Doctoral Student Sees Chemical Engineering as Part of Everything in Daily Life

In a increasingly competitive and technologically advanced world, 凯文·里昂是一颗真正的爱达荷宝石. He has the drive and passion to do what’s needed in order to stay current and make an impact in his chosen field of chemical engineering

从爱达荷州东部的高中毕业后, he moved to Oregon for the independence and education that comes with college.

“我对STEM不感兴趣. 一点也没有. Then I took calculus and the instructor sparked an interest in it.”

When asked why he selected Chemical Engineering as his area, he becomes quite animated and it’s easy to see that he is passionate about the discipline.

“Chemical Engineering is part of everything in daily life. It’s a piece of the gasoline in your car, the electricity in your home and the food that we consume. 它有很宽的宽度. Chemical Engineers work on cool, complex applied problems.”

He returned to Idaho to attend the University of Idaho and graduated with a bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering from the Moscow campus in 2010.

“那时，我已经完成了学业. 我不打算继续攻读研究生学位.”

Life has a funny way of happening when you don’t expect it to. A friend of Kevin’s, his former roommate in Moscow, started a masters degree. His excitement about the masters and advanced education made Kevin take a pause and consider what going back to school could mean for him.

“I was living in 爱达荷瀑布 and wanted to stay in the area. University of Idaho’s 爱达荷瀑布 campus offers graduate programs in Chemical Engineering so I contacted the local office for assistance.”

就在那时，他遇到了他未来的主要教授，博士. Vivek Utgikar, who was the instructor of his first graduate class.

“Kevin is an ideal graduate student; one who is intellectually curious, 渴望学习并积极完成目标. Having been the outstanding student of his graduating baccalaureate class, he has strong technical and scientific fundamentals that enable him to grasp the complex concepts of advanced topics and build his skillset.”

Kevin started his masters degree in 2012 while working fulltime at Idaho National Lab where he is a Chemical Engineer in Aqueous Separations and Radiochemistry. 他成功地完成了他的硕士学位.S. 在2016年春季学期，她正在攻读博士学位.D.他也主修化学工程.

有思想的365滚球官网, Kevin shares that education has helped him to get a good job that is fulfilling and enjoyable. It has increased his professional reputation and afforded opportunities for career advancement. He has better means to provide a good life for himself and his family and has enhanced his everyday life.

“Education changes your outlook on how and where things come from and when you think about where things come from you become grateful and understand what it takes to have the life that we have.”

Balancing life, work and going to school, especially as a doctoral student is not easy or quick. It requires time management, goal setting and knowing your priorities.

“You need to commit to your studies for certain but you also need to commit to having a personal life and that can take even more of a commitment. I’ve seen non-traditional students try to burn the candle at both ends. 你必须合理安排时间. Slow and steady progress, don’t overload, take one class at a time.”

凯文选择继续攻读博士学位.D. 这个计划是经过仔细考虑的. He firmly believes in the value of gaining knowledge and expertise so that he can be more effective in his work. 作为一名研发科学家, the advanced degree lends credibility to the research and can bring in additional avenues for projects.

Dr. Utgikar是这样描述的.

“Kevin is ever willing to listen and deliberate over the suggestions related to his research and is always looking to enhance the understanding of the field. Pursuit of an advanced degree while working full-time is a challenging task, 但凯文能胜任, with his research having practical applicability in INL’s activities to advance the field of aqueous separations related to nuclear energy and critical materials.”

Kevin also credits the support from family and other people close to him for making it possible for him to do what he genuinely enjoys.

“问问你自己想要什么，然后为之努力. Remember that we are all human and none of us are perfect. Don’t lose sight of what’s important in your life along the way. Keep your priorities straight, buckle down, and do what’s right.”

本文作者:Alice Allen.