Three research images were selected as winners of the 2026 CBE Research Art and Image Contest, all of whom were graduate students. 

First Place

Submitted by Crystal Magezi Ndamira, this is an SEM image of lipid-like particles coated on stainless steel. The image was obtained with Ultra-High Resolution Scanning Electron Microscope Hitachi SU8700. With the help of Chuck Mooney, we observed hexagonal arrangement and structure of particles in the dried state. Overlaying recoloured images from the upper detector onto the recoloured images from the middle detector enhanced visualisation of topography and composition at once.

Crystal is a fourth year Ph.D. student advised by Prof. Harvinder Gill. Her research focuses on developing thermo-stable nanoparticles for mRNA-based influenza vaccine delivery. Following the completion of her Ph.D., she wants to continue working in research for a foundation or national laboratory to create safe, effective and affordable medicine.

Second Place

Submitted by Cole Hodges, this SEM image shows a FIB-milled cross-section of a 316L stainless-steel sample produced using Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) using 10–50 µm gas-atomized powder. After printing, the surface was coated with ~100 nm of alumina by ALD using trimethyl aluminum and water. The imaging was performed to measure the alumina thickness on the rough, as-printed surface. This characterization is important for assessing whether ALD can enhance the corrosion resistance of additively manufactured stainless steel with highly surface roughness in naval environments as part of a NEEC collaboration with Port Hueneme Naval Surface Warfare Center.

Cole is a second year Ph.D. student advised by Prof. Gregory Parsons. His research focuses on area-selective atomic layer deposition, a process where precursors selectively react on targeted growth surfaces to achieve angstrom-level control of film thickness while minimizing growth on adjacent substrates. Following the completion of his Ph.D., he wants to pursue a career in chemical engineering academia.

Third Place

Submitted by Toprak Eraslan, this image illustrates silicone particles made during an emulsion process involving yield-stress silicone precursors. The resulting suspension was imaged with optical microscopy then processed in Meta’s Segment Anything Model (SAM) for characterizing particle lengths. Each particle was overlayed with a colored mask as SAM labeled the regions of interest.

Toprak is a third year Ph.D. student advised by Prof. Orlin Velev. His research focuses on 3D printing porous silicone architectures with orientational dependent properties. Following the completion of his Ph.D., he will join his collaborators at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as a staff scientist.

Congratulations to Crystal, Cole and Toprak!