The Scientist Profile was a 1500 to 2100 word assignment (approximately five to seven pages). Using examples we read and discussed during class, this paper included:

• References to and integration of an interview with a living scientist who has published at least one paper in the last five years.  Ideally, you should conduct an interview with the figure in question.  If circumstances make it impossible for you to interview the figure you’ve selected, you may, pending my approval, reference a minimum of two interviews conducted by third parties (with proper attribution to those interviewers).
• Reference to the contributions of a given figure, and the literature published by or informed by that figure.  Your paper should reference a minimum of three academic sources relevant to the professional you’re examining.  These sources can come from the school’s library databases, Google Scholar, or other academic databases (in the event that you have access to resources beyond the purview of the school’s library).
•  A consistently formatted Works Cited page.  I’d recommend using a format relevant to the field you’re researching for this paper; doing so will provide you with some useful practice in researching and employing criteria for citation.
• Your profile paper should clearly frame the relevance of the figure in question in their field, and/or in culture in general.  Be sure you provide an adequate response to the constant background question behind all writing, “Why should we care?”

Self-Reflection

Preparing for this paper was instantaneously simple for me since I had crossed paths with many scientists throughout my college career. It was just a matter of finding which scientist. Since science is a field dominated by men, I wanted to pick a woman who would inspire female students in the sciences to be strong and empowered in their ability to become successful in the field. Professor Tamargo at CCNY came to mind, she was my Chemistry professor the previous semester. Although I knew her as a professor, I chose her because of the research I did on her work. Writing this paper was not as easy as it seems. It included an interview segment that I imagine stomped majority of students. What I learned is that when writing a scientific profile that includes an interview it is all about framing! Start by examining your interview questions and answers (if you get answers). Frame the scientists work as well as personality with respect to their interview answers as opposed to categorizing information that would not flow. For example, formatting the work, scientist’s personality and then interview questions. Since this assignment allowed each student to pick a topic that they were interested in, it should be a paper that equally distributed passion and interest in both the scientist and their work. Unfortunately, this was somewhat of a challenge for me since I decide to chose a scientist I was interested in, but not a topic. This was reflected in my drafts but, after multiple revisions, here is what I came up with.

A Scientist Profile on Professor Maria Tamargo at City College

Crystal growth by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE), material science and experimental Physics, and solid-state physics are just three, of many, of American Scientist Maria Tamargo’s research interests outside of being a chemistry and physics professor at The City College of New York. In fact, The North American Molecular Beam Epitaxy Advisory Board recognized her stature in 2017 with an Innovator Award for significantly advancing the field of MBE. In addition to her research and teaching of Chemistry at CCNY, she is also the director of two National Science Foundations; CREST Center for Interface Designs and Engineered Assembly of Low-dimensional Systems (IDEALS) (Mwamba). The multi-chamber MBE growth system enables the design and growth of hybrid structures that result in new and enhanced properties in electronic and photonic materials. Professor Tamargo currently conducts her research at the City College Center of Discovery and Innovation (CDI), in which she has earned additional awards such as a $3000 prize, a plaque and the opportunity to speak at the NAMBE Conference (Mwamba). One of her other most distinguishable awards, mentioned on the American Physical Society (APS) website, happened in 2000 when she was elected as a fellow of the APS for “significant original contributions to the development and understanding of the growth and properties of novel semiconductor materials and heterostructures.

Professor Tamargo was born in 1951 in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Her parents were both born and raised in Cuba until her father moved to Louisiana to attend Louisiana State University as a student of Engineering. Less than a year after, her and her family moved back to Cuba where she lived until she was ten years old before moving back to the United States. She received her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras in 1972, and according to the City College science department website, she then received both her Master of Science and PhD in Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University in 1974 and 1978 respectively. In 1993, she began her work at the City College of New York while continuing her research in the advancement of MBE technology. With a Engineer/Computer Programmer for a father and a University Professor for a mother, it’s no surprise to assume Professor Tamargo entered the field in the Sciences while also being a Professor at a University. This is the case for most scientist, but in her case, Professor Tamargo got her motivation form her “High School Chemistry teacher who was also a woman and gave her someone to identify with” (Tamargo). In fact, during the fortunate interview I had with Professor Tamargo, I learned that she did not choose to study MBE until after working in a research lab that developed the MBE technique, this peaked her interest in studying MBEs and made her the Scientist she is today. So why is Professor Tamargo and her work important?

Tamargo’s first publication was Optoelectronic Properties of Semiconductors and Superlattices: II-VI Semiconductor Materials and their Applications (Volume 12). This book introduced compound semiconductors with blue-green emitters and IR detectors to analyze the growth, issues and characterization of device issues using the two applications of bandgap emitters. The research found that by “optimizing the growth conditions of wide bandgap II-VI alloys, they reduced defect densities that were able to posses the properties attractive enough to offer some advantages for the design of improved visible semiconductor lasers and light emitting diodes (LED’s) (Tamargo, 28). Simply put, using the scientific method Professor Tamargo conducted research on LEDs and laser in order to observe their efficiencies, then by building crystals on other crystal molecules and heating them up, they build a complex or advanced piece of technology such as a computer chip or laser. An analogy developed by Chris Woodford, a British science writer, “[MBE] is like an inkjet printer that makes layers of colored print on a page by firing jets of ink from hot guns…four separate guns fire different colored inks that build a complex colored image on paper”. Thus, MBEs are used in devices that would use beams of light to carry out signals in electronics such as your cell phone or television.

In fact, in her book, Tamargo mentions “[the need for] our multimedia culture requiring sophisticated mass storage and display devices…” (Tamargo, 32). Blue-green lasers, wide gap ZnSe-based II-VI semiconductors are the materials investigated to determine how to equip sophisticated mass storage systems and display devices with greater laser performance, continuous wave (CW) performance, [consistent] room-temperature (RT), improved lifetime sufficiency and single lateral mode operation (32). By utilizing blue-green laser diodes (LDs), the goal of the study is to advance multimedia culture by improving and enhancing the performance of our technological devices. The results demonstrated that the first ZnSe-based pulsed laser operation was a success and satisfied all prerequisites. This meaning, its laser performance, CW, RT were successfully improved to optimize the efficiency of LDs in technological devices. The book continues to discuss further applications and issues of blue-green II-VI lasers in device physics, device degradation and commercial applications as well as high-recording-density optical disk systems (Tamargo, 38). And concludes that although LDs were optimized, “the results only provide a method for obtaining controllable lateral variations dependent on the superlattice period” (40). This meaning, the results are dependent on which substrate the crystals are built on, by using a stronger heterostructure, they would be able to build stronger more consistent MBEs that would carry better signals.

Tamargo has received high praise and recognition for her successful investigation due to the scarcity in such research has fallen short of applying II-VI wide-bandgap compounds to optoelectronic devices, meaning that there is a scarcity of efficient MBEs in devices that absorb or omit visual signals.  According to the Springer Handbook of Electronic and Photonic Materials, edited by Safa Kasap and Peter Capper, “It is challenging to grow high-purity high-quality single crystals using II-VI compound semiconductors. Another problem with their application to devices is the difficulty of controlling the conductive type. In the case of ZnSe, it is still difficult to obtain low-resistivity p-type crystals or epilayers that can be used to fabricate devices and the specifications for many applications are very demanding. Considerable progress needs to be made in growth, particularly in the areas of reproducibility, convenient shape, conductivity, and structural perfection”. This was their conclusion after running the same investigation on II-VI semiconductors as Tamargo. Her research not only benefits our multimedia cultural society, it is an innovative enhancement that would reduce the risks devices present to eyesight. It is common knowledge that if cellphones and televisions emit harmful rays to our eyes when they are exposed for extended periods of time, but due to the technological evolution, it is a requirement for all working-class people to stare at a screen for hours at a time. Take for example, College students, pen and paper are no longer the recommended form of note taking since the educational system has shifted over to electronic porfolios such as webwork or Connect, CUNY Platforms, Blackboard, e.t.c that force students to do majority of their assignments online. This in turn causing long lasting damages to their eye-sight that lead to illnesses such as cataracts in the future. With the advancement of Optoelectronic MBEs, future generations could create devices with minimal to no effect on eyesight.

The reason why you, and everyone else, should care about semiconductors and their applications, as well as Cuban-Scientist Maria Tamargo, is because they are the future of technology. Apart from using semiconductors to create never dying laptops, non-overheating cell phones and multiple other technological advances, she is a chemistry and physics professor who is held in high esteem by her students. She makes herself available, cares for her students yet finds the time to conduct her research and collaborate in integrating multiple MBE programs across New York Colleges. In fact, in her interview I asked what advice she would give to aspiring women who planned on pursuing the sciences, and she answered, “I think there are many things I would tell them, For example, not to let the fact that there are relatively few women in the field dissuade them from doing it…Find mentors, men or women, to help you when you get stuck or have doubts…”. Although Molecular Beam Epitaxy was not what she imagined studying as a young adult, she believes MBEs will advance technology  and be instrumental in developing new materials and provide a great deal of control over the growth conditions for nanostructures such as transistors, light-wave communications, sensors, etc. In contuniation with her research on MBEs, her more recent research not only mentions the basic applications of semiconductors; it also paves a way for more innovative ideas to further the enhancement of technology. Such as her article on Near Infrared Intersubband Absorption of CdSe/MgSe Quantum Wells Grown on InP Substrate with an InAlAs Buffer Layer written in 2014.

The article discusses using molecular beam epitaxy to create zinblende crystal structures with clear infrared intersubband transitions. This experiment aimed to use wide bandgap II-VI semiconductors in photonic devices and quantum well infrared photodetectors (Chen, 2). Based on her research, I believe it is safe to say that the future Professor Tamargo imagines is one that softens the blow of ‘technology causing more harm than good’. If not for her accolades, her passion to teach and her optimism for the future should be reason enough to recognize her as a contributing member in both the sciences and the community of New York.

Works Cited

American Physical Society Fellowship. (2019). Retrieved March 13, 2019, from https://www.aps.org/units/dmp/fellowship/index.cfm?year=2000

Chen, G., Zhao, K., Tamargo, M., & Shen, A. (2014, January 30) . Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B. Volume 32, Issue 2. Near infrared intersubband absorption of CdSe/MgSe quantum wells grown on InP substrate with an InAlAs buffer layer. Retrieved March 13, 2019, from https://avs.scitation.org/doi/10.1116/1.4863496

Dr. Maria C. Tamargo – Nanoscience Initiative. (2014). Retrieved March 12, 2019, from http://nanoscience.asrc.cuny.edu/people/dr-maria-c-tamargo/

Kapon, E., Tamargo, M., & Hwang, D. (1987, February 09). Molecular beam epitaxy of GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice heterostructures on nonplanar substrates. Retrieved March 12, 2019, from https://aip.scitation.org/doi/abs/10.1063/1.98196

Kasap, S. O., & Capper, P. (2017). Springer handbook of electronic and photonic materials (2nd ed.). Cham, UK: Springer.

Mia, C. (2017, October 10). CCNY Professor Awarded for Science Innovation. Retrieved March 12, 2019, from http://www.ccnycampus.org/2017/09/ccny-professor-obtains-award-for-science-innovation/

Mwamba, J. (2017, September 06). Top materials science award for CCNY’s Maria Tamargo | The City College of New York. Retrieved March 12, 2019, from https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/top-materials-science-award-ccny%E2%80%99s-maria-tamargo

Tamargo, M. (2018, February 20). Maria Tamargo | The City College of New York. Retrieved March 12, 2019, from https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/profiles/maria-tamargo

Tamargo, M. C. (2002). II-VI semiconductor materials and their applications (Vol. 12, Optoelectronic Properties of Semiconductors and Superlattices). New York: Taylor and Francis.

Tamargo, M. (n.d.). MBE GROUP: Department of Chemistry. Retrieved March 12, 2019, from http://www.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/~tamar/

Woodford, C. (2018, October 28). How does molecular beam epitaxy work? Retrieved April 5, 2019, from https://www.explainthatstuff.com/molecular-beam-epitaxy-introduction.html