Kajari Bera is currently a third-year graduate student working in Dr. Renee Frontiera’s group at the University of Minnesota. She received her master’s degree in Chemistry from IISER Bhopal, India and the University of Minnesota, USA. Her current research includes understanding the fundamentals of charge transfer processes using the ultrafast vibrational spectroscopic technique called femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS). More specifically, Kajari is interested in probing the ultrafast dynamics during solar energy conversion in organic semiconductors that possess the ability to improve the efficiency of photovoltaic cells. Ultrafast FSRS provides a unique vibrational technique to study the time-dependent evolution of a system in its excited state by monitoring the molecule’s Raman modes on a very fast timescale. She has one first-author publication in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters which demonstrates the use of this ultrafast Raman microscopic technique to reveal the rapid structural dynamics that occur in organic semiconductors. She initiated a collaboration with an organic synthetic group at the University in order to apply this ultrafast vibrational spectroscopic technique to a wide-variety of systems.
During her graduate studies at the University of Minnesota, Kajari excelled in her course work securing an overall GPA of 4.0 in 2016, along with scoring the highest grade possible in her analytical spectroscopy course. She enjoys teaching and has received the best teaching assistant award out of 40 potential candidates, for teaching general chemistry to undergraduate students at the University of Minnesota in 2017. She also served as a teaching assistant for a graduate level Laser Spectroscopy course, where she prepared and graded the solutions to quizzes and homework assignments. She is actively associated with various student groups at the department as well as at the University level.
Santosh Paidi is a doctoral student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. His current research efforts in Dr. Ishan Barman’s lab are directed towards application of Raman spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis to develop novel quantitative approaches for addressing unmet needs in the molecular study of cancers. His recent work in this area has resulted in the creation of a new landscape for spectroscopic monitoring of stromal adaptations in the lungs of animals bearing breast tumor xenografts, prior to the arrival of metastatic cancer cells. He demonstrated this by exploiting the unique Raman markers stemming from the stromal modifications (induced by factors secreted from the primary tumor) to develop a decision algorithm for accurate differentiation of pre-metastatic lungs in mice bearing high metastatic tumor xenografts from those in mice with low metastatic tumor xenografts and normal controls. In addition to applications in cancer, a major focus of Santosh’s graduate study is the development of a detection framework based on label-free plasmon-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for rapid identification of closely related human and murine antibody drugs during their manufacturing, with the ultimate goal of translation to fill-finish sites. Prior to commencing doctoral study at Johns Hopkins, Santosh graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in 2014 with a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Aerospace Engineering. As an undergraduate, his research was directed towards understanding the effects of inert gas dilution on the characteristics of hydrogen combustion. Overall, his research efforts have resulted in ten peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Cancer Research, Analytical Chemistry and Scientific Reports. He has received several awards including an SLAS Graduate Education Fellowship Grant, the Tomas A. Hirschfeld Scholar Award, the Tony B. Academic Travel Award, an SPIE Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship, and an Undergraduate Research Award by IIT Bombay in recognition of his work.
Call for the 2019 Coblentz Student Awards and William G. Fateley Award
The Coblentz Society has for many years encouraged young scientists to pursue studies in spectroscopy by seeking nominations of outstanding students for the Coblentz Student Awards. The awardees receive a copy of the Society's Desk Book, a certificate, and a year's membership in the Society. The nominations window for Coblentz Student Awards closes February 15, 2019.
Requirements for a complete nomination:
- Curriculum Vitae of the nominee.
- Biographical statement (300 words)
- One (1) letter of nomination from the supervisor
- One (1) additional letter of recommendation
- Abstract for a presentation at SciX 2019.
Past Awardees
2017 Coblentz Student Awardees
- David Bryce, University of Utah, Professor Joel Harris
- Ewelina Mistek, University at Albany, SUNY, Professor Igor Lednev
- Christian Graefe, University of Minnesota, Professor Renee Frontiera
- James Brooks, University of Minnesota, Professor Renee Frontiera
2016 Coblentz Student Awardees
- Mustafa Unal, Case Western Reserve
University, Professor Ozan Akkus
- Emily Keller, University of Minnesota, Professor Renee Frontiera
- Aashish Tuladhar, Temple University, Professor Eric Borguet
- Alyssa Cassabaum, University of Minnesota, Professor Renee Frontiera
2015 Coblentz Student Awardees
- Marie Richard-Lacroix, Université de Montréal, Professor Christian Pellerin
- Shalaka Dewan, Temple University, Professor Éric Borguet
- Stephanie Dejong, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Professor James Durig
- Martha Vardaki, University of Exeter, Professor Nick Stone
2014 Coblentz Student Awardees
- Chris Huber, University of Minnesota, Professor Aaron Massari
- Antonio Campos, University of Minnesota, Professor Christy Haynes
- Ikhlas Darkhalil, University of South Carolina, Professor Micky Myrick
- Jay Kitt, University of Utah, Professor Joel Harris
2013 Coblentz Student Awardees
- Tomasz P. Wrobel, Jagiellonian University, Professor Malgorzata Baranska
- Sarah E. Holton, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Professor Rohit Bhargava
- Tao Liang, University of Georgia, Professor Gary Douberly
- Rachel Masyuko, University of Notre Dame, Professor Paul W. Bohn
2012 Coblentz Student Awardees
- Xiaohua (Sarah) Zhou, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Professor James R. Durig
- Eduardo Berrios, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Professor Martin Gruebele
- Marleen Kerssens, Gloucestershire Hospitals, Professor Nick Stone
- Rajesh Morampudi, Cleveland State University, Professor John F Turner
- Jonathan Schaefer, University of Utah, Professor Joel M. Harris
- Andreas Wilk, Georgia Institute of Technology, Professor Boris Mizaikoff
2011 Coblentz Student Awardees
- Rohith Reddy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Professor Rohit Bhargava
- Nathaniel R. Gomer, University of South Carolina, Professor S. Michael Angel
- Esther J. Ocola, Texas A&M University, Professor Jaan Laane
- Savitha S. Panikar, University of Missouri – Kansas City, Professor James Durig
- Megan R. Pearl, University of South Carolina, Professor Michael Myrick
2010 Coblentz Student Awardees
- Ali Eftekhari-Bafrooei, Temple University, Professor Eric Borguet
- Ram Bhatta, University of Akron, Professor David Perry
- Praveenkumar Boopalachandran, Texas A&M University, Professor Jaan Laane
- Bryon Herbert, University of Delaware, Professor Karl S. Booksh
- Yuliya Luzinova, Georgia Tech University, Professor Boris Mizaikoff
- Hajime Okajima, University of Tokyo, Professor Hiro-o Hamaguchi
2009 Coblentz Student Awardees
- Christopher J. Addison, University of British Columbia, Professor Michael Blades
- Kyle C. Bantz, University of Minnesota, Professor Christy L. Haynes
- Sudhir Dahal, Towson University, Professor Boon Loo
- Arindam Ganguly, University of Missouri - Kansas City, Professor James R. Durig
- Rosina A. Lombardi, Syracuse University, Professor Laurence A. Nafie
- Allen M. Ricks, University of Georgia, Professor Michael A. Duncan
- Sean T. Roberts, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Professor Andrei Tokmakoff
- Bhavya Sharma, University of Pittsburgh, Professor Sanford A. Asher
- Christina R. Young, Georgia Institute of Technology, Professor Boris Mizaikoff