OSU CEAT professor recognized by the National Science Foundation News

Emilee Norton Staff Reporter

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award to Ritesh Sachan, assistant professor and researcher from the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology (CEAT). He will conduct first-of-its-kind research regarding high entropy alloy nanoparticles.

Sachan, assistant professor in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department, will receive over $500,000 over the next five years to further his research proposal, “Leading to Accelerated Discoveries in High-Throughput Ultrafast Laser-Driven Processing of High Entropy Alloy Nanoparticles,” which is a significantly undiscovered area for science.

“I am honored to get this award,” Sachan said.”It is very prestigious and highly regarded among our academic and research peers. It creates a lot of visibility for myself and my research which allows for further funding opportunities and the opportunity for collaboration with others in the field.”

Everyday alloys such as steel, brass and bronze are materials made up of about two or three dominant materials. Compared to pure or traditional alloy counterparts, high entropy alloys that contain a minimum of five elements and materials in various percentages could potentially be found to have the same or even better characteristics. The formation and composition of these high entropy alloys is the primary focus of Sachan’s research.

The nanoparticles are created by firing a laser through a thin film of each composite material, causing the film to break and shrivel, creating nanoparticles that can then be tested and recorded. The primary application of these materials are as a cataly- sis for energy production. This research could make a significant difference in the cost of the process that usually uses scarce and costly materials by finding new materials that are just as effective, with an abundance of elements at much lower cost.

“Long-term, cost-effectiveness is the biggest benefit,” Sachan said. “Right now, the most popular catalyst is platinum, which is very expensive. However, if you can replace that with new materials made of nickel, cobalt, etcetera, you may still be able to yield the effectiveness of platinum, but at a much lower cost.”

The main product may not be the only groundbreaking aspect of Sachan’s research. Adapting laser-driven production methods for the production of high entropy nanoparticles will require new approaches and methodologies based on well-founded production methods.

“We are performing foundational research,” Sachan said. “New materials may not be the only product of this research, but the methods and procedures we use along the way could be transformational to this area of research.”

Sachan will be conducting fundamental research regarding novel nanoparticle composition and its benefits, as well as utilizing new methods to understand their microstructure. For example, he will be using 4D STEM (4D scanning transmission electron microscopy) technique coupled with machine learning to identify and understand the structural properties of the nanoparticles.

“This research is super exciting,” Sachan said. “The NSF labeled this proposal

“high risk, high reward” because we are one of the first to venture into this particular area of research. It is both exciting and intimidating because of the unknowns.”

The researcher remains unfazed by the challenges that lie ahead, even with the outcome of his research being unknown.

“It is exciting because we have a pathway forward,” Sachan said. “We know the steps we are going to take. Whether it is successful or not remains to be seen, but it will be an interesting journey.”

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“This is a good example of how not to document a crime scene and leave as many unanswered questions behind as possible,” Hueske said in his report.

Hueske’s report found law enforcement did a poor analysis of the crime scene, failing to check if the blood on the suspected murder weapon was both Cannon’s and Clark’s or solely Clark’s. This scientific analysis was possible and would’ve supported Cannon’s self-defense case.

Cannon was abused emotionally and physically as a child, and he was diagnosed with Complex Post Traumat- ic Stress Disorder in 1995, which Georgia Wykoff, a licensed social worker and mitigation specialist, connects to his self-defense.

Cannon was charged with Attempted Murder for the assault of Awanna Simpkins in 1990, of which her physical description did not match Cannon’s and she had also identified her attacker’s name as “Anthony.”

At the time of the initial interview, Simpkins did not claim she was raped, and an examination by Dr. Martha Dannenbuam was inconsistent with rape or sexual assault. Simpkins added rape to her allegations ten months later. Neither Simpkins nor another witness identified Cannon in a lineup until Simpkins was shown a yearbook photo of Cannon, which was inconsistent with the original description of her attacker.

No fingerprints, DNA evidence or witness connected Cannon to this crime. The rape charge was dismissed and Cannon was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Cannon was released on parole in 1995. His defense case was handled poorly, Henrikson said. Although every defendant has the right to testify, his attorneys, Julia O’Connell and Sid Conway from the Tulsa County Defender’s Office, met his request with disdain and obstruction, Cannon’s clemency petition said.

The trial team met with Cannon only six or seven times before the trial, each meeting lasting no more than an hour. Wykoff, who will be present at Tuesday’s press conference, was unable to testify at the trial and the neuropsychologist Herman Jones replaced her. Jones testified that Cannon was an unacceptably high risk to society, especially women, and should not be out among the general public.

Cannon made many requests regarding his case, including funding for neuropsychological evaluation, a medical examiner expert, a blood expert and a self-defense expert, which were all denied. While Cannon claims he and Clark were not dating, that their living together was purely transactional, many other sources claim otherwise. Articles by The Oklahoman, Tulsa’s News & Talks and The Forgiveness Foundation all state Clark was Cannon’s girlfriend. Not included in his petition is Clark’s body was found two days after her death, during which Cannon fled to Michigan, and while he stated that he acted in self-defense, no defensive injuries were noticeable when he was arrested, according to The Forgiveness Foundation.