Deneé Lichtenberg, a materials science and engineering major at the University of Central Florida, was awarded the U.S. Department of Energy’s Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship, according to an April 14 announcement. The internship will allow her to continue her research at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.
The opportunity is significant for Lichtenberg as it brings her closer to her goal of working in a national laboratory setting. She said the chance to collaborate with experienced researchers and learn about large-scale scientific projects is important for her academic and professional development.
Lichtenberg has focused on sustainable methods for retrieving rare earth metals, which are critical components in renewable energy systems and manufacturing. Over the past year, she has worked in UCF’s KM Lab under Assistant Professor Kausik Mukhopadhyay on a project using lanmoudulin, a naturally occurring protein that can capture rare earth elements from dilute waste streams. “The protein can capture rare earth elements from dilute waste streams, and then a small temperature change can trigger the protein to release them so they can be collected,” Lichtenberg said.
She explained that traditional extraction methods rely heavily on energy-intensive processes involving chemicals sourced from acid mine drainage, coal byproducts, and electronic waste. Her work aims to create more energy-efficient ways to recover these valuable materials: “By developing protein-based systems that selectively capture and release these elements, we could potentially reduce the reliance on traditional extraction,” she said.
At Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lichtenberg plans to design modified proteins and test their effectiveness in binding and releasing rare earth elements. “It is a very exciting interdisciplinary project that combines protein engineering, materials science and sustainability,” she said. “I hope to continue this research after the internship ends.”
Lichtenberg credited both Professor Mukhopadhyay’s mentorship and support from graduate students as instrumental in her progress: “Dr. Mukhopadhyay is a fantastic mentor who creates a very supportive and positive environment that encourages learning [both] in and out of the lab,” she said.
Looking ahead, Lichtenberg intends to pursue doctoral studies at UCF as part of the KM Lab team.
