Florida State University welcomed the president of Kyungpook National University and several other KNU administrators on-campus last month to discuss areas of collaboration while signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two universities.  

“This partnership with Kyungpook National University represents an exciting step forward in FSU’s commitment to global engagement,” said Stephen McDowell, FSU’s assistant provost for International Initiatives and interim dean of The Graduate School.  “By working together, we can create new opportunities for our students and faculty to collaborate across cultures, advance impactful research and foster meaningful connections that benefit both our universities and the broader international community.” 

“By working together, we can create new opportunities for our students and faculty to collaborate across cultures, advance impactful research and foster meaningful connections that benefit both our universities and the broader international community,”

 

—Stephen McDowell, FSU’s assistant provost for International Initiatives and interim dean of The Graduate School

Located in Daegu, South Korea, KNU is one of the nation’s flagship universities and the largest national university. It is ranked No. 3 worldwide in the 2025 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which assesses 2,526 universities from 130 countries or territories based on their progress toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.  

KNU President Young-Woo Heo visited FSU’s Tallahassee campus along with several other delegates from KNU, including Jinseok Bae, dean of External Cooperation; An-Su Lee, dean of Student Affairs; and Hunwoo Lee, Office of International Cooperation.  

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Six Florida State University researchers have been named to the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida in recognition of their extraordinary research accomplishments.

“These six researchers are outstanding faculty members who have made significant contributions to their fields,” said FSU Vice President for Research Stacey S. Patterson. “We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and congratulate them on being named to the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida.”

Founded in 2018, the academy studies issues in science, engineering and medicine of interest to the people of Florida and provides unbiased, expert advice related to these issues.

To be selected, individuals must live and work in Florida, be nominated by a current ASEMFL member and have an outstanding record of accomplishments of international significance.

The researchers will be inducted into ASEMFL at the organization’s annual conference in November.

The six FSU researchers are:

Angelina Sutin
Sutin is a professor of behavioral sciences and social medicine in the FSU College of Medicine who studies the psychological and social factors that contribute to the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. She has brought in more than $11 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health and is a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and the Gerontological Society of America.

Christopher Patrick
Patrick is a Distinguished Research Professor and the director of clinical training in the Department of Psychology. His research focuses on psychopathy, antisocial behavior, substance abuse and personality. He is the author of over 380 published works and editor of the Handbook of Psychopathy. He has served as president of the Society for Psychophysiological Research and the Society for Scientific Study of Psychopathy and has received lifetime contribution awards from both organizations.

Igor Alabugin
A member of the FSU faculty since 2000, Alabugin is a Distinguished Research Professor whose work bridges synthetic and theoretical organic chemistry. His research group is known for integrating experimental and theoretical approaches to discover new reactions, reveal hidden stereoelectronic effects and design unusual molecules with applications for molecular electronics. In 2023, Alabugin received the Southern Chemist Award from the American Chemical Society for his pioneering contributions to organic chemistry.

Joseph Schlenoff
Schlenoff, a Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Research Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, specializes in polymer and materials science research, with a focus in polyelectrolytes. He served as chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry from 2007 to 2011, and he was named a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2023.

Richard Liang
Liang is the Sprint Eminent Scholar Chair Professor in the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the associate dean for research.  He also serves as the director of the FSU High-Performance Materials Institute. His research experience and expertise are in the areas of advanced composites, multifunctional nanomaterials and thin carbon nanotube materials, including synthesis, chemical functionalization, processing-structure-property relationships and multiscale characterization and manufacturing process modeling. He has published more than 175 journal articles and holds 40 U.S. patents for his work. He was named to the National Academy of Inventors in 2021.

Robert Schurko
Schurko is a leading authority in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Since 2020, he has served as director of the NMR/MRI User Program at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory — the world’s only open-access facility of its kind. In this role, he guides the scientific direction of the program, oversees a multidisciplinary team of more than 25 staff scientists and engineers and supports over 300 users annually from around the globe.

For more information, visit the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida.

