Montre J. Glore, who is originally from Paducah, Kentucky, joined UK's Computer Science engineering program in the fall of 2015. He received the William C. Parker Scholarship. Since the summer of 2016, he has been doing research under the mentorship of Dr. Christopher R. Swartz in the Electrochemical Power Sources Group at UK CAER, where his work has focused on developing a battery using material from bourbon stillage and hemp-based products. In addition, Montre has volunteered as tutor and during K-Week (UK’s fall welcome week for new students). His hobbies include reading and just enjoying some peace and quiet.
Sarah Hodges, who is originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, enrolled in UK's Chemical Engineering program in the fall of 2015. Sarah is a Patterson Scholar and a student in the Lewis Honors College. Since the summer of 2016 Sarah has been doing research under the mentorship of Dr. Bob Jewell and Dr. Tristana Duvallet in the Environmental and Coal Technologies group at UK CAER, where her work has focused on the piezoelectric effects of Ettringite in CSA cement and the effect on the formation of Ettringite in CSA cement of different pH solutions. In Summer 2016, Sarah received a Summer Research Grant from the University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research. Sarah is also a member of NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers), SWE (Society of Women Engineers), and SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers). She spent her spring semester at UK volunteering as a tutor for students ranging from elementary school aged to high school aged at the Lexington Public Library and NERD SQUAD and is a UK 101 Peer Instructor for Fall 2016. In addition to research and academics, Sarah spends her time reading, cooking and participating in campus outreach ministries. Watch this UKCAER Highlight video of Sarah participating in STEM activities.
Asare Nkansah, who is originally from Naperville, Illinois joined UK in the fall of 2015. He received a large scholarship from the William C. Parker foundation. Since the summer of 2016 Asare has been doing research in the Nanoscience division at Argonne National Lab, where his work has focused on simulating light interactions with a dielectric lens using Lumerical, a finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulation software. He presented his work at the National Lab to various executives and on-site officials. Asare is in Theta Chi fraternity and has spent a lot of time working at different philanthropies and helping organizations fundraise money to support their cause. He also enjoys playing basketball as well as spending late nights at the library.
Steven Roberts, who is originally from Atlanta, Georgia, joined UK Mining Engineering program in the fall of 2015. He received the William C. Parker scholarship. Since the summer of 2016, Steven has been doing research under the mentorship of Dr. Tristana Duvallet in the Environmental and Coal Technologies group at UK CAER, where his work has focused on testing different molds of slant shearing. Steven has also been very active on campus, joining several organizations such as MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences), NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers), and UGP (Underground Perspective). Some of his many hobbies include playing and watching football and basketball, dancing, and playing chess.
Chelsea Robinson, who is originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, joined UK's mechanical engineering program in the fall of 2015. She has received the William C. Parker scholarship as well as the H. Dean Evans scholarship. Since the summer of 2016 Chelsea has been doing research under the mentorship of Dr. Matthew Weisenberger and Ruben Sarabia in the Carbon Materials group of UK CAER. Her research consisted of working with thermoelectrics and improving the efficiency of these materials. She has also participated in outreach events helping to expose elementary school kids as well as high school students to STEM related fields. Chelsea's extracurricular activities include spending time with family and friends as well as photography. Watch this UKCAER Highlight video of Chelsea participating in STEM activities.
Charles Beasley, who is originally from Atlanta, Georgia, joined UK’s Chemical Engineering program in the fall of 2016. He received the See Blue and William C. Parker Diversity Scholarships. Since the summer of 2017, Charles has been doing research under the mentorship of Dr. Muthu Gnanamani in the Clean Fuels and Chemicals group at UK CAER, where his work has focused on the use of an iron-gallium catalyst in the Fischer-Tropsch process. He is a member of Phi Sigma Kappa and regularly participates in their polar plunge, a philanthropy event that directly benefits the Special Olympics. He also volunteers regularly at the Ronald McDonald House. Charles is an avid bodybuilder and loves to take his jeep off-road.
Kelcey Breckenridge, who is originally from Charleston, West Virginia, joined UK’s Materials Engineering program in the fall of 2016, as a recipient of the William C. Parker scholarship. Since the summer of 2017, Kelcey has been doing research under the mentorship of Dr. Matthew Weisenberger and Ruben Sarabia in the Carbon Materials Technologies group at UK CAER, where her work has focused on thermoelectric materials. While at UK, Kelcey has also participated in UK’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers and Materials Advantage. Some of her favorite pastimes are spending time with family, fishing and cooking.
