Opening the Door to Research

The Paper Science and Engineering program offers plenty of opportunities outside of the classroom besides company connections and interviews. My name is Spencer Payne and I am a junior pursing a PSE Degree.  One of my favorite opportunities has been undergraduate research.  For some students who don’t get an internship or want to take summer classes, paid summer research is offered under a faculty member here on campus. I started off my research career my rising sophomore summer under Dr. Nathalie Lavoine while taking summer classes. I am currently a junior doing further research under the same professor.

Research Experience Provided Growth and Confidence

Working in the lab provided me excellent skills in creating and running lab experiments. I developed an understanding of higher-level concepts and felt like I was making a true impact on the research being done. I was shown how to create a professional poster of the research I performed and was able to present it at a student banquet. My experience in research has allowed me to grow and mature before going to my first work experience. It opened doors for me as a lab teaching assistant and another paid research project that I am currently involved in. I highly recommend having at least one research experience while attending NC State.

Research…First of it’s Kind

In addition to the opportunity and the personal growth, the research being done in the department is often the first of its kind and focused on sustainability. For students such as myself, that are passionate about sustainability, doing research into plant-based products can be incredibly fulfilling. My two projects so far have been on creating insulating foams seen in this photo and creating plastic-free disposable coffee cups. Eventually I hope to be involved with the creation of biodegradable or compostable water bottles to reduce single use plastics. This dream seems much more attainable after being involved in research in the Paper Science and Engineering program.

By guest blogger Spencer Payne