Meet Nick,
He is a Chemical Engineering major and a MARC U*STAR Scholar. He is also the President of the UMBC chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), President of the Honors College Council, and a tutor for the Chemistry Tutorial Center.
How did you find your mentor for your research, scholarship, or artistic project?
I met my mentor, Dr. Lee Blaney, by spending time near the Chemical Engineering department's faculty offices.
How did you know this was the type of research you wanted to do?
In the future, I plan to obtain a PhD in Environmental Engineering; therefore, I wanted to get research experience before entering graduate school. After receiving advice from my peers, mentors, and members of my would-be mentor's lab, I formally asked Dr. Blaney if I could join his lab.
What is the focus of your research?
My research focus is on characterizing various water and wastewater samples by recording the fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) for these waters.
Do you get course credit for this work?
Not this semester, but I am planning to do an independent study in the spring 2015 semester.
How much time do you put into it?
I work 10-15 hours per week during the academic year.
What has been the hardest part about your research?
The most difficult aspect of my research has been learning to independently plan my experiments and analyze my data. I have relished this opportunity to take the lead on my project and learn (and teach) new techniques to other lab members.
How does your research relate to your work in other classes?
My research draws from many of my classes, including introductory chemistry classes and 300-level Environmental Engineering classes. More specifically, my work focuses on water treatment and dissolved organic matter. For that reason, my environmental chemistry and organic chemistry classes have been especially useful.
Is this your first research project?
Actually, this project is my second research experience. I started doing research for Dr. Mark Marten in Fall 2012, where my focus was on analyzing and improving industrially-relevant protein secretions of the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans through random mutagenesis.
How did you hear about the Undergraduate Research Award (URA) program?
When I was working for Dr. Marten, he had a student working for him who had won this award multiple times. Dr. Marten let me know when the application was open and I applied for the award in 2013 and 2014.
What academic background did you have before you applied for the URA?
When I first applied for the URA, I was midway through my sophomore year. Hence, I had taken the introductory chemistry classes, as well as organic chemistry and one chemical engineering course.
Was the application difficult to do?
The application is certainly extensive and required a thorough knowledge of the research project, as well as the motivation for the proposed work. However, with help from my mentor, the application process enabled me to understand my project more completely.
How did your mentor help you with the application?
My mentor was especially helpful in editing my application, as he provided an experienced set of eyes to review my writing.
What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?
Start early! I started research when I was a sophomore, but I wish I started much sooner!
Read his abstract here...
