Zhang and Wang Win 2020 Chasman Award; Virtual Ceremony and Talks 5/26

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Zhang and Wang Win 2020 Chasman Award; Virtual Ceremony and Talks 5/26

May 21, 2020

By Amber Aponte

Brookhaven Women in Science (BWIS) has named Feng Zhang and Lei Wang the 2020 recipients of the Renate W. Chasman Award. The award ceremony is Tuesday, May 26, at 1 p.m. This meeting will be held online (see below for information on how to join). All are invited.

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The Chasman Award encourages women to pursue careers in the science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fields and honors the memory and scientific contributions of Renate Chasman (1932-1977), a noted physicist at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Her work influenced the design of particle accelerators around the world, including Brookhaven’s National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) and its successor, NSLS-II.

Zhang and Wang will each receive $2,500. This year’s awards are funded by Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA), the company that operates Brookhaven Lab on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as generous contributions from NSLS-II and its Users Executive Committee, the American Nuclear Society Long Island Chapter (ANSLIC), and a private contribution.

About the 2020 Recipients

Feng Zhang

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Feng Zhang

Feng Zhang is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering at Stony Brook University (SBU). She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Science and Technology in Beijing, China, in 2015. In October 2016, Zhang joined the Catalysis: Reactivity and Structure Group in the Chemistry Department at Brookhaven Lab. She started her Ph.D. research on the “Methane Activation and Its Dry Reforming With CO2 on Metal/Oxide Catalysts” under the supervision of Jose Rodriguez and Sanjaya Senanayake.

In her Ph.D. studies, Zhang utilizes multiple characterization techniques to study the catalytic materials that could activate methane and transform it to upgraded chemicals. She is particularly interested in applying synchrotron-based in situ characterization techniques to the catalysts during the reaction, which enable the identification of active sites, provide deep insights into the reaction mechanism, and help her to design catalysts with better performance.

Zhang has published 12 peer-reviewed journal articles at the Lab, and her career goal is to research the materials that could transform abundant methane sources and/or carbon waste to upgraded chemicals.

“The advanced research facilities, like NSLS-II and Center for Functional Nanomaterials, at BNL provide me with lots of resources for my research. I always feel thankful to be able to conduct my Ph.D. studies here, in such a dynamic research environment,” Zhang said.

Besides her research, Zhang is also an active member of Brookhaven’s Association for Students and Postdocs (ASAP) and enjoys giving back to her community.

Lei Wang

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Lei Wang

Wang is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering at SBU. She earned her master’s degree from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2016 and bachelor’s degree from Hefei University of Technology in China in 2013. She is conducting her research with the Artificial Photosynthesis (AP) Group in the Chemistry Department at the Lab under the supervision of Javier Concepcion.

During her Ph.D. studies, Wang has focused her research on chromophores, catalysts, and anchoring strategies for light-driven water splitting. One of her publications was selected as an American Chemical Society “Editors’ Choice” and the journal cover article of the Journal of Physical Chemistry C. Her career goal is to develop new materials and strategies for water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction, and to apply artificial photosynthesis principles to solve the energy crisis and environmental problems.

“I am very grateful to have the opportunity of conducting my research in the AP group at BNL,” Wang said. “I love the open work environment, the collaborative atmosphere, and the awesome resources here. Whenever I meet with a problem, I can get help from my supervisor, principle investigators, and all my colleagues in the AP group. They are always giving me timely instructions and help.”

Besides her research, Wang is also an active member of ASAP, for which she served as the President in 2019 and organized events to help early career researchers with career development.

Acknowledgments

BWIS would like to thank BSA, NSLS-II, the NSLS-II Users’ Executive Committee, ANSLIC, and private contributors for their generous support this year, making two awards possible.

BWIS also thanks the Chasman Review Committee members for their time and dedication in selecting this year’s award recipients; the committee members are Emilio Mendez (Energy Sciences) , Xi Yang (Photon Sciences), Simerjeet Gill (Nuclear Science and Technology), David Schlyer (Biology), and Wai-Lin Ng (Energy Sciences).

BWIS, a nonprofit organization that supports and encourages the advancement of women in science and is open to all individuals, is funded by BSA.

To learn more about BWIS, visit https://www.bnl.gov/bwis/.