MH
Malik Hamilton
  • Chemistry
  • Class of 2019
  • Chicago, IL

Malik Hamilton '19 Researches Liquid Crystals through McNair Program

2018 Feb 12

Malik Hamilton '19 conducted his McNair research on the use of polarized light to create liquid crystals at room temperature. His research is part of the McNair Scholars program, which provides funds and resources for students to pursue academic projects in their chosen fields of study.

Hamilton spoke to Knox Collge to describe his research.

Knox College [KC]: What motivated you to become a McNair Scholar?

Malik Hamilton [MH]: My motivation was sparked from a high interest in the chemistry field. I'm really interested in becoming a chemist or professor. To get ahead in those fields, summer research will help. It's also a great time to gain experience in the field and allow me to solidify my future interests. My research is branched off of my mentor Thomas Clayton's work. He began the project in the mid-'90s and has been able to produce a great procedure since then. The main goal of the project is to create good liquid crystals around room temperature. A good liquid crystal can be determined by its ability to be fluid, and its ability to polarize light. This means that it turns random rays of light into ordered rays of light that have the ability to show different color. My inspiration to pursue this project came from seeing what it means to polarize light from liquid crystals. Some of these products create very appealing images.

KC: What at Knox influenced this project?

MH: The McNair program first aided in choosing the project that would be best fit for the summer research. They allowed us to become experts on our field so the summer ran smoothly. Not only that, but they offered assistance in putting together a presentable proposal. To further steer us in the correct path, an independent study was offered for other participants. For me, Inorganic Chemistry (CHEM 215) was enough to understand the project. Another aspect is my mentor. He has been able to revise my work and provide insight on how to create a publishable paper. Although I haven't yet been able to actually write up the paper, I have the tools available to create a successful paper because of the resources at hand.

KC: Will you tell us about a memorable experience at Knox?

MH: My most memorable experience at Knox, in terms of research, is when adversity hit. Dissolving a specific salt can take up to a week for it to be fully dissolved, and even then it might not fully be finished. That delays the amount of time used to be hands-on with the project. My mentor has come up with an alternate way to get around that problem. I followed through with the plan and it seemed to have worked while producing high yields. Being able to overcome a problem with success has been a great feeling.

Malik Hamilton '19 is on the football team and track and field team. He's also the president of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Hamilton is in the TRIO Achievement Program, a COAST Scholar, and McNair Scholar.