Vincent Clark, who is originally from Lexington, Kentucky, joined UK’s Chemical Engineering program in the fall of 2016. Vincent is a recipient of the William C. Parker Scholarship, the Provost Scholarship, and the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity Scholarship. Since the summer of 2017, Vincent has been doing research under the mentorship of Dr. Eduardo Santillan-Jimenez and Tonya Morgan in the Biofuels & Environmental Catalysis group of UK CAER, where his work has focused on improving the performance of catalysts used in the deoxygenation of lipids to hydrocarbon fuels. He is a member of UK’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers. Vincent also enjoys playing basketball, traveling, and listening to music.
Victor Holness, who is originally from Palmetto, Georgia, joined UK’s Materials Engineering program in the fall of 2016. He received the Bluegrass Spirit Scholarship and the William C. Parker Scholarship. In the summer of 2017, Victor did research under the mentorship of Dr. Xin Gao in the Power Generation group, where his work focused on developing and testing flow electrode deionization cells that will greatly increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the desalination process. Since the summer of 2018 Victor has been doing research under the mentorship of Ruben Sarabia in the Carbon Materials Group, where his work has focused on creating hollow carbon fiber. Victor is also part of UK’s chapters of the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. During his time at UK he has volunteered his time at Campus Kitchens where he has prepare meals for the needy in the Lexington community. Aside from his involvement in UK clubs, he also enjoys playing ultimate frisbee with his friends, running, reading and playing the piano.
Mustapha Muhammad, who is originally from Louisville, Kentucky, joined UK’s Computer Science Engineering program in the fall of 2016. He received the William C. Parker scholarship. Since the summer of 2017 Mustapha has been doing research under the mentorship of Dr. Bob Jewell in the Environmental and Coal Technologies group at UK CAER, where his work has focused on testing the strength of certain concrete mixes. A few of his hobbies are watching movies, making YouTube videos and making short films.
Thomas Nelson III, who is from Lexington, Kentucky, enrolled in UK’s Mechanical Engineering program in the fall of 2016. Thomas is a recipient of the William C. Parker scholarship. Starting in the summer of 2017, Thomas has done research within the Power Generation group at UK CAER, assisting Dr. James Landon in his desalination research with zeolite membranes. Thomas is a member of the National Society of Black Engineers, and has participated in community outreach and mentoring programs supporting young minority males in local middle schools and high schools. He enjoys music, sports, and reading in his spare time.
Mohanad Abdallah, who is originally from Lexington, KY joined UK's Electrical Engineering and Hispanic Studies programs in the fall of 2014. He has received the Benjamin A. Gilman International, the E. ON U.S. Endowed, and the William C. Parker Diversity scholarships. He has worked as a research assistant at CAER under the mentorship of Dr. Eduardo Santillan-Jimenez. Recently, Mohanad was awarded the prestigious DAAD Rise award from the German Academic Exchange Service, which offers undergraduate students from North American universities the opportunity to complete a summer research internship at top German universities and research institutions. Through this award, Mohanad joined the Reiner Lemoine Institute in Berlin, Germany in June 2018 as a summer intern with the Off-Grid Systems team. The objective of his internship is to develop a low carbon electrification plan for a small island in the Philippines. Some of his tasks include analysis of market potential of different countries, application and development of open-source grid optimization tools , modelling and simulation of energy systems. After graduation, he hopes to work in implementing renewable energy technologies in rural areas and developing countries, as he is interested in the development of energy technologies as well as the social and cultural impacts of renewable energy.
Flor Mucino, who is originally from Waukesha, Wisconsin, joined UK in the fall of 2018, as a recipient of the William C. Parker scholarship. Since the summer of 2018, Flor has been doing research under the mentorship of Dr. James Hower in the Environmental and Coal Technologies group at UK CAER, where her work has focused on identifying macerals within coal samples. Flor is a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers as well as the National Society of High School Scholars. She is heavily involved in the Latino community around Lexington and works with the Kentucky Dream Coalition; an organization dedicated to help minority and immigrant students in the state of Kentucky. Two of her favorite pastimes are drawing and hiking the Pinnacles in Berea.
Darian Parker, who is originally from Alpharetta, GA, joined UK’s mechanical engineering program in the fall of 2016. He received the See Blue and William C. Parker scholarship. Since the summer of 2018 Darian has been doing research under the mentorship of Michael Wilson in the Biofuels group of CAER, where his work has focused on using CO2 to grow algae that can then be converted into fuels and/or chemicals. He participates in organizations such as NSBE, Engineering World Health and the off-campus student association. In his free time, Darian enjoys watching Netflix, going to the gym and playing video games. After graduation, he hopes to pursue a career in biomedical engineering.
Julia Parker, who is originally from Suwanee, GA, joined UK Biosystems and Agricultural engineering program in the fall of 2016. She is the recipient of the Bluegrass Spirit Scholarship as well as the William C. Parker Scholarship. Since the summer of