aiM Team Travels to 2024 NSF NRT Annual Meeting

November 4, 2024

Image
Collage

Duke team members, Cate Brinson, Shana McAlexander, and Daniel Michael traveled to the NRT (National Research Traineeship) annual meeting in Arlington, VA this October. Daniel Michael, presented his research, demonstrating the program's impact on interdisciplinary scientific advancement. In this article, we hear more about his research and conference experience.

Innovative Research at the Intersection of AI and Materials Science

Daniel represented the work conducted with Darryl Taylor and Vasishta Somayaji with the aiM course ME555 Data and Materials Science Project Capstone. The project focuses on developing nanocellulose/cyclodextrin-based hydrogels for the efficient and selective extraction of strategic metals like nickel, cobalt, and lithium from aqueous solutions.

A key innovation in the project is the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning models to simulate experimental data. This approach significantly reduces the time and resources required for optimization, potentially accelerating advancements in sustainable metal extraction.

"This interdisciplinary research project combines expertise in material science and machine learning to address the environmental challenges associated with metal extraction, specifically focusing on strategic metals like nickel, cobalt, and lithium," Daniel explained.

Interdisciplinary Connections and Impact

The NRT annual meeting provided an excellent platform for interdisciplinary exchange.

"Yes, there was a researcher interested in using cyclodextrins as a method for extracting Zinc. Other researchers found this method of optimization promising for their chemical design work," Daniel shared.

He added, "For my other research projects, there was a researcher interested in a similar topic aiming to approximate blood flow velocity using ultrasound techniques."

Reflecting on the experience, Daniel highlighted the value of attending interdisciplinary conferences:

"Seeing the research, energy, and passion of the other students was encouraging to me and broadened my perspective on what fields were continuing to be advanced. It also introduced me to different fields that I found interesting."

Looking to the Future

By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and leveraging advanced computational techniques, researchers like Daniel are paving the way for more sustainable and efficient methods of obtaining critical metals, contributing to a more sustainable future.

"The best part of the conference was the people. Making friends and getting to see new parts of DC were memories I won't forget," Daniel concluded with a personal note.