Diane Hinkens, shown in her lab at SDSU, is the recipient of a $200,000 National Science Foundation award for photovoltaic research.

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Hinkens is working with Dr. Qiquan Qiao, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at SDSU and they will be collaborating with Dr. Seth Darling of the Center for Nanoscale Materials at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory.

 “The goal is to develop new polymer-based solar cells,” said Hinkens. The project will consist of the synthesis and self-assembly of novel organoborane and thiophene polymers and their integration into solar energy cells. The group will use calculations to support this work and will test the properties of the new polymers and solar cells. The development of polymer-based solar cells could ultimately lead to cheap and more efficient alternatives to traditional energy sources.

Developing hands-on activities describing photovoltaic devices that directly convert light to electricity for inclusion in the mobile science laboratory "Science on the Move" is another aspect of Hinkens’ project. The mobile science lab travels across South Dakota, reaching small rural schools as well as schools on Native American reservations. In addition, she will develop a photovoltaic laboratory for the Chemistry Van of the Chicago Science Alliance, which supports science teachers in the Chicago Public Schools.

“I feel that all education is important, and I believe that students should be able to freely pursue their educational interests in order to manifest their own unique talents,” Hinkens said. “In my case, I would hope to inspire women and other students that are traditionally underrepresented in science and engineering to pursue their potential in this area.”

Dr. Hinkens’ research project will also contribute to the Photo Active Nano Scale Systems (PANS) research group. PANS is a collaborative research project that includes over forty faculty from South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (SDSM&T), the University of South Dakota (USD), and SDSU. PANS is also supported by the National Science Foundation and the South Dakota Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program. Learn more about PANS here.

In December, 2006 Hinkens received her PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Riverside under the direction of Dr. Mark Midland. Her research was in synthetic methodology and focused on developing reactions of vinylorganoboranes. Since then she has been working as a Postdoctoral Research Assistant for Dr. Brian Logue in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at SDSU.