Thanks to Jamie for finding this one.

Mount Vesuvius eruption: Extreme heat ‘turned man’s brain to glass’

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51221334

It’s important to celebrate, and we had a smashing good time at the annual NOME Christmas Party.  We had two ‘alums’ join us: Jose and Saehwa.  It was great!  Cheers everyone (and enjoy the snow from this morning!)

Muad Saleh celebrated his hard work on Saturday at commencement, shown here with Prof. McCloy and Prof. Lynn, his co-advisors.

Last Friday Muad Saleh defended his dissertation, “Characterization and Optimization of Dopants, Impurities, and Defects in Bulk Optical and Semiconductor Materials ZnS, beta-Ga2O3, and Nd:YAG.”

Congratulations Muad!

WSU UK Fulbrighters Garrett Snedeker and John McCloy met for the first time in London, here at the famed British Library, the first week of September. Garret is studying piano at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, and John is at the University of Sheffield working on international issues in nuclear waste management.

Four Cougs descended on Prague at a recent conference. Dr. Jose Marcial, Emily Nienhuis, Dr. Travis Olds, and Dr. John McCloy.  Pražský hrad (Prague castle) is in the background.

See this nice article about our very own Dr. Travis Olds.

Rock star

Then check out him presenting last week in the Brevnov monastery in Prague, where several of us recently attended the 9th European Conference on Mineralogy and Spectroscopy. And ‘yes’ that is a fresco and giant painting behind him!

If that weren’t enough, later we went to look at all the minerals he collected in the Jáchymov mine with in the Czech Republic with friend and colleague Jakub Plášil.  They found some things that ‘might be interesting.’  Perhaps another new mineral?

Fulbrights take researchers to UK and Singapore

Muad was recently awarded one of the best graduate student posters at the 9th International Conference on Crystal Growth and Epitaxy (ICCGE-19).  The poster title was “Electrical and Optical Properties of Zr doped β-Ga₂O₃ Single Crystals Grown by Czochralski Method”.

Congratulations Muad!

Saturday was graduation, and two NOME students walked at Graduation.  Maddisson Heine got her BS in Materials Science & Engineering, and will be moving on to be a reactor operator for WSU’s Nuclear Science Center.  Jonathan Moore also graduated with an MSE degree.  Mostafa Ahmadzadeh earned his doctorate, and will be remaining with us at NOME for a little while.  Congratulations all!