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Cody O’Brien, a Florida State University civil and environmental engineering student in the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, researches how architectural materials can use invasive species as an additive, making building materials stronger and mitigating an environmental issue at the same time.

As a member of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) and an IDEA Grant award winner, he was able to develop and test these ideas further.

O’Brien was drawn to FSU’s vibrant campus life, research and networking opportunities, and location near downtown Tallahassee and the Florida Capitol. He uses his research to engage in the community by advocating for legislation that protects the environment. He serves the Big Bend area by educating young students about the importance of the environment and working with environment-based community service projects.

What attracted you to Florida State University?

Florida State University first drew me in with its vibrant campus and social life. Through its location at Innovation Park, the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering has close connections with research facilities like the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, the High-Performance Materials Institute and the Resilient Infrastructure & Disaster Response Center, which gave me many opportunities to build my engineering and research career. Florida State provides so many opportunities for research to undergraduates, through programs like UROP and the IDEA Grant. There are countless opportunities to build community service experience as well, as I have through the Environmental Service Program and Surfrider. There are also opportunities to work for FSU, as I have at the ACE Learning Studio as a tutor.

What are some of your proudest academic achievements at FSU?

I participated in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, where I worked with FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Professor Sungmoon Jung, a graduate student and two undergraduates to design, create and test clay bricks enhanced with small amounts of algae. We saw an improvement in strength and are working toward a publication.

During the summer of 2024, I completed an IDEA Grant project with Associate Professor Qian Zhang in the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. I performed the first documented extraction of cellulose nanocrystals from the invasive algae species Sargassum muticum, commonly known as Japanese wireweed. I examined these extracts with transmission electron microscopy and other methods and summarized these findings in an article that is pending submission in The Owl, FSU’s undergraduate research journal.

How have you engaged in the Tallahassee and FSU community?

Through the Surfrider Foundation, an environmental organization that works to protect and preserve the world’s oceans, I participated in 2023 Coastal Recreation Hill Day, where we met state lawmakers at the Florida Capitol and discussed key environmental and water-related legislation. The two bills we advocated for passed later that year. Through our work, Floridians can enjoy improved environmental and water protections.

Also, through the Environmental Service Program at FSU, I became involved in numerous environment-related community service projects in the Big Bend area. These projects included invasive species removal, native plant preservation, habitat restoration, beach and park cleanup/maintenance, water monitoring and educational outreach.

I am actively involved in the newly established Astronomy Club at FSU, where we coordinate dark-sky events during significant astronomical occurrences. I enjoy bringing my telescope and being engaged in public outreach initiatives.

How has your research and community service positively impacted students in Tallahassee?

I am optimistic that my discovery in nanocellulose extraction from Sargassum muticum could open the door to more research in finding sustainable uses of invasive plant species. As of this year, there is another student at FSU continuing research on nanocellulose extraction and testing.

One of the more memorable community service projects I participated in was the creation of a native species garden at a school in Wakulla County. Projects like these will help ensure that conservation efforts are passed down through generations.

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has launched its Neutron Nexus pilot program with Florida A&M University (FAMU) and Florida State University (FSU) through the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. It is the first program of its kind nationwide.

The Nexus is aimed at broadening and diversifying the scientific user community with outreach to universities and colleges to increase collaboration and, ultimately, scientific advancement.

Although a recently planned two-day ORNL Days event at the college’s campus was cut short due to Hurricane Helene, the presentations and networking that did happen set the stage to carry out the joint vision of the initiative for ORNL’s Neutron Sciences Directorate and host institutions.

“It’s exciting to expand our reach to strengthen already existing relationships, as we have had with FSU and FAMU, and create new partnerships we hope will continue for many years,” said Jens Dilling, associate laboratory director for Neutron Sciences at ORNL. “This is all to the benefit of ORNL, our university collaborators and, most importantly, to the benefit of science. We are thrilled to bring the wonder of neutrons to a new generation of undergraduate and graduate students and help faculty grow their science and technology impact.”

The goals of the ORNL Neutron Nexus program are to foster professional and personal relationships, widen neutron science educational opportunities, organize in-person visits to ORNL for students and faculty, organize on-site presence for remote experiments, increase engagement for technical and scientific support, and set up physical space commitments between ORNL and a regional collection of colleges and universities, including Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), community colleges, and technical colleges.

A planned Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the joint college is part of the inaugural Neutron Nexus, as ORNL “brings neutrons” to northern Florida, enabling new users to leverage cutting-edge neutron scattering and imaging capabilities to transform their research.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a powerhouse in scientific research, and this partnership strengthens the joint college’s ability to lead in engineering innovation, said FSU President Richard McCullough.

“We’re investing significantly in recruiting tenure-track and research faculty to build this materials science and engineering department,” McCullough said. “Their expertise will elevate our research, teaching, and ability to shape the future. It’s certainly an honor to be one of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s core university partners and to be part of Oak Ridge Associated Universities.”

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A team of FAMU-FSU College of Engineering researchers at the High-Performance Materials Institute is exploring the thermal limits of advanced nanomaterials, work that could have a direct impact on medicine delivery systems, electronics, space travel and other applications.

The research team, led by Assistant Professor in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Rebekah Sweat, completed the first-ever study on how purified boron nitride nanotubes remain stable in extreme temperatures in inert environments.

Their work was published in the journal Applied Nano Materials.

Boron nitride nanotubes, or BNNTs, are stronger and more resistant to high temperatures than carbon nanotubes. Like their carbon cousins, they are structures measured by the nanometer — a length equal to one-billionth of a meter.

But manufacturing these materials is challenging. Current methods for BNNTs are newer and do not yet produce the same quantities as methods devised for carbon nanotubes. That’s why learning more about how they function is important.

The researchers found that BNNTs are fully stable at up to 1800°C in an inert environment, the chemically inactive atmosphere in which they are manufactured. They also learned that BNNTs can withstand temperatures at 2200°C for short periods without losing the mechanical properties that make them so effective.

“This research is about uncovering a property that is incredibly useful for the future,” Sweat said. “We have a more robust knowledge of how BNNTs perform when and how they thermally fail – because all materials do have limitations. We have changed how we make these types of composites to better utilize their properties.”

Potential applications for these light, strong composite materials are numerous. Anything that gets hot, like a turbine or engine, might use them to function in a high-temperature environment. They are thermally conducting, which means they spread heat out quickly, and their mechanical stability offers structural reinforcement.

BNNTs show particular promise for their use in space exploration. Their ability to conduct heat, insulate electrical current and block radiation could be used in space rovers or a spacecraft during reentry to Earth’s atmosphere. Those same properties also make them useful for high-performance electronics.

“Understanding the behavior of these nanotubes at high temperatures is crucial for creating materials that can withstand extreme conditions, both in manufacturing and in their final use,” said lead author and doctoral student Mehul Tank. “As we understand better how they function in these conditions, we’ll be able to develop better manufacturing of composites that employ high-temperature processing matrices, like ceramics and metals.”

This work was partially funded by a grant earned from FSU’s GAP Commercialization Investment Program, an event organized by the Office of Commercialization to help transform academic research into potential commercial projects. The funding that Sweat received in 2022 through the Office of Commercialization’s competitive application process supported the phase of this work that uncovered the processing temperatures for BNNT-ceramic matrix composites that is the focus of the GAP project.

Along with the GAP funding, this study was also supported through a partnership with the Virginia-based company BNNT Materials. The company synthesizes BNNTs and worked with Florida State University researchers to uncover how the nanotubes survived high temperatures and how different chemistries will perform.

“GAP has helped my team explore new avenues and encouraged collaboration to move this work further,” Sweat said. “The application process and emphasis on translating research from the lab to materials that are relevant for industry helps focus our research on exciting emerging technologies.”

Researchers Aspen Reyes, Jin Gyu Park and Ana De Leon from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, and Lyndsey Scammell and Michael Smith from BNNT Materials contributed to this study.

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