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CHBE Orientation ProgramResearch Planning

The Heilmeier Criteria

Background

Oral Quals in April Need to identify a piece of work What are you doing? Why are you doing it?

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Outline

Object for today: Learn how to evaluate Research ideas

How do you find good research projects Tackling problems that are the right place

on the knowledge curve How to sell the project

Evaluate ideas based on the Heilmeier criterion

It Is Important For You To Take Charge Of Your Career

Acquire the skills to meet your career objectives including: Technical skills People skills Communication skills Mentors

It is your job to make sure that you acquire these skills in grad school

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Key Tasks For Your First Year

Take most required classes Pass Qual Start research

Read the literature Take some data or do some calculations

before your orals

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Key Objectives For Your Second Year In Graduate

School Learn how to do state of the art experiments and/or calculations (Key job in your first two years of grad school)

Learn how to evaluate your own work. What is good, what are the weaknesses Become your own worst critic

Learning what you are good at and enjoy How do your skills compare to others in the field

Learn what leaders in your field are doing and how you might contribute

Start to develop mentors Not just your advisor

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Background: Key Steps In Research Planning

Finding a good idea Finding an interesting

problem Meets national/company

goals Allows you to develop your

skillss Fun to do

Literature search What has been done before What is your competition

doing (look at their proposals/talks)

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The Knowledge Curve

Pro

gre

ss

Time

Filling holes in existing work

Time to move on

Mining discoveries

Discovery 1-5 pubs

Knowledge Evolves With An S Shape Curve

10-20 publicatio

ns

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Planning Research

Pro

gre

ss

Time

Filling holes in existing work

Time to move on

Mining discoveries

Discovery 1-5 pubs

Knowledge Evolves With An S Shape Curve

10-20 publicatio

ns

Start hereDevelop SkillsWork Down

Matching A Project To Your Career path

Starting graduate student Choose a project that allows you to develop

skills: How to do experiments, write them up …

Senior graduate student Need a project that allows you to develop

independence to carry out a project Postdoc

Project needs to provide you the opportunity to plan a research project, direct graduate students, develop mentors, fans

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The Hourglass Picture Of Research

Adapted From William M.K. Trochim Cornell

Start with an important big question

Focus to solvable question

Observe

Analyze data

Reach conclusions

Generalize back to big problem

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Example

Big Question: Biofuels (Cellulosic ethanol) presently too expensive. Can we reduce the

cost?

Solvable question: Can tethered sulfuric acid (polyelectrolyte brush) be used in place of sulfuric

acid to reduce cost?Measure kinetics of polyelectrolyte catalyzed cellulose conversion as a function of polyelectrolyte structure

Analyze data

Conclusions: kinetics, structural functional relationships

Generalize: Economic analysis to determine whether these catalysts reduce the cost of cellulosic ethanol

Wyman Paper: Pretreatment has largest potential for cost reduction

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Finding The Solvable Question Key

Adapted From William M.K. Trochim Cornell

Start with an important big question

Focus to solvable question

Observe

Analyze data

Reach conclusions

Generalize back to big problem

Need to convince

reviewers it is solvableLimits

problems to ones the reviewers

think they can solve

What Are The Most Important Questions In Your

Area? Try to work on the most important

questions in your area Be sure to focus on the least

publishable unit Do not overreach

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Also Need To Know If You Are Working On Something That Makes

impactHeilmeier Catechism to evaluate ideas

According to Heilmeier, every good proposal answers the following questions on the first page

What are you trying to do? Articulate your objectives using absolutely no jargon.

If you cannot explain it simply you are not Who cares? If you're successful, what

difference will it make? What's new in your approach and why do

you think it will be successful? What special skills do you bring to the

question? How much will it cost, how long will it take

and what are the risks? What are the midterm and final "exams" to

check for success?

George Heilmeier

Head ARPAPres. BellcoreInventor of flat panel display

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Expanded Heilmeier Criteria

What is the problem, why is it hard? How is it solved today? Who are the leaders, what are they doing? What is the new technical idea; why can we

succeed now? What is the impact if successful? How will the work be organized? How will intermediate results be generated? How will you measure progress? What will it cost Why should you do this rather than

someone else?Adapted From Gio Wiederhold, Stanford

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Example From My Own Work

In 2005 DARPA had a proposal call for miniature (1 cm3) gas chromatographs

Should I respond?

Preconcentratorcollects the analyteand injects it in a

narrow pulse

Column separates analyte from interferents

Thermal Isolation

Parallel Detectorsselectively detect

analyte

MEMS Pump

COTS Mote

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Questions I Asked

Can I do it Will I be able to do it better than

anyone else Will if be rewarding to do? How does it fit into my career plans?

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What Could I Do New Fun With Preconcentrators?

Existing purge & trap preconcentrators

•Challenges•Small fluidic devices•Better adsorbents

Goal

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Could New Adsorbents Enable Devices?

Existing adsorbant materials Tenax (discovered 1968) Activated carbon – first used

1796 Many new adsorbents

MOF’s Mesoporous silicon Nanoposts & nanowires

Applying new materials to an old problem is a good research thrust

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Masel Expert On Adsorption

200+ papers 2 textbooks

Partner (Mark Shannon) expert on fluidic components

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Interesting Questions For RIM

Could new materials be used? Presently no practical applications for any of

the materials – real applications will be noticed

Materials likely would need modification for application

Fun materials synthesis Effect of structure on function unknown

Good science issues that will lead to lots of papers

RIM long term research interest

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Are Heilmeier Criteria Satisfied?

What is problem why is it hard? Need to adsorb many molecules into a small volume

How is it solved now Carbon or tenax – insufficient capacity

What is the new technical idea; why can we succeed now?

New materials that did not exist in 1965 Higher surface area, promising structure

What is the impact if successful? Shrink purge and trap to chip size (improve

sensitivity of a host of analytical devices) New directions in a standard analytical technique

Why should they fund you rather than someone else?

Unique skillset

An Example Electrochemical CO2 Recycle to Syngas

How is it solved now CO2 electrolysis in aqueous solution

What is problem why is it hard? Water reacts at lower potential than CO2 so mainly

electrolyze water not CO2

What is the new technical idea; why can we succeed now?

Use ionic liquids in place of water New materials that did not exist in 1965

Very high solubility of CO2

What is the impact if successful? Recycled gasoline for less than $2/gal

Why should they fund you rather than someone else?

Unique skillset Need preliminary data

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Summary: You Need To Evaluate Proposed Ideas Before You Write The

Proposal Is it good for your career?

Fit your personality, skillset Fun to do The right place on the knowledge curve

Can you get 4 papers in two years? What is the minimum publishable unit?

Is it fundable? Satisfy Heilmeier criterion Can you make a case for funding?

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Questions?