Louisville native, self-described horse-girl, and current chemical engineering major at the University of Kentucky Laura Russell has always felt at home outdoors and within nature. Whether its roller skating or hiking on trails, rock climbing or riding horses.
“I may be cliché this way, but I am a girl in her twenties who loves sustainability,” said Russell as she shrugged. “Horseback riding was something for me that fostered a love of the natural world.”
That passion for sustainability led her to UK to pursue the sciences.
“I started out as a biology major because I’ve always been interested in life sciences passion wise. That really just came from a love of learning and just figuring out how the world around me works,” said Russell.
Through this affinity with her surroundings Russell has developed, an appetite for a more hands-on approach to learning and a switch to chemical engineering.
“I need to see something written out to retain it,” said Russell. “I think I have a dent in my finger from holding my pen so much.”
This desire for more tactile things fits well at the UK Center for Applied Energy Research where there are experiential learning opportunities abound for student researchers like herself.
”There is really good practical experience here, and it gives me a better understanding of the material side of things as someone from a Chem E background. Getting that hands on work with all these different testing techniques is really helpful,” said Russell.
As an undergraduate researcher working with the carbon materials group to develop conductive fibers, Russell has been taken under the wings of Associate Research Engineer Dr. Leah Noble and Principal Research Engineer Dr. Ashley Morris.
“The teamwork and the leadership here is really valuable because they’re always there, they’re very open, very encouraging, and they help me get through developing my skills and figuring out my strengths which is a valuable experience for an undergraduate,” said Russell.
Noble had similar words for Russell seeing her work personality firsthand.
“It’s always a fun time when Laura is in the lab,” said Noble. “Fiber spinning could be going horribly, but Laura lightens the mood with interesting stories and conversations, while also contributing meaningfully to the work at hand. She’s also eager to learn and unafraid to ask questions about the why behind our experiments. It’s been very cool to see the knowledge and skills for fiber spinning and testing that she has gained over the past year. “
Formerly assigned to PEDOT-PSS fibers, Russell’s work now focuses on using hagfish proteins and turning those into multifilament that can be used in the textile field. A niche focus, but an important one for sustainability projects as most synthetic fibers derive from fossil fuels.
“The types of research here, and the level of research here you aren’t going to find in a lot of other places,” said Russell.
Speaking of other places, Russell could find herself anywhere in the next few years after her work at CAER and graduation from UK. But for now, she is eager to learn and contribute to the spearheading initiatives of the research center.
