Gallium oxide is a wide-bandgap semiconductor gaining significance for its outstanding optoelectronic and gas-sensing properties. Although gallium oxide is known for its antibacterial efficacy, limited research is available on the antimicrobial properties of gallium oxyhydroxide (GaOOH). This study investigates GaOOH's antibacterial action by examining the effect of the growth solution's pH on its chemical and physical properties and their correlation with bacterial growth inhibition. The hydrothermal method was used to synthesize GaOOH microparticles (MPs). Deionized water, ammonium hydroxide, and gallium nitrate hydrate salt were mixed to create samples with pH levels ranging from 5 to 10 at 60°C. Subsequent analysis, including scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy, revealed that higher pH levels increased the average GaOOH MPs length and created more crystal lattice defect sites. The correlation between surface chemistry and pH was evident in the position of higher energy FTIR Ga-OH bending bands. Antibacterial studies demonstrated a greater inhibition of Escherichia coli, a Gram-negative bacterium, at higher pHs. This suggests a potential role of defect sites in GaOOH's antimicrobial activity. There was significant inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus growth. However, no conclusive correlation with pH was established, possibly due to the characteristics of the Gram-positive cell wall. Future studies should further explicate the relationship between GaOOH MPs morphologies and growth inhibition of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

Several viruses have the ability to cause cells to fuse together into large multinucleated cells called syncytia. It is known that syncytia help the virus propagate without leaving the cell, however it is unknown how the formation rate is affected by temperature. This project aims to use mathematical modeling to investigate the rate of syncytia formation in the HIV virus as temperature varies. A cell-cell fusion mathematical model was used to analyze data from cell-cell fusion assays at various temperatures. Parameters were estimated via minimization of squared residuals, with uncertainties assessed through bootstrapping. These findings could help develop strategies for controlling viral spread.

Cell imaging is an important tool in cancer diagnosis and therapy. Folic acid receptors are overexpressed on the surface of various cancer cells, making it an attractive target for cancer imaging. In our research, we aim to exploit this biological phenomenon by creating Folic Acid Graphene Quantum Dots (GQDs) that can help us selectively target and visualize cancerous tissue. GQDs were used as a base due to their easy functionalization abilities, high cellular viability, and fluorescent properties that allow them to be tracked inside the cell. We functionalized GQDs with folic acid and assessed their structure and morphology as well as optical properties using FTIR, TEM, absorption, and fluorescence spectroscopies. The efficacy of the FA-GQDs is evaluated through their internalization study in cancerous (HeLa) cells at hours 1,6,12, 24, and 48 by utilizing the intrinsic fluorescence of FA-GQDs. In vitro toxicity tests have shown low toxicity (80% viability) of the synthesized FA-GQDs. The proposed FA-N-GQDs provide a novel platform for the detection of cancerous tissues and could be used as a cancer diagnosis biodevice.

The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a small neighboring galaxy around one Milky Way diameter away, provides a unique opportunity to study outflowing gas clouds in great detail. Massive stars in the LMC undergo supernova explosions when they die, blasting gas in all directions. If the gas escapes from the galaxy, a galactic wind is formed. Using data from the Hubble Space Telescope, we can try to better understand how this wind moves and its physical properties. Because there can be numerous of these gas clouds in each direction, we often detect complex patterns that we are characterizing with a Gaussian fitting algorithm. Thoroughly studying the resolved galactic wind of the LMC will ultimately contribute to our understanding of the processes that drive galaxy evolution.

Currently our lab is designing a system that allows us to leverage cathodoluminescence spectroscopy to study the optoelectronic properties of gallium oxyhydroxide and gallium oxide. This system would allow us to place our samples within a vacuum chamber and irradiate it with a high-energy electron beam, causing light emissions that are then collected by a fiber optic cable. This optical system allows us to capture the emissions and investigate them as its characteristics are dependent on the material properties of the sample. Furthermore, since we are working in ultra-high vacuum conditions, the components of the system have to be designed with careful consideration, in addition to allowing several degrees of freedom in order to precisely position our sample within the vacuum chamber.