Happenings outside the lab

For our latest escapades, follow us on Twitter! WeiGroup@Purdue

April 2024  Preparing for the total eclipse, while snacking on Jordan's chicken and rice noodle salad

Looking up: Brooke and Jordan; Adjusting solar viewers: Bingyuan, Badhu, and Gurpreet.

Dec. 2023 - Mar. 2024  Celebrating the start of winter holidays! And Lunar New Year. And virtual hanami.

Back (left to right): Deacon Darling, Bingyuan Zhao, Jordan Harriman, Brooke Steeno, Alex Wei, R.J. Nicholas, Sebastian Calderon, Shinaj Rajagopalan.  Front (left to right): Khomid Kholikov, Gurpreet Kaur, Badhu Sivasubramaniam, Xinyi Li, Nosa Idahagbon

September 2023 - Impromptu group camping trip in Wisconsin, with post-trip P.I. blessing.  Well played.

Front to back: Brooke, R.J., Seth, Badhu, Gurpreet, Nosa, his wife, Gabi, Sebastian.

July 2023 - Backyard BBQ to celebrate Independence and Canada Day

Left to right: (standing) Khomid, R.J., Rowan, Alex W., Victor, Brooke, Alex Emily; (kneeling) Shinaj, Nosa, Sebastian, Bingyuan, Jordan.

June 2023 - Alex and RJ (demonstrating his superhydrophobic CNF coatings) at TAPPI-NANO in Vancouver, B.C. 

 

December 2022 - Memento of a cold but happy December graduation!

 

 Left to right: Ben, Alex, Aiga.

 

August 2022 - Relaunching a favorite group tradition: Taking on the treacherous waters of Sugar Valley in canoes! But in fact, the most dangerous part of canoeing is each other as the video attests.

  Left to right: Jordan, Aiga, Bingyuan, Nosa, Ben, Alex, Qi, Sebastian.

 

August 2022 - In this month's Superheroes of Science, Alex talks about light-matter interactions:

 

June 2022 - Relaxing outside of BruBurger in downtown Lafayette, after Ramazan's successful PhD defense.

 Left to right: (front) Aiga and Bingyuan; (back) Alex G., Sebastian, Nosa, RJ, Ben, Alex, Ramazan, Qi.

 

January 2022 - Happy New Year-- especially to Sebastian and his bride Gaby! We trekked to the Tippecanoe County Courthouse in 5 deg. F to witness the occasion.

 Left to right: Ben, Aiga, Noelia, Gaby, Sebastian, Alex, Yuichiro, Robert.

 

December 2021 - Ending the year in style with Beef Wellington at Bowen's Bistro.

 Left to right: (front) Sebastian, Noelia, Badhu, Aiga, Bingyuan; (back) Alex, Ben, Jake, Ramazan, Yuichiro.

 

November 2021 - Yuichiro's entry in this year's MRS "Science as Art" competition made it to the final round! It's a real-color image of a luminescent Cu-pyrazolate complex that crystallizes in two different forms, one emitting blue and the other green. 

(Edit:  We didn't get the grand prize-- what's wrong with these judges?!?)

 

October 2021 - Wei Group dominates the Purdue Half-Marathon!

 Left to right: Ben, Ramazan, Badhu, Yuichiro, Aiga, Sebastian.

 

September 2021 - Happy birthday, Aiga!  And congratulations on your marriage!!

 Left to right: Alex, Yuichiro, Sebastian, Sam, Aiga the birthday girl, Badhu, Bingyuan, Qi, Ben.

 

August 2021 - Wanna and her partner Kat return to West Lafayette to get hitched!  Next-day gathering with former alums Wanna Sungnoi and Lu Lin. 

 Left to right: (back) Ben, Stephen, Alex, Yuichiro, Ramazan; (front) Lu, Wanna, Kat, Aiga.

 

August 2021 -  An article published in Yomiuri Shimbun commemorates the life of former colleague and Nobel Laureate, Ei-ichi Negishi.  Dr. Watanabe shares his thoughts. 

 

August 2020 - A much-needed break from facemasks and social distancing (after getting tested)

 Left to right: Guest, Annah, Ben, Yuichiro, Aiga, Badhu, Alex, Qi.

 

January 2020 - Chinese New Year, with maotai

Left to right: Alex, Ramazan, Qi, Ethan,Ben, Annah, Badhu, Sam, Aiga, Khomid.

 

June 2019 - Double celebration with Dr. Lu Lin and Dr. Miran Mavlan

Left to right: (back) Ben, Yuichiro, Ramazan, Miran, Alex, Lu, Badhu, Qi; (front) Jared, Taehoo, Kinsey, Aiga, Khomid.

 

May 2018 - Farewell lunch for Dr. Ana Morales

Left to right: Xiuying Liu, Ben Washer, Han Zhao, Wanna Sungnoi, Taehoo Chang, Alex Wei, Ana Morales, M. Ramazan Oduncu, Miran Mavlan, Lu Lin.

 

December 2017 - Annual gathering at Wei home

Left to right (sitting): Juan Pablo Gallo Ramírez, Xiuying Liu, Aiga Yermembetova, Lu Lin, Taehoo Chang, Han, Zhao, Miran Mavlan, (standing) Wanna Sungnoi, Alex Wei, M. Ramazan Oduncu, Benjamin Washer.

 

May 2017 - Ericka Kistler's graduation lunch

Standing, left to right: Miran Mavlan, Jianxin Wang, Matt Hewitt, Yan Yu, Praneeth Ramesh, Ericka Kistler, Yuichiro Watanabe, Alex Wei. Bottom: Taruna Jagtiani, Wanna Sungnoi, Taehoo Chang, Ana Morales.

 

December 2016 - annual Wei group get-together

Top, Left to right: Yuichiro Watanabe, Matt Hewitt,Taehoo Chang, Lu Lin, Ericka Kistler, Jianxin Wang. Bottom: Miran Mavlan, Alex Wei, Naveen Kadasala, Nigam Arora.

 
Flaming sushi- July 2016

Capping off a busy week! Left to right: Shijie Yuan, Yan Yu, Yuichiro Watanabe, Jianxin Wang, Alex Wei, Lu Lin, Ericka Kistler, Matt Hewitt.

 

Friendly(?) after-dinner card game- November 2015

Looks like Dr. Maltais is winning

 

Wei Group - October 2015

Left to right: Miran Mavlan, Matt Hewitt, Thora Maltais, Naveen Kadasala, Alex Wei, Sam Eleff, Ana Morales, Jianxin Wang, Ericka Kistler, Nigam Arora, Lu Lin.

 

July 4 BBQ - Summer 2015

Left to right: Naveen Kadasala, Thora Maltais, Brendan Law, Ana Morales, Maria Khlebnikova, Matt Hewitt (back), Alex Wei, Jianxin Wang.

 

Return to Sugar Valley - Summer 2013

Anh and Oscar are excited about canoeing

Canoe self-assembly

Lunch break. Left to right: Thora Maltais, Anh Nguyen, Oscar Morales, Matt Casselman, Yang Liu, Jianxin Wang (with the effervescent Coco)

 

Mole with camera catches group members having an unauthorized BBQ on a weekday! - June 2013

Left to right: Matt Casselman, Jianxin Wang & guest, Andrew Evans, Thora Maltais, Naveen Kadasala

 

Farewell lunch for Zhenguo and Alvaro - November 2012

Back row (left to right): Matt Casselman, Andrew Evans, Jon Mehtala, Zhenguo Chen, Jianxin Wang, Nigam Arora.
Front row (left to right): Oscar Morales-Collazo, Thora Maltais, Alex Wei, Alvaro Duarte-Ruiz, Mini Thomas, Anh Nguyen, Hari Khatri, Yu Bai.

Double post-defense celebration - December 2011

Left to right: Mini Thomas (w/protegee), Naveen Kadasala, Jon Mehtala, Dr. Qingshan Wei, Matt Casselman, Laura Alberch, Zhao Tang, Alex Wei, Dr. Panuwat Padungros, Andrew Evans, Oscar Morales, Priya Murria, Yu Bai, Hari Khatri, Anh Nguyen.

Farewell lunch for Julie Conlon @ 9 Irish Brothers - July 2011

Back row (left to right) Naveen Kadasala, Qingshan Wei, Oscar Morales, Laura Alberch, Panuwat Padungros, Matt Casselman, Zhao Tang, Thora Maltais, Mini Thomas, Zhenguo Chen. Front row (left to right) Alex Wei, Hari Khatri, David Lyvers, Julie Conlon, Laura Alberch, Kulbhushan Durugkar.

Indiana Dunes - Summer 2011

Lake Michigan volleyball

Catching giant frisbee while dancing on very hot sand

Zhenguo checks out the scenery

Canoe trip down Sugar Creek - Summer 2010

Left to right: Quy Ong (w/Mrs.), Jie Liu, Zhao Tang, Qingshan Wei, Laura Alberch, Jon Mehtala, Kulbhushan Durugkar, Matt Casselman, Oscar Morales, Rachel Weller, David Lyvers, Panuwat Padungros, Avijit Adak, Alex Wei

Cooling off in the river

Jump!

Xmas Party - Winter 2009

Enjoying good food and good company

Goofing off.

Backyard picnic - Summer 2007

Left to right: Runhui Liu, Matt Casselman, Donna Coleman, Hyon-min Song, Heng Zhu, Alexei Leonov, Jie Liu, Laura Alberch, Gang Cheng, David Lyvers, Panuwat Padungros, Emil Bulatov, Quy Ong, Ning Ding, Qingshan Wei, Alex Wei.

Under the Chicago Bean - Spring 2007

Left to right: Gang Cheng, Matt Hansen, Quy Ong, Jie Liu, Xuehua Li, Heng Zhu, Runhui Liu.

Random Stuff

The thesis duck, checking revisions

Down at the driving range, waiting for the fume hoods to turn back on

Death by laser tag