Principal Investigator
Prof. Ryan Richards | rrichard@mines.edu
Ryan Richards is a Professor of Chemistry at the Colorado School of Mines with a joint appointment at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory both in Golden, Colorado USA. Prof. Richards received his BS from Michigan State University, MS Central Michigan University and PhD from Kansas State University. During his Phd studies he was a visiting scientist at the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis in Novosibirsk, Russia. From 2000-2002 he was Max Planck Fellow at the MPI in Muelheim, Germany. In 2002 Ryan joined Jacobs University Bremen where he was promoted to associate professor before moving to Mines in 2007. The Richards group has made a broad range of contributions to the field of inorganic nanoscience in the areas of nanoparticle preparations (metal and metal oxides), in situ spectroscopy, and catalysis. Prof. Richards has published more than 150 papers, 7 patents and has served as editor/co-editor of 3 nanoscience books. He has been elected by his peers for numerous awards throughout his career including being selected as a Fellow of the American Chemical Society and 2016 ACS Colorado Section Research Award.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Raiven Balderas | raivenbalderas@mines.edu
Breanne Hammett | bhammett@mines.edu
Bre began pursuing a graduate degree at Mines after completing a B.S. in Chemistry there in 2019. Currently she is working on an M.S. in Applied Chemistry focusing on the phase transformations and optoelectronic properties of molybdenum disulphide. An undergraduate internship at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory introduced her to researchers that she continues to collaborate with in her graduate studies. In 2020 she was awarded with a Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) from the National Science Foundation. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and playing video games.
Darius Hayes | dhayes1@mines.edu
Darius received his B.S. in Environmental Chemistry with a Minor in Spanish from Louisiana State University in December 2021. Here, he did research on electrochemical characterization (cyclic voltammetry) of different chromium compounds for the purpose of reducing Cr(VI) to Cr(III) in water. As an undergraduate, he received an ACS Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry. After completing his undergraduate education, Darius moved to Colorado in Fall 2020 to join the Applied Chemistry PhD program at Colorado School of Mines. Here, he continues his passion for renewable energy by researching transition metal catalysts to be used in cost-efficient water electrolysis to produce green hydrogen. In his free time, Darius enjoys working out, frequenting the movie theaters, and exploring the various events and festivals around Denver.
Elliot Brim | ebrim@mines.edu
Elliot was born and raised in Suwanee, Georgia and graduated with an undergraduate degree in Chemistry in the Spring of 2019 from the Georgia Institute of Technology. After completing his degree but before beginning studies at the School of Mines, he spent a year working as a lab technician with Dr. John Reynolds at Georgia Tech on novel graphene oxide synthesis. He then moved to Golden, Colorado in the Fall of 2020 to start a PhD in the Materials Science program and joined Dr. Richards’ group. Elliot’s research interests include materials development and synthesis for alternative energy solutions and current research focuses on the creation of 2D high entropy oxides and perovskites for catalytic applications as well as doped NiO nanomaterials for the purposes of water splitting. Beyond research, he enjoys reading, playing board and video games, exploring the incredible mountains, and attempting to ski (getting better!). Elliot plans to pursue work and research towards the future of renewable energy once he completes his degree
Claire Block | cblock@mines.edu
Claire earned a BSE in Materials Science & Engineering from Arizona State University in 2021, and defended an honors thesis about modeling Pt nanoparticle dynamics on a ceria support using time-resolved in-situ TEM data in Dr. Peter Crozier’s research group with (now Dr.) Josh Vincent. After calling Phoenix home for 10 years, Claire started Colorado School of Mines’ Materials Science PhD program in 2021 and is housed in the Chemistry Department. Her research focuses on controlled synthesis of metal nanomaterials to fine-tune morphology for different applications, such as catalysts for chemical reactions. Claire enjoys mentoring and won the Outstanding Chemistry Teaching Assistant Award in 2022. She is a co-chair of Women in Interdisciplinary, Materials, Metallurgy, and Nuclear (WIMMN) organization which hosts educational and social events to support fellow graduate students and encourage diversity. Outside of lab, she can be found hiking, reading, rollerblading outside (weather and sidewalk conditions permitting), and spending time with friends. Claire is hoping to continue research after graduating from Mines in the fields of catalysis and renewable energy.
Frank Schrama | frankschrama@mines.edu
Frank Schrama graduated with an undergraduate degree in Chemistry in 2020 from the Colorado School of Mines doing research in nanomaterial synthesis and characterization. Following that he joined the Mines Applied Chemistry PhD program and is continuing his research in the field of nanomaterials with a focus on their utilization for carbon capture.
Frank has won the Chemistry Faculty Award as well as the General Chemistry TA Award from the Mines Chemistry Department.
Outside of Chemistry Frank can often be found hiking or skiing the mountains of Colorado or working on his creative writing
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Sienna Gonzalez | sgonzalez@mines.edu
Sienna Gonzalez (left) is a senior in the Chemistry department at the Colorado School of Mines. She is a Colorado native who is based in both Centennial and Golden and is looking to pursue graduate studies within the state, as well.
Currently, Sienna is researching mixed metal oxides (including Ca/MgO hybrids) with controlled faceting, composition, and porosity for the application of carbon capture under Prof. Ryan Richards. Such findings were disseminated to the public at the Mines 2022 Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium and will also be presented at the Spring 2023 ACS Crossroads of Chemistry conference.
Sienna hopes to one day become a professor, serving as a role model for Hispanic students and other underrepresented groups pursuing a career in STEM.
In her free time, Sienna loves hiking, crocheting, and listening to Kpop (BTS and TXT ults)
Zek Kelly | zekkelly@mines.edu
Zek Kelly (middle) is a Senior Majoring in Chemistry. He was born in Pueblo Colorado and is a First-Generation Student. For as long as he can remember he has wanted to be a scientist!
Zek is currently doing his 495 with Dr. Richards. He is working on the wet chemical synthesis of high-entropy metal oxides for catalysis. He is super excited to be making nanomaterials. Zek has presented his research or will at several places. At the Undergraduate Research Symposium here at Mines, STEM Poster Day at the Colorado State Capitol building, and the ACS Spring 2023 conference in Indianapolis.
Besides the Richards’ Group, Zek has done research with Dr. James Ranville, and Dr. Carolyn Koh with the ARCS Fellowship. In high school, Zek did research with Dr. Mathew Cranswick as part of ACS Project SEED.
Outside of research, Zek works for Ramona Figueroa as a Chemistry Assistant for the Advanced Chemistry Labs. He is the current President of the ACS Student Affiliate Chapter here at Mines. In addition, he has been part of the Mines Band since Freshman year and has been the French Horn/Mellophone Section Leader for two years. Furthermore, he is an officer of Kappa Kappa Psi. He is also a part of the Chemistry department’s DI&A committee.
Rose Stuewe | rosestuewe@mines.edu
Rose Stuewe (right) is a current senior pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry. She is from Fredericksburg, Texas. She decided to follow in her father’s footsteps and enter the STEM world where she stumbled upon chemistry.
Rose decided to become involved in undergraduate research because she was seeking an opportunity to apply what she has learned in the classroom to real-world problems. Dr. Richards group stood out to her because of the focus it had on nanomaterials. The broad range of problems nanomaterials can be used to solve showed Rose that researching with this group would give her the opportunity to strengthen her skills as a scientist while at the same time contributing to an issue that extends around the globe.
Outside of labs and classrooms, Rose spends most of her time with teammates on the volleyball court. She is a member of the NCAA DII Volleyball Team here at Mines. After completing her undergraduate degree Rose will be staying at Mines to complete her M.S. in Chemistry