Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN)

a Research Immersion in Materials Science & Engineering (RIMSE) program of the UC San Diego MRSEC, a National Science Foundation Materials Research Science and Engineering Center

About the SSSiN: The Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnolgy (SSSiN) is run by Prof. Michael Sailor in the Silicon Nanomaterials Research Laboratory at UC San Diego. The SSSiN is one of three Research Immersion in Materials Science & Engineering (RIMSE) programs of the UC San Diego MRSEC. Begun in 2003, the SSSiN is an immersive workshop focussed on the synthesis, properties, and applications of silicon-based nanomaterials. It integrates participants from a wide variety of backgrounds and skill levels: high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, post-docs, industry researchers, and university professors. As part of the RIMSE training program, it also serves as a “bootcamp” for selected students at the beginning of their MS or PhD degrees and for MRSEC REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) participants. Course elements include lectures, hands-on laboratory training, and a capstone “Discovery Project”- an independent research project implemented by a team of trainees under the mentorship of a current research group member.

Program Details: Dates, application instructions, and deadlines are given at mrsec.ucsd.edu/rimse.

 

Course Content – link to text, lecture notes, etc.

 

2025 Participants

Junyi (Vanessa) Ji
MS Student, Bioengineering UC San Diego
ORCID: 0009-0000-5127-398X


Vanessa is pursuing a Master’s of Science degree in Bioengineering at UC San Diego. She is passionate about combining nanotechnology and bioengineering to solve biomedical problems.
email: j6ji_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Hanna Lavén
PhD Student, Pharmacy Department of Uppsala University
ORCID: 0009-0006-2174-4158


Hanna is an industrial PhD student at the Pharmacy department of Uppsala University, in collaboration with AstraZeneca. She graduated from the University of Gothenburg in 2022 with a master’s degree in pharmacy. Following her studies, she joined AstraZeneca’s graduate program, where she gained experience across different company departments for two years. Her current PhD project focuses on developing sustainable personalized treatments for patients with inflammatory bowel disease, specifically by designing drug-loaded nanoparticles to target inflamed areas in the GI tract and exploring these delivery systems in vitro and in vivo.
email: hanna_dot_laven_at_uu_dot_se

Mateo Rosero-Realpe
PhD Student, Electrical and Electronic Engineering
ORCID: 0009-0000-9226-0480


Mateo is a PhD Student in the department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of Turin. He completed a B.S. degree in Electronic Engineering and a M.S. degree in Nanotechnologies for ICTs. His research focuses on the characterization of photonic materials for Neuromorphic Computing. He has been working with the nonlinear dynamics of WS2 and azo-polymers that can be used for computation and has acquired modeling, fabrication and characterization skills at INRIM Institute at Turin.
email: mateo_dot_rosero_at_polito_dot_it

2025 Mentors

Rachel Allen
High School Student
ORCID: 0000-0001-9810-8869


Rachel is a high school junior (class of 2026). She was a participant in the 2024 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN), and in 2025 she will serve as a mentor. She is passionate about STEM and her interests particularly lie in physics. Outside of the laboratory, she enjoys making music, playing bassoon and flute.
email: n/a

Jiuk Byun
PhD Student, Materials Science & Engineering
ORCID: 0000-0001-9810-8869


Jiuk is a PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering at UC San Diego who joined the lab in 2023. She received her B.A. in Chemistry with a minor in Mathematics from Mount Holyoke College. She conducted her undergraduate research with Professor Wei Chen and helped develop a new procedure for spin coating polydopamine thin films. She also worked with Professor Dirk Englund’s group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, on nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond. Before joining UCSD, she researched coatings and carbonization of nature-inspired polymer materials in Professor Haeshin Lee’s lab at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. She participated in the Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology remotely in 2021 and in-person in 2023, and served as a mentor in 2024. Her research interests include surface modification of porous silicon nanoparticles and materials for sensing and catalysis applications.
email: jibyun_at_ucsd.edu

Oscar Calzada
PhD Student, Chemical & Nanoengineering
ORCID: 0000-0001-8922-4438

Oscar Calzada Martinez is a PhD student in the UCSD Department of Chemical and Nanoengineering who joined the lab in 2022. He has been a participant (2021) and a Senior Mentor (2022-24) in the Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN), one of the UC San Diego MRSEC RIMSE research immersion programs. Oscar has projects on porous nanoparticles used as small molecule delivery systems for bacterial infections, and as targeted therapeutics for treatment of brain injuries.
email: ocalzada_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Edward T. Nguyen
Post-Doc, Chemistry & Biochemistry
ORCID: 0000-0002-4787-8270

Eddie is a post-doctoral researcher in the UC San Diego Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry who was previously Adjunct Professor of Chemistry in the San Diego Community College and Grossmont College districts. He received both his B.S. and M.S. from CSU Long Beach (Advisor: Xianhui Bu) and obtained his Ph.D. from Florida State University (Advisor: Geoffrey F. Strouse, Focus: transition metal carbide nanocrystals). He participated in the SSSiN program as an RET (Research Experiences for Teachers) trainee in 2024, and is serving as a Senior Mentor in the 2025 SSSiN.
email: edn005_at_ucsd_dot_edu

Gabriella Stark
PhD Student, Chemistry & Biochemistry
ORCID: 0000-0003-1304-9404

Gabriella is a PhD Student in the UC San Diego Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. She was a participant in the 2021  Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN), one of the UC San Diego MRSEC RIMSE research immersion programs, and acted as a Senior Mentor in the 2022 through 2024 SSSiN. Her research focus is on surface chemistry of porous silicon nanoparticles to load and deliver biologic therapeutics, preserving function, extending release, and maximizing circulation time.
email: gastark_at_ucsd.edu

Ashley Tamura
MRSEC Associate Education Director
ORCID: 0000-0002-2540-6125

Ashley Tamura is the Associate Education Director of the UC San Diego MRSEC. She received both her B.S. and M.S. from UC San Diego while working on the phase-tunable colloidal synthesis of tungsten disulfide nanocrystals with Dr. Alina M. Schimpf. With her research background and her experience as an Adjunct Professor in the San Diego Community College and Southwestern College districts, Ashley forms a bridge between the research and the education elements of the MRSEC and the RIMSE program. She participated as an RET in the 2023 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology, and as a Senior Mentor in 2024. Her research focus is on the physical, chemical, and optical properties of porous silicon.
email: aktamura_at_ucsd.edu

Qinglin Yang
PhD Student, Materials Science and Engineering, 2017-
ORCID: 0000-0001-7845-4027

Qinglin is a PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) at UCSD. She began her work in the Sailor labs as a participant in the 2017 Summer School for Silicon Nanotechnology (SSSiN), one of the UC San Diego MRSEC RIMSE research immersion programs, and she has served as a Senior Mentor in the 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 SSSiN. Her research interests lie in the use of porous silicon nanoparticles for delivery of therapeutics to treat bacterial infections.  This includes chemistries to capture and retain hydrophobic small molecule antibiotics and also to use peptides for selective targeting of the diseased tissues.
email: qiy087_at_ucsd.edu

Previous SSSiN Participants