Introduction

During the summer of 2004, I was awarded the honor of participating in the Research Alliance for Minorities (RAM) program at Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This program has provided me with the opportunity to conduct the latest technology research in the Ceramic and Research Division. My mentor Patrick Martin and his team of researchers have now found a way to lay down a proper foundation to form a new high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wire. The new wire can carry 710 times more current per unit area then conventional copper wire-without energy wasting resistance due to, the unique combination of specifically textured, buffer layers that maintain the texture, and deposited film. HTS wires are the future; a federal study says that development could be a $15 billion dollar business by year 2010.