds truly was an eye-opening experience! These few weeks have no doubt been thrilling and special. I will never forget our discussions of why things keep evolving into crabs, the times when we changed our Zoom backgrounds to buff Garfields and flipped our videos upside down, and the conversations we had in the Cluster 12 (colloquially known as “Cult 12,” the “J cult,” or, most recently, the “Garfield cult”) Discord channel. On behalf of Cluster 12, I would like to thank all of the students, professors, and teaching fellows for making COSMOS such a memorable experience for all of us. I will definitely cherish the memories we made and the hope of meeting up again. Best of luck to everyone! - Jamin Xie