Previous work in NSF program contributes to fellowship award
Catie Brewer’s academic life keeps coming back to the National Science Foundation. After an undergraduate NSF experience two years ago, Brewer became one of four engineering students at Iowa State University to have received an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship in 2008.
Brewer’s initial experience with NSF began during the summer of 2006 when she participated in an NSF research program held at Mississippi State University. Though Brewer did not attend that university, she was able to take part in the program and conduct research in the applied microbiology lab in the chemical engineering department of the school.
“I worked on an extraction method for removing fatty acids from oleaginous yeast by electroporation, which is usually used for inserting DNA into microorganisms, for the increased production of biodiesel,” Brewer recalled.
Brewer received her bachelor’s degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and today is pursuing her doctorate in chemical and biological engineering at Iowa State.
Brewer, originally from Seattle, plans to use the fellowship to fund her research on the biochar project within the Center for Sustainable Environmental Technologies.
“The chars will be used as biochars, which are charcoals produced from biomass that are used for agronomic and carbon sequestration applications,” Brewer explained. “When the chars are incorporated into soils they improve soil fertility, especially on acidic or very weathered soils.”
To carry out these experiments, she is performing her research with Robert C. Brown, Bergles Professor in Thermal Science, Iowa Farm Bureau director of the Bioeconomy Institute, director of the Center for Sustainable Environmental Technologies, and professor of mechanical engineering, chemical and biological engineering, and agricultural and biosystems engineering.
“This is a very collaborative project,” Brewer said. “In addition to Dr. Brown, I will be working with the mechanical engineers that make the chars and the agronomists who perform the soil tests.”
Aside from her grades, Brewer feels that she stood out as a strong fellowship candidate for several reasons. She has been an active member of the American Chemical Society, tutored undergraduate and high school chemistry students, and performed liquid nitrogen shows at elementary schools. Brewer participated in a study abroad program in Poznan, Poland, for one year.
“I have a propensity for jumping into multidisciplinary research in spite of significant learning curves and challenging communication barriers,” Brewer explained.
When Brewer looks ahead into the future she sees herself teaching at a research university, though it could take a while to get there. She is also interested in pursuing a biobased or green engineering industrial research career.
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