Sarah Goler

Columbia University

Using nanotechnology to explore and understand inks in ancient manuscripts

2014-2015: Fall and Spring

Co-sponsored by Columbia's Center for Integrated Science and Engineering, Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center Program.

I received an undergraduate degree in Applied Physics from Columbia University. During that time I worked in an optics lab studying the properties of graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice, with Raman spectroscopy. I went on to explore the interaction of hydrogen on graphene for hydrogen storage during my PhD studies at the Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy. Currently, I am at Columbia University as a postdoc using mirco-Raman spectroscopy to study the pigments of ancient manuscripts. The goal is to understand the evolution of black ink in antiquity and hopefully develop a new non-destructive technique for determining the age of these documents.
http://cise.columbia.edu/ancient-ink-laboratory/research-team