What’s Happening Today!

Welcome to a daily drop from That Black Chemist!

The Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network (RTNN) is now accepting applications for its 2026 REU program on hybrid perovskite materials. Over 10 weeks, undergraduates will conduct hands-on research at UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State, or Duke, working with faculty mentors across chemistry, physics, and materials science. With a $7,000 stipend, housing, travel support, and professional development students gain cutting-edge lab experience while exploring perovskites for solar cells, lasers, and lighting.

Meanwhile, a Stanford-led team has demonstrated that brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) can decode not just spoken attempts but also inner speech. By recording neural activity in people with paralysis, researchers translated imagined words and sentences in real time. Though error rates were higher for large vocabularies, this work opens the door to faster, more natural communication.

Thanks for tuning in for another exciting week of posts from That Black Chemist!

Upcoming Opportunities

🚀 NAU/NASA Space Grant Undergraduate Internship

Northern Arizona University’s NASA Space Grant program offers undergraduates the chance to conduct NASA-related research alongside a faculty mentor in astronomy, planetary science, and outreach. Designed as a first research experience, the program emphasizes curiosity, motivation, and communication skills over prior experience. Interns present their work at the statewide Undergraduate Research Symposium in the spring.

📅 Program Details

• Application Deadline: End of March (opens early March)

• Program Dates: Fall 2025 – Spring 2026 (academic year)

• Location: Northern Arizona University & partner sites across Flagstaff, AZ

• Duration: Two semesters (~30 weeks, part-time)

• Stipend: $16/hr, up to 10 hrs/week (~$4,800 total)

• Register Here: [Website]

✅ Eligibility

• U.S. citizen or permanent resident

• Enrolled undergraduate at NAU (must remain through spring semester)

⚠️ Bonus Opportunities You Should Know

• 🧪 NSF REU Summer Research Programs: List of funded undergrad research programs. (Search here)

• 🎓 Zintellect: List of scholarships, research fellowships, and internship opportunities funded by the U.S. government or private sector. (Search here)

• 💰 NASA OSTEM Internships: List of NASA Internships for high school and undergraduate STEM students. (More info)

• 🪖 Department of Defense (DoD) SMART Scholarship: $30,000-$46,000 scholarship awarded to top STEM students. (Link)

🌍 International Opportunities

• 🧲 Pathways to Science: List of upcoming internships, scholarships, and research programs hosted by any country [open to international students]. (Search here)

• 🔬 Amgen Scholars Program: Prestigious summer research program for undergraduate students in the U.S., Europe, or Asia. (More info)

• ⚛️ European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN): Search for any upcoming internships related to chemistry, physics, engineering, or data science! (Link here)

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Scientist’s Scroll

🔦 Laser Caustics for Stronger 3D Printing

NIST researchers are harnessing “light caustics” to monitor defects in metal 3D printing. By capturing reflections from high-powered lasers during printing, engineers can detect tiny, split-second flaws like “keyhole pores” that weaken parts.

Mechanical engineer David Deisenroth built a custom test bed with a reflective dome and high-speed cameras to track these reflections in real time. The technique offers a new window into the chaotic melt pool, where molten metal churns, vaporizes, and solidifies.

Though not yet ready for industry use, this breakthrough could lead to real-time defect correction, paving the way for stronger, cheaper, and more reliable 3D-printed metal parts across aerospace, medical, and energy applications.

🔗 Read the full article here —>

Let Me Help You!

How an Ivy League Scientist Organizes His Schedule

As a former PhD chemist with a 3.8 GPA, intellect and hard work aren’t enough to stay on top of current deadlines—you need a system in place to anticipate future assignments and deadlines.

That’s why I’ve released a downloadable template of my academic schedule I used to stay on top of my courses each semester and score top of my class repeatedly in courses like Organic Chemistry, Classical Mechanics, and Calculus 3!

For a small cost of $2—less than your daily coffee—you can access an academic tool that’ll flip your 3.0 to a 4.0 and save you tens of hours in missed assignments and poor exam grades.

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Confused About Class? Click Here to Book a Tutoring Session with Me!

Tip of the Day

💻 Learn Smarter with the Right Coding Language

Not all coding languages are created equal: each one has strengths for different kinds of data analysis in research. Here’s how to choose wisely:

• Excel = Quick & Simple: Great for small datasets, visualization, and basic stats—but limited for large-scale analysis.

• R = Statistics Powerhouse: Excellent for data visualization, advanced statistical models, and bioinformatics.

• Python = Versatile & Scalable: Widely used for machine learning, big data, and automation; strong libraries like pandas, NumPy, and matplotlib.

• MATLAB = Engineering Focus: Ideal for simulations, signal processing, and numerical modeling in physics or engineering.

⚖️ Pick Your Tool Wisely: Start with what your field commonly uses, then branch out. It’s okay to branch out and learn multiple languages as needed!

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Today’s Theme: Fact or Fiction Friday

Congratulations on making it through the work week! Ready to test your science savvy?

👇🏾 Vote if you think the statement below is fact or fiction and tell us why in the comments!

Statement: Particle physicists study particles that follow quantum mechanical laws.

Imagine Solving HW Problems 10x Quicker

From my experience studying PhD quantum mechanics, I learned that Chat GPT is not enough for me to independently study STEM subjects like biology, chemistry, physics, and math because:

• Chat GPT 5.0 (newest version) limits your free daily conversations.

• The website/app routinely shuts down due to maintenance or high traffic.

• Chat GPT fails to derive or calculate long proofs in math-heavy problems consistently.

That’s why my successful followers and I switched over to 24houranswer’s Homework Library! 

• The Homework Library provides lifetime access to over 37k+ pages (and growing) of assignments, lab reports, summaries, projects, and syntax in all major college STEM subjects.

Rather than paying $40/hr for one tutoring session or $20/month for Chat GPT 5.0+, maximize your time, savings, and learning by purchasing the Homework Library here at $59 (50% discount) for lifetime access!

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📔 Still Confused About Class? Click Here to Book a Tutoring Session with Me!

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