‘Ville Student Published in National Journal

When most people talk about diamonds, they're talking about rings. When Colin Myers talks about diamonds, he refers to their use in electronics. The senior at Millersville University recently had his research on diamonds publishedin the national journal "NCHC Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity."

During the summer of 2023, he participated in an internship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland where he conducted research alongside his assigned advisor, Dr. Andrei Kolmakov.

Myers' research focused on exploring the possibilities of diamonds being transformed from their natural state of an insulator into a conductive material that could be used for large-scale electronics, like aircrafts and vehicles. "We wanted to turn it into a material that conducts similarly to silicon or gold, which are really great conductors," says Myers. The idea behind pursuing this research stems from the need for better electronic materials. "Diamond is really perfect for this because it has a very high thermal conductivity," says Myers. "When you use electronics, like a phone or computer, it can get hot, and diamond can get rid of that heat very easily."

Myers was matched with this research topic and advisor through the Society of Physics Students by applying for their internship program. This was done based on mutual interests. "I'm interested in materials, metals and electronics," says Myers. The internship did not require Myers to write a paper to accompany his research, but he took the initiative to do so. "I ended up having a good deal of free time between experiments and my advisor pushed me in that direction," says Myers. He worked with Kolmakov to revise his paper before submitting it for publication. He attributes his education at Millersville as essential to his ability to write his paper. "Using a lot of what I've learned here at Millersville, I wrote a draft and then would send that to my advisor," says Myers.

Myers is currently working on his senior research project which also revolves around electronic materials, but this time focusing on gold as a conductive material. Moving forward after graduation, he will be attending graduate school but has not made a final decision of where he will go. "At the University of Maryland, I would be pursuing a physics Ph.D., whereas at the University of Delaware I would pursue a material science Ph.D.," says Myers. "They're pretty similar, but there's a few differences I'm hashing out right now."