Science Heroes Home Page > Michael Coulter

Michael Coulter

OMSI: Where were you born? Where did you grow up?

MC: I was born in Portland and I grew up here, in Portland Heights.

OMSI: What three words best describe you?

MC: Hard-working, adventurous and friendly.

OMSI: As a child, did you have any hobbies, interests, or experiences that helped prepare you for success in science?

MC: I played with Legos and Erector Sets and this helped me learn how to use engineering to build various devices. Once, I made a Lego car from my own design that would flip over when it went off a jump.

OMSI: Please tell us about a mentor or teacher who helped to inspire your interest in science.

MC: Dr. Jun Jiao gave me the opportunity to work in her nanotechnology lab at PSU two summers ago. She introduced me to university level research and a kind of science I knew very little about. Working with the undergraduates and graduates in her research group showed me how supportive and fun the research community can be. Dr. Jiao has provided me with continuous support since then and her inertest in me has made me feel that my work is important.

OMSI: What's the worst trouble you ever got into in school? Have you ever blown anything up?

MC: When I was a sophomore I blew up my hydrogen fuel cell. There was a small air pocket in the beaker that held the cell. The pocket filled up with hydrogen and oxygen gas and then something sparked inside the cell to create an explosion that shattered the beaker. Luckily I had turned away and most of the glass landed in the hood I was working in.

OMSI: Describe a difficult situation that you were in and how you handled it.

MC: Two years ago, I tried to improve a hydrogen fuel cell but the cell did not produce enough voltage, and the voltage varied every time I ran the cell. This could have happened for several reasons. I saw two: the gas bubbles were too large, or the electrodes were not interacting with the gas. I needed to make small bubbles that could be catalyzed by the palladium on the electrodes, and increase the cell's efficiency. Manipulating the gas flow did not change the bubbles' size. A piece of porous plastic would make small bubbles. I found a plastic aquarium bubbler, which is designed to make small bubbles, and attached it to my cell.

Next, I needed to make electrodes to catch the bubbles and allow the palladium to react with the gas. I found some copper grid, which had a large surface area, that would contact most of the bubbles and increase the cell's voltage. These electrodes created another problem. The silver paint I used to attach the lead wires contaminated the cell and the voltage remained erratic. Finally, I talked to my chemistry teacher and she connected me with her friend, who had some nickel wire I could use to make the electrodes and the leads. With no silver contamination I stabilized the cell voltage.

Because I was mostly confined to the odds and ends that were sitting around my school's lab, I was forced to think creatively about the problems I was facing. I had to find a way to get what I wanted with limited supplies. But I did know to ask for outside help when I exhausted the school's resources.

OMSI: What is your favorite class this year?

MC: Power, Politics and Literature (English elective).

OMSI: What is your dream? What do you most hope to accomplish in your career?

MC: I want to have a career that excites me and stimulates my mind. I also want to be able to help other people through my work.

OMSI: How do you feel about the current state of science education in the U.S.?

MC: I think my school is doing a very good job; my school, however, is private. So I don't know anything about the public school science education program. All of the opportunities for students to publicly display and compete with their science research suggest that the U.S. fosters young peoples' interest in science. Also, such events as the Science Bowl support students' interest in science.

OMSI: What do you like to do in your free time?

MC: I like to hang out with my friends, watch movies and read.

OMSI: What do you consider your very best skill?

MC: Problem solving, mainly science related problems.

OMSI: Please tell us about your science fair project. How did you come up with the idea for your project? How did you go about researching and building your project? What was it like to participate in the science fair, and what do you remember most from the fair?

MC: After an apprenticeship two summers ago I asked my research mentor if I could continue working in her lab. She said I could and so I came up with some new ideas for my research throughout the school year. I wanted to try and create a type of nanowire that would have good electron field emission properties. Wires with good field emission can be used to improve the resolution of electron microscopes. To create these wires I tried various nanosynthesis methods that had been used to make similar wires before. I read about these methods in the literature and then applied the concepts of each method to the material I was working with.

I had a great time at ISEF last year. It was amazing to be with so many other students who were doing research like me. The best part of the fair was talking to professionals who were familiar with my field. I got many new ideas for future research on my project.

OMSI: If you were to build your science fair project again, would you do anything differently?

MC: I would do more literature search at the beginning of my project.

OMSI: Please tell us about your educational plans and goals.

MC: I will be attending Harvard College in the fall. After I graduate I plan to either pursue a PhD or an MD.

OMSI: Have you had any on the job training or science related work experience?

MC: I have worked in two university physics research labs.