Through my college journey, the terms “research” and “zero-emissions” have become central to my academic identity. Not just because they reflect both my lab experience and keen interest in sustainable tech, but because they evoke a personal question that many high school seniors and college underclassmen grapple with: what does it mean to be a scientist? I’m Trevon Collins, a mechanical engineering student at Tennessee Technological University. In this podcast episode, I’ll share the answers I’ve found through investigating age-old secrets of phase change and their implications for the green transition.
Kennedy Whiters lives by "Do not fear failure; rather, fear not trying." She participated in the REALIZE REU when she was a junior at Albany State University. Kennedy performed research on methanogens, a type of anaerobic bacteria that consumes carbon dioxide and turns it into natural gas, which we can use as a source of energy in power plants. In this episode, she describes her experience working in the lab of Prof Annie Rowe, where she found the lab group to be a good source of positive support, like her family.
