Meredith Barbee: Support your students, let them know you care about them
On the College of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Meredith Barbee investigates polymer and bodily natural chemistry with a selected concentrate on the make-up and manipulation of supplies utilized in on a regular basis life, corresponding to rubbers.
Barbee applies a really uncommon method to her analysis: the place college analysis is usually carried out by Ph.D. college students and post-doctoral researchers, Barbee’s lab employs solely undergraduate college students. She believes that early independence in scientific analysis can positively form and affect the profession of scholars, whether or not they proceed on within the sciences or select a unique path after their undergraduate research.
We sat down with Barbee to be taught all about her analysis and her distinctive method to instructing.
The place did you develop up and when the place you first uncovered to the sciences?
I’m from Stanfield, North Carolina, a small city 45 minutes east of Charlotte and 6 hours from Chattanooga, the place I’m now. In highschool, I had many nice science academics and several other of them helped me with a science honest undertaking, which actually sparked my curiosity.
My chemistry instructor was Sharon Mace, and my environmental science instructor was Steve Teeter. They have been each very supportive of my early scientific exploration. Mr. Teeter would take us to the Inexperienced Financial institution observatory in West Virginia and we’d do our personal radio astronomy experiments there. I liked all sciences, however particularly chemistry.
When did you resolve to turn out to be a chemist?
In the direction of the tip of highschool, I made a decision I wished to main in chemistry. I actually like how chemistry is related to many different topics and a few chemists even name it the “central science”. I began off planning to be a highschool chemistry instructor, however after working in a lab, I used to be hooked on doing analysis and moved on to graduate faculty for chemistry after spending a niche 12 months in business after faculty.
Have been there any formative occasions or anecdotal tales out of your (below)graduate research you possibly can share?
I went to Meredith Faculty in Raleigh, North Carolina. It’s a girls’s liberal arts faculty with many ladies college, so very early on I used to be supported by these professors and felt a way of belonging as a result of they wished you to succeed. The concept was which you can turn out to be something you wish to be.
Did you’ve any mentors who supported you alongside the way in which?
At Meredith Faculty, Claire Siburt and Walda Powell have been professors who mentored me and helped me make selections about my profession plans. My Ph.D. advisor, Stephen Craig, helped me develop a whole lot of my philosophy about who I wish to be as a scientist, and my postdoc advisor, Abigail Knight, supported me alongside the way in which as properly. At UTC there’s one other college member, Gretchen Potts, who has helped me transition from postdoc to college over the previous 12 months and a half.
I additionally accomplished two completely different Analysis Expertise for Undergraduates (REU) packages via the Nationwide Science Basis. One summer season, I labored at Appalachian State College with Professor Alexander Schwab, and this was my first actual analysis expertise. The next summer season I labored at Duke for the second REU. I’d find yourself working within the lab the place I later carried out my Ph.D.
Are you able to inform us about your analysis? What excites you about your work?
In my division at UTC, we mix chemistry with physics and we wouldn’t have any graduate college students. We’ve got round 16 college members with lively analysis packages and all analysis is carried out by undergraduates. I see my college students as scientists who’re simply within the undergraduate portion of their profession — and I need them to additionally see themselves that method. They’re all very motivated college students who’re extremely engaged in our work.
The analysis I’m engaged on entails the right way to tune materials habits on a macroscopic scale utilizing chemistry. College students don’t all the time see supplies like polymers and rubbers as being made up of bonds, molecules, and compounds, however they’re, and we are able to use chemistry to affect these properties.
How does your laboratory examine the management of fabric properties on a molecular stage?
We design completely different monomers and crosslinkers for making completely different polymers [a class of natural or synthetic substances composed of very large molecules, which are multiples of simpler chemical units, or monomers].
We have a look at how these polymers behave on the size of particular person chains dissolved in resolution and the size of constructing bulk supplies and networks. My college students conduct synthesis to make the monomers we’re enthusiastic about exploring, however additionally they make and take a look at supplies.
Which supplies does your laboratory examine and the place are these supplies utilized?
We’re working with a variety of supplies. One in all my college students is specializing in hydrogels with bio-medical purposes, and one other scholar is working with polyurethane foams. We’re on the lookout for fascinating issues to resolve and which supplies may gain advantage from our methods.
Are you able to share some future analysis plans?
We simply began working with a grant from the Heart of Excellence and Utilized Computation Science and Engineering on the College of Tennessee at Chattanooga. My analysis collaborator for this grant is Eleni Panagiotou, now at Arizona State College.
We’re investigating how polymer chains are related in networks and the way their topology influences the habits of hydrogels. There are each experimental and computational parts to this undertaking. I’m excited to be taught extra about utilizing computational analysis to assist experimental design.
Your analysis is carried out by undergraduate college students. How did you get into any such lab and what’s your method to this mannequin of studying?
As a graduate scholar and a postdoc, I had many undergraduates working with me all through that point as a result of that have meant a lot to me once I was an undergraduate. I discovered early on with my first scholar in my Ph.D. that I used to be having essentially the most enjoyable when he was working within the lab too and I might workforce up with him and share outcomes. It is smart to consider what brings you pleasure and what you’re good at.
Through the years of serving to college students begin their very own initiatives, I developed an curiosity in connecting analysis and instructing via analysis as part of my future profession. Conducting undergraduate analysis is a superb method for college kids to be taught chemistry and one of many fundamental methods they turn out to be within the topic and resolve to turn out to be scientists.
My method is to let the scholars lead the work as a lot as potential. I attempt to present a secure and supportive surroundings. I begin off by introducing them the undertaking and instructing the lab expertise they want, and over time as they be taught and develop extra independence, they begin growing their very own hypotheses and pushing their work forwards. My aim is for my college students to expertise the whole means of doing science, from designing experiments to considering critically in regards to the outcomes.
The scholars are very motivated and inventive, and so they haven’t skilled years of wrestle making an attempt to make experiments work. All the pieces is new and thrilling and that creates contagious enthusiasm.
Does this early publicity to hands-on laboratory analysis have an effect on the profession trajectory of the scholars?
It might probably go both method. Generally they understand they just like the analysis greater than anticipated and go on to pursue a profession in chemistry and others discover that this isn’t need they wish to do, which can also be worthwhile.
Giving them a sensible image of what doing analysis is admittedly like is necessary. From there, as their mentor, my aim is to assist their aim. The analysis expertise they gained via scientific considering can then translate to many alternative areas.
What’s your recommendation for individuals who wish to enhance their scientific instructing?
Keep targeted on the scholars, they’re the middle of all of it, and also you need them to have a very good expertise. Present the required assist and allow them to know you care about them and their studying. In instructing your content material, strive various things.
We’re all the time innovating as scientists, I additionally maintain striving to enhance in instructing. It additionally helps me to not focus an excessive amount of on perfection. You may be taught from every scenario and determine the right way to enhance.
What’s …
Your favourite free time exercise?
I really like mountain climbing and tenting in Tennessee and North Carolina, and we’ve got many mountain climbing trails and waterfalls within the space surrounding Chattanooga. I additionally get pleasure from visiting my household.
Your favourite meals?
I all the time have chocolate in my workplace, however any type of chocolate is my favourite.
A tune you’ve on fixed replay?
I’ve been listening to the 2 latest Taylor Swift albums quite a bit, however no explicit tune.
A guide everybody ought to learn?
My favourite guide is Jane Austen’s Pleasure and Prejudice.
A discovery (any analysis discipline or time) you would like you’d have made?
I labored with some good individuals throughout my research and I’ve thought it could be nice to put in writing any of their publications. Additionally, there was a whole lot of inventive early work within the discipline I did my Ph.D., polymeric mechanochemistry, and it could have been cool to be concerned in that.
An individual (well-known or not) you prefer to meet for a drink?
I wish to have a drink with Carolyn Bertozzi, who simply received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. It will be nice to be taught extra of the backstory of how she developed her concepts round ring pressure for bioothogonal chemistry. She can also be a wonderful advocate for variety in science.
Who would play you in a biopic?
I don’t comply with popular culture very a lot, however Jennifer Lawrence looks as if a pleasant individual to play me.
Function picture credit score: Angela Foster and the College of Tennessee at Chattanooga
