Michelle Povinelli facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michelle Lynn Povinelli
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Michelle Povinelli in 2001
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| Alma mater |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Nanophotonics |
| Institutions | Stanford University (2004–2008) University of Southern California (2008–) |
| Thesis | Characteristics of defect modes, slow light, and disorder in photonic crystals (2004) |
| Doctoral advisor | John Joannopoulos |
Michelle Povinelli, born in 1975, is a professor at the University of Southern California (USC). She teaches Electrical Engineering and Physics. She is also a Fellow of important groups like OSA and SPIE. Dr. Povinelli studies nanophotonics, which is about how light acts inside tiny materials.
She earned her PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2004. After that, she worked at Stanford University from 2004 to 2008. In 2008, she became a professor at USC. In 2010, Dr. Povinelli won a special award called the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. She became a full professor in 2018.
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Michelle Povinelli's Journey in Science
Michelle Povinelli got her first degree in physics from the University of Chicago in 1998. The same year, she earned a master's degree in physics from the University of Cambridge. She then completed her PhD in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2004. Her research was about how light behaves in special materials called "photonic crystals." Her advisor was John Joannopoulos.
From 2004 to 2008, Dr. Povinelli worked as a researcher at Stanford University. She had a special fellowship from L'Oreal for Women in Science. In 2008, she joined the University of Southern California (USC) as an assistant professor. This was part of a program to support women in science and engineering.
Awards and Recognition
Dr. Povinelli received two big research awards in 2010. These were the National Science Foundation Career Award and an Army Research Office Young Investigator Award. In 2016, she became a Fellow of the Optical Society of America. This was for her work on how light forces act in tiny structures. It was also for her ideas on using nanostructures to turn sunlight into energy.
In 2018, Dr. Povinelli became a full professor at USC. That year, she and Lorraine Turcotte helped organize a special event. It was called the Women in Science and Engineering Research Horizons Symposium. This event happened after a large donation was given to USC to help more women get involved in science.
Exploring Light and Tiny Materials
Dr. Povinelli's main research area is nanophotonics. This field looks at how light behaves when it moves through very small devices. These devices include things like solar cells and optical chips.
Trapping Tiny Structures with Light
One of Dr. Povinelli's early projects involved using laser beams. She used them to trap and put together tiny structures. She could arrange hundreds of these structures at once. This helped create new materials and special filters for chemicals.
Instead of using regular laser beams, Dr. Povinelli made a special silicon wafer. She put tiny holes in it, each about 300 nanometers wide. This created a "photonic crystal." Then, small particles were moved into these holes. They formed a neat square pattern, like a tiny crystal lattice.
Light Forces and Solar Energy
Dr. Povinelli predicted that light could create a force when it moved through thin silicon strips. She later proved this idea. This force could even move a nearby strip. These methods are very useful for making optical circuits and changing how signals travel.
She also predicted that solar cells could work better if they included nanostructures. This could make solar energy more efficient.
Smart Materials for Satellites
Dr. Povinelli worked with Northrop Grumman to create a new material. This material can control the temperature of satellites by itself. It is made from a mix of silicon and vanadium dioxide. Satellites can experience huge temperature changes, over 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Usually, they need shutters or heat pipes to manage this, which use a lot of power.
This new material uses a special property of vanadium dioxide. At low temperatures, it acts like an insulator (it doesn't let heat through). At high temperatures, it becomes a conductor (it lets heat escape). This new material is 20 times better at managing temperature. This research might also help control temperatures in buildings.
Journey to the Stars
In 2019, it was announced that Dr. Povinelli's research group would join the Breakthrough Starshot project. This project aims to send tiny spacecraft, called nanocrafts, very fast using light. It's a step towards sending the first mission to Alpha Centauri, a star system far away.
Dr. Povinelli is working on the light sail part of the project. This sail would be pushed by light. Her research on how materials control temperature is very important for this work.
Awards and Honors
- 1993: The White House Presidential Scholar
- 2006: L'Oreal for Women in Science Fellowship
- 2009: NSF Career Award
- 2009: Army Young Investigator Award
- 2010: MIT Innovators Under 35
- 2010: Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers
- 2016: Fellow of the Optical Society of America
- 2018: Gabilan Distinguished Associate Professorship in Science and Engineering at University of Southern California
- 2019: Fellow of SPIE
Dr. Povinelli has also been a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi, which are honor societies.
Notable Talks
- 2018: Plenary talk Microstructured Materials for Thermal Heating and Memory, META conference
- 2018: Plenary talk Using Microphotonic Structures for Optical Trapping and Thermal Logic, Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society Far West Section
Personal Life
Dr. Povinelli studies capoeira, a Brazilian martial art. She has said that capoeira combines "hard physical training, elements of dance and music, and a strong sense of community."
