If you imagine the sciences as an orchestra with each scientific field representing a different musical instrument, you can begin to understand S&T Ph.D. student and Kummer Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) Doctoral Fellow Adrian Batista’s motivation.
“I like to think of science as an ensemble rather than a particular domain,” says Batista, a native of Cuba who is pursuing a doctorate in chemistry after earning an undergraduate degree in physics. Just as a conductor brings together different instruments — each with its own notes to play — to create a single musical performance, Batista wants to learn all he can from different fields of science. Connecting those fields is the path to solving for new technological applications — a beautiful symphony.
The Kummer I&E Doctoral Fellows program, which supports Ph.D. students in STEM areas who want to pursue technological innovation and entrepreneurship, allows Batista to learn all about physical-chemical systems and apply that knowledge to all sorts of challenges.
Batista’s current research focuses on long-range interactions between molecules — molecular dynamics. He calls it the perfect mixture of physics, chemistry, mathematics and computer science.
“Interaction between molecules is a common phenomenon that can affect the state of a system yielding different final products depending on their initial conditions,” Batista says. “I am researching special cases when two molecules interact at a low temperature and a wide range of pressures — conditions found in many places in nature like the stratosphere or nebulae where ozone and star formation occur.”
Batista studies these interactions and their evolution over time. Then, using modeling and simulation systems, he can develop a methodology to measure molecules’ potential energy surface while considering long-range variables such as dispersion, induction and electrostatic effects. His computer modeling could one day replace costly laboratory experiments.
The transportation industry is one of several potential applications.
“In recent decades, the automobile and aircraft industries have been developing exciting new technology to improve engine performance,” says Batista. “One of those technologies is low-temperature combustion, where the system’s low temperature makes long-range molecule interactions essential.”
For as long as he can remember Batista has wanted to work in scientific research, but he says the choice to attend graduate school came after a lot of reflection.
“My professional goal is to become a scientific researcher in the branches of applied physics and chemistry,” says Batista. “After spending a lot of time researching, I decided the Ph.D. program offered by Missouri S&T and the Kummer fellowship support will significantly help me achieve these goals.”