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90 The PCB Design Magazine • July 2017 I owe a lot to that decision to take a risk with the systems administrator position, but it was difficult at the time. I didn't have the advantage of knowing what I know today, that the skills I learned would help me in ways that I could never have dreamed of. All I could see at the time was the need to provide for my family, and I didn't know if this decision would hurt me or help me in that goal. But I knew that it was better to move forward instead of standing still, so I took the step. I was very low to the ground now at 65 mph, which is right where I should be. As I crossed over the numbers on the end of the runway, I leveled out and held the plane a few feet off the ground. With the throttle at idle, the air speed bled off and I pulled back the yoke to flare for landing. The main wheels thumped onto the runway and my anxiety turned into overwhelming relief as I was once again on terra firma. As I taxied off the active runway and headed towards the ramp, I realized that it was OK to start breathing again. After parking and shutting the plane down, I took a moment to reflect; I've just successfully completed my first solo flight. I didn't know what's next, but somehow it all doesn't seem as daunting as it did 10 minutes ago. Stepping into the great unknown can have very rich rewards. Watch out for that first step; it can be a real doozy! PCBDESIGN Tim Haag is a senior PCB designer with many years in the industry, supporting and training users, and managing various design groups. You can reach Tim by clicking here. STEPPING INTO THE GREAT UNKNOWN A Florida State University research team has discovered that light can significantly alter the structure of a promising material that scientists believe could make more efficient light- emitting diodes, lasers and other photon-based technologies. In the journal Angewandte Chemie Interna- tional Edition, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Associate Professor Biwu Ma explains how light can change a material called organometal ha- lide perovskites from a 1-D to a zero-dimensional structure. Computational studies suggest this zero- dimensional structure is more energetically and thermodynamically stable than the 1-D structure, and thus could make for more effective technologies. Ma and his team have been working on organometal halide perovskites for the past few years with the hope to discover new functional materials that outperform conventional optoelectronic materials. A perovskite is any material with the same type of crystal structure as calcium titanium oxide, and hybrid metal halide perovskites have received increased attention in recent years for their potential applications in various types of photon- related technologies such as light-emitting diodes and lasers. While much work has been carried out in the field of organometal halide perovskites in recent years, the focus has been mainly on 3-D and 2-D structures, with 1-D and zero-dimensional structures significantly underexplored. As part of this process, Ma's team discovered that light was actually capable of changing some of the 1-D crystals to a zero- dimensional crystal structure. "Our work not only shows our capability of producing low dimensional perovskites with high yields, but sheds light on the critical photostability issues of organometal halide perovskites," Ma said. Power of Light: Research Team Finds Light is Key to Promising Material