![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/12\/Cullen-Burke-edited.jpg\")
I\u2019m from a town called Moscow in Idaho. It\u2019s a small town of 25,000 people and we\u2019re home to the University of Idaho.
What did you major in and when\/where did you complete your previous degree(s)?<\/strong>
I went to Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. I majored in Environmental Science and obtained a Bachelor\u2019s of Science degree in May of 2021.
Which program did you apply for at the Department of Forest Biomaterials? Why?<\/strong>
I applied for the Ph.D. program here in the Department of Forest Biomaterials. Initially, I was applying for masters programs, but my advisor Dr. Lucia recommended I pursue a doctoral degree instead.
Who is your advisor? What will your research focus be?<\/strong>
Dr. Lucian Lucia is my advisor. My research will focus on understanding lignin-carbohydrate complexes.
Why are you interested in that area?<\/strong>
I\u2019ve been interested in woody biomaterials since I participated in a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) internship at Washington State University that investigated methods for extracting pyrolytic lignin. I believe utilizing woody material is a sustainable way to create objects we use daily.
What is the impact that you are hoping to have in the realm of<\/strong> sustainability?<\/strong>
My project will help us understand lignin better; therefore, aiding in the utilization of this polymer.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time, e.g. hobbies, community service,<\/strong> etc.?<\/strong>
I love the outdoors, going to the gym, playing sports, and other active things! I\u2019m usually pretty adventurous, so I\u2019m always down to try new things.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n
Meet Cullen Burke, one of the new Forest Biomaterials students who joined our Graduate program this semester! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meet Cullen Burke, one of the new Forest Biomaterials students who joined our Graduate program this semester! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-graduate-profiles"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/197"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22842"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23330,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22842\/revisions\/23330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
I\u2019m from a town called Moscow in Idaho. It\u2019s a small town of 25,000 people and we\u2019re home to the University of Idaho.
What did you major in and when\/where did you complete your previous degree(s)?<\/strong>
I went to Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. I majored in Environmental Science and obtained a Bachelor\u2019s of Science degree in May of 2021.
Which program did you apply for at the Department of Forest Biomaterials? Why?<\/strong>
I applied for the Ph.D. program here in the Department of Forest Biomaterials. Initially, I was applying for masters programs, but my advisor Dr. Lucia recommended I pursue a doctoral degree instead.
Who is your advisor? What will your research focus be?<\/strong>
Dr. Lucian Lucia is my advisor. My research will focus on understanding lignin-carbohydrate complexes.
Why are you interested in that area?<\/strong>
I\u2019ve been interested in woody biomaterials since I participated in a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) internship at Washington State University that investigated methods for extracting pyrolytic lignin. I believe utilizing woody material is a sustainable way to create objects we use daily.
What is the impact that you are hoping to have in the realm of<\/strong> sustainability?<\/strong>
My project will help us understand lignin better; therefore, aiding in the utilization of this polymer.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time, e.g. hobbies, community service,<\/strong> etc.?<\/strong>
I love the outdoors, going to the gym, playing sports, and other active things! I\u2019m usually pretty adventurous, so I\u2019m always down to try new things.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"