Charging cellphones wirelessly with solar energy and developing biofuels from yeast are among five projects being pursued by six Princeton University undergraduates at the Andlinger Center for Energy and Environment this summer.

These students, who are working as interns under the direction of faculty, had been selected for their excellent academic record and the promising potential of their research in helping secure the world’s energy and environmental future. The selected students receive a $4,000 stipend for the summer research and up to an additional $4,000 for research-related expenses.

This year’s six recipients are:

Lindsey Conlan, ‘18

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Working with Claire White, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, to identify the molecular structure, mechanical properties, and ability to sequester carbon in recycled and treated concrete.

Andrew Ma, ‘19

Department of Physics

Working with Barry Rand, assistant professor of electrical engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, to improve the efficiency of organic light-emitting devices using a nanostructured top metal electrode.

Ma is a previous summer intern of this program and is building on work performed last year.

Abdulghafar Al Tair, ‘19 and Fida Newaj, ‘18

Department of Electrical Engineering

Working with Minjie Chen, assistant professor of electrical engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, to develop a merged photovoltaic cell balancer and wireless power transmitter that charges cellphones wirelessly with solar energy.

Dominic Saunders, ‘20

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Working with Michael Mueller, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, to develop a computational metric for measuring and determining the performance and viability of various biofuels for use in aircraft engine systems.

Jaehwan Kim, ‘18

Department of Chemistry

Working with Jose Avalos, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, to modify different yeast species by using cutting-edge metabolic engineering techniques for the sustainable production of biofuels, bioplastics, chemicals, and drugs.

More on the summer internship program

The Peter B. Lewis Fund for Student Innovation in Energy and the Environment and the Dede T. Bartlett P03 Fund for Student Research in Energy and the Environment, which are administered by the Andlinger Center, fund this program. Information on students and projects from past years can be found here.