Magic Johnson

by Karen Lykins

TTU undergrad Azuráe Johnson wins national research fellowship

Only the second Tennessee Tech student ever chosen for a competitive undergraduate research fellowship with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Washington D.C., Azuráe Johnson, 19, can already catalogue her biomolecular chemical engineering research experiences at the university.

Less than a year since graduating from Cookeville High School, she transitioned to becoming a freshman researcher in nanocomposite research studies under her adviser, Holly Stretz, and Pedro Arce, who together lead TTU’s Chemical Engineering Nanocomposite Research Team.

Stretz, who says the department’s philosophy is to expose and invite students early in their careers to be involved with research and real-world problem solving, assigned Johnson to assist doctoral student Jeffrey Thompson with work on his patent for novel thermo-sensitive gels that promise to purify drugs faster and more efficiently. Johnson has already begun a second independent project studying the hot coagulation of novel carbon nanotubes in efforts to make materials stronger.

“It is because I was encouraged by the Chemical Engineering Female Mentoring Group and faculty members who teach the chemical engineering ‘Intro to Research’ course, that I felt comfortable and excited about doing my own research projects,” said Johnson.

(Summer 2009)