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Show Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012 Page 4 AggieLiS fe Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com Alumnus breaks scientific ground BY CALE PATTERSON staff writer For some students, the idea of being accepted into a renowned university, receiving distinguished awards or attaining significant accomplishments may seem out of reach. For USU alumnus Greg Nielson, all these things have become a reality. According to Popular Science Magazine, Nielson is one of the 10 most brilliant, creative and groundbreaking young scientists in the country. A native of Bountiful, Utah, Nielson graduated from Viewmont High School in 1992 and attended a year of college at USU before serving an LDS mission in Wisconsin. During the summer before his senior year in high school, he was able to participate in the Engineering State program at USU, where he was first exposed to engineering and some of the opportunities it had to offer. "It helped me to think," he said. "I had a good time." In 1998, Nielson got his bachelor's degree from USU, majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in computer science. He was an honors program graduate, peer advisor and also worked RESEARCHERS MURAT OKANDAN, Greg Nielson and Jose Cruz-Campa hold arrays of microsolar cells. Nielson, a USU alumnus, is one of the 10 most brilliant, creative and groundbreaking young scientists in the country, according to Popular Science Magazine. Photo courtesy of Randy Montoya in the Space Dynamics Lab as a research assistant. Before graduating he participated in two internship opportunities, both at Sandia Labs, where he currently works and performs his research. "The faculty and other professors were great," he said. "They gave me some perspective on things. I had lots of experiences that gave me a good background, as well as opportunities that helped me to grow." Nielson said his time at Utah State had an impact on him and helped to form him for the future. "You can't really separate yourself from your college experience," Nielson said. "It was a very formative time. USU will always be a part of me because of that." After graduating, Nielson went on to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He spent six years there and received his masters and doctorate degrees, both through the department of mechanical engineering. He said he had a very broad experience at MIT and did his Ph.D. work in optical micro and nanotechnology, exploring how light interacts with mechanical devices. Nielson began working at Sandia Labs in 2004, having been selected through the prestigious Truman Fellows Program, which gave him employment and funding for his own research ideas. He currently continues his work at Sandia Labs as a Principal Member of Technical Staff, working on research and development projects and leading a team of 30 researchers. The work of Nielson and his staff received the R&D 100 Award, a prestigious award for new technology developed. The award is known as the "Oscars of Innovation," according to R&D Magazine. Nielson is best known for his work in photovoltaic technology, specifically his work with solar energy cells. This work involves scaling down the size of solar cells to the size of glitter, giving them the nickname "glitter cells." According to Nielson, sizing down the cells improves the performance and reduces cost. *See ALUMNUS, Page 5 Aggie Ice Cream continues to innovate BY KYLE H EYWOOD staff writer Utah State is known for many things, and perhaps one of the university's most well-known traditions is Aggie Ice Cream. Whether enjoying Aggie Blue Mint or Lemon Custard, USU students can be found all over campus eating the frozen treat. "Aggie Ice Cream has been going for over 90 years," said Donald McMahon, director of the Gary H. Richarson Dairy Products Laboratory. "It's a rich part of our Aggie heritage." Aggie Ice Cream started out as a selfimposed challenge by Gustav Wilster, a USU professor in the 1920s, to have everyone in Utah taste his ice cream, according to McMahon. He taught students dairy production and processing in a creamery in Old Main. As he developed his ice cream, he taught his students the trade. Many of his students went on to start successful ice cream businesses in Utah including Casper's, Farr's and Snelgrove's. "If we continue to teach the technology behind dairy production, it will strengthen our economy," McMahon said. "By having the equipment here, "Aggie Ice Cream has been going for over 90 years. It's a rich part of our Aggie heritage." we can offer classes and education to students interested in the field just as Professor Wilster did." The USU Western Dairy Center is one of the nation's leading research centers for dairy foods, according to McMahon. New technology is pushing boundaries for quantity and quality in ice cream, cheese, yogurt, and fluid milk produc- THE USU WESTERN DAIRY CENTER labs produce Aggie Ice Cream and Aggie Cheese. It takes three days to make each batch of ice cream. SAMANTHA BEHL photo AGGIE ICE CREAM has been around for more than 90 years and was founded by Gustav Wilster, a professor in the 1920s. The building is located at the north end of campus. SAMANTHA BEHL photo tion, and students at USU have an opportunity to use these labs for classwork. There is a taste lab where 120 public volunteers help with the research happening at USU. These volunteers taste anything from fluid milk to lowmoisture string cheese to a new type of yogurt. The standard reward for the volunteers is a coupon for some Aggie Ice Cream. "It takes three days to make each batch of ice cream," said Randall Bagley, production manager. "On day one we receive the fluid milk, the next day we make the ice cream mix and finally on day three we freeze it." Freezer space is limited, so there is a limited amount of flavors Aggie Ice Cream can offer. "We try to stay right around 26 flavors," Bagley said. "We vary what flavors we do by doing manager specials as well as the seasonal flavors, such as peppermint at Christmas time and Centennial, which we offer at graduation." "Aggie Blue Mint is the most popular flavor at Aggie Ice Cream, which is surprising," McMahon said. "Especially considering that most ice cream businesses sell almost twice as much vanilla as any other flavor." Aggie Blue Mint was developed by a student competition during Ag Week several years ago, according to McMahon. The original idea was called "Aggie IceBerg" and included blue mint ice cream with white chocolate pieces. After developing the flavor more, it was decided that Oreo cookies would be added to the concoction. The finished product was named "Aggie Blue Mint" and it has dominated the ice cream sales ever since. "We go through Aggie Blue Mint extremely fast," said Sam Taylor, Aggie Ice Cream sales employee. "It's the favorite hands down." The newest flavor to hit the shelves is Aggie Birthday Cake, according to McMahon. "We developed this flavor for the National Children's Study," McMahon said. "We use red, purple and yellow sprinkles because those are the organization's colors." Another benefit of Aggie Ice Cream is that it provides employment opportunities to students at USU. "They have been very flexible with my schedule," Taylor said. "And I love how close it is to my classes. It's a fun place to work and my favorite part of my job is seeing people smile when they take that first bite." — kyleheywood@gmail.com |