WORKFORCE
STUDENT WORKSHOPS
High school students from central Tennessee participate in STEM outreach workshops at the Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (VINSE), where students built solar cells and toured Vanderbilt’s campus. (Photo courtesy of the author)
in the fall. I chose Vanderbilt University because of its reputation in research and its location. I chose a Ph.D. in the interdisciplin- ary material science program because it included an emphasis in the fields of chemistry, mechanical engineering and physics, while allowing me to transfer many of the credits from my previ- ous graduate work.
Te application process was somewhat standard, requiring transcripts, purpose statements and academic letters of recom- mendation, for which I leaned on previous colleagues at West Point and DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center. Te biggest break in this process came from supporting my center direc- tor on a trip to the area. While accompanying him for official duties, I was able to tour Vanderbilt and other local universities, get briefed on local research efforts being funded by DOD and, most importantly, meet key faculty members within the mate- rial science program. I was accepted into the program, working under a faculty member who had experience with ACS officers and the short timelines imposed by the Army. Tis would ensure that I was in the best position to succeed. In July 2019, roughly nine months after first learning about the program, I arrived at Vanderbilt to get a head start on research before beginning classes.
A JUGGLING ACT Since arriving on campus, I have been balancing coursework with research and other ACS requirements, like interacting with the university Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program. My research is focused on developing novel biohybrid photovol- taic devices for expeditionary energy, and my coursework has
included topics like nanoparticles, atomic arrangements and elec- trochemistry. Te program has included colloquiums with leading researchers from around the world speaking on breakthroughs in material science and associated fields. I have also been able to take advantage of the Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering’s (VINSE) state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, learning to fabricate and characterize materials at the nanoscale. While the pace and coursework has been challenging, it was necessary to frontload the requirements to ensure I will gradu- ate by May 2022.
Beyond the academic requirements, I have worked to stay connected with the acquisition community and Army modern- ization efforts. In April 2019, U.S. Army Futures Command (AFC) signed a formal education partnership agreement with Vanderbilt University to codify the efforts of the university to innovate with Soldiers from nearby 101st Airborne Division. I have been able to provide briefings on AFC, the modernization priorities and the language of large-scale combat operations to university leaders. While these briefs are informal, the aim is to better prepare the staff and faculty to interact with AFC and the units from the 101st. Additionally, I have connected with scien- tists at the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) whose projects are similar to my research efforts. We plan to have an ARL scien- tist on my Ph.D. committee in order to codify the relationship between the Army lab and the university research group, as well as to ensure the Army is able to directly benefit from my research while in the program.
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