Feature

Janet Teng: PCC student is a force of nature

By Sandra Chin and Michele Robinson Pasadena Weekly Contributing Writers

Pasadena City College student Janet Teng is on her way to becoming a prominent force in the field of materials sciences.

Overcoming obstacles, she won two prestigious scientific awards — the 2022 Barry Goldwater Scholarship and the Ignite Off Challenge.

Both awards involved research focusing on innovative ways to use materials to preserve the planet’s resources.

“I learned so much at Pasadena City College, I really appreciate the opportunities I had,” Teng said.

Like numerous other college students who are apprehensive about climate change and the environment, she is concerned about the state of resources for future generations. However, Teng’s passion sparked her interest in the materials sciences field and now she wants to lead the way in environmental preservation.

Despite being uncomfortable with public speaking and leadership positions during high school, Teng recognized that to create innovative materials, she would have to overcome her fears.

“I needed to get better at public speaking. It was something I needed to work on,” Teng admitted.

Through teamwork and by enhancing her public speaking and leadership skills, she brought preservation of natural resources to the forefront of earth resources management. Janet Teng

Teng’s leadership experience includes serving as Circle K International chair at Pasadena City College. She also serves as Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society president.

Serving in these leadership opportunities helped strengthen her communication skills, and work toward greater team efficiency. She hopes to continue sharing her passion serving as a role model for other students interested in science.

Teng is one of only four community college student recipients of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship.

Competing against 417 students ranging from community colleges to four-year universities such as CalTech, Berkeley, Stanford and Yale, Teng said she feels this prize affirmed her decision to pursue her chosen path. It also provided the realistic, financial means to be able to continue research in other materials that could be developed and harnessed to preserve the environment.

“I was surprised, very honored and excited to win,” Teng said.

The Ignite Off Challenge is sponsored by the department of energy and is open to interns from undergraduate to post doctorate levels. The competition involved condensing a research project into a compelling 5-minute presentation, a task which proved challenging for Teng.

Teng learned she won the Ignite Off Challenge at the end of her internship at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) where she was working on developing a new material that could better withstand time and corrosion.

Teng’s interest in research began with an internship under Dr. Jared Ashcroft, Pasadena City College chemistry professor.

During the year-long internship, she worked with a team of students to develop a data classroom with online modules to help students learn statistics. The modules were developed using Python programs.

“I wanted to do research. It’s important to work in a group,” Teng said.

As a community college student, Teng also conducted innovative research under Ashcroft using gold nanoparticles that could attach to antibodies, as a form of treatment in cancer medicine.

Ashcroft heads up the Micro Nano Technology Education Center at Pasadena City College, to foster nanoparticle research between industry leaders, government agencies, and community colleges in nanoparticle research to grow a micro nano technology skilled workforce. His research aims to increase micro-nano educational opportunities and grow the future of micro nano technology research, of which Teng is a part. “Janet is one of the smartest students I have ever had,” Ashcroft said. “Her persistence and drive to finish projects, as well as ability to self-learn is amazing. She truly is also one of the humblest and kindest students that I ever had.” One of the characteristics that sets Teng apart from other students is her ability to self-learn. According to Ashcroft, “If there is a portion of the project that needs to be done but she does not know how to do it, she will actually learn it herself and apply those skills to the project.” Ashcroft said he believes that with her “can-do” spirit, by the time she applies to graduate school, she will have accumulated a wealth of knowledge and experience and have her pick of professors to work under in graduate school. “Slots to work under a professor are limited in graduate school,” Ashcroft said. “What you want is to have such strong credentials and experience that you have the pick of whichever professor you want to work under, based upon your passion and research interests. Janet has that drive to get there.” Gaining strong credentials now, before entering graduate school, will grant her open access to professors that align most strongly with her research interests.

To gain additional experience, Teng started working with Professor Chiara Daraio at Caltech in September 2021 as a research assistant, a position supported by the NSF START program. During the academic year she worked on making ion conductive temperature sensing threads.

This summer, she is continuing to work at Caltech as a Kavli Nanoscience Institute (KNI) SURF-the-WAVE Prize Fellow. Her current project is focusing on creating 3D Printed Kevlar Nanocomposites.

For Teng, this experience has proved to be invaluable, “As a research assistant at Caltech, I gained a deeper understanding of the scientific method in research and learned to program. My experiences strengthened my resolve to pursue a career in the sciences. Most importantly, I caught a glimpse into my future profession as a scientist.”

Daraio, who is the G. Bradford Jones professor of mechanical engineering and applied physics at Caltech praised Teng for her dedication, passion about research and willingness to learn.

“Since our very first interactions, I have been impressed by Janet’s maturity, eagerness to learn and scientific intuition,” Daraio said.

“She has an outstanding work ethic and a tireless willingness to learn. Janet is an outstanding student, who shows great promise in research in materials and will certainly go far.”

The future looks bright for Teng, who was recently accepted to MIT. She will be heading off to Boston this fall, majoring in chemical engineering.

“She really does not know how smart she is,” Ashcroft said.

“Often, she will hang back and let other students take the lead, which is probably due to her being a community college student (at Pasadena City College). I am happy she got accepted into MIT. There, she will find that she is just as smart as the best of the best students out there.”

Teng is excited about her future, “I’m eager to one day address the challenges for energy efficient technologies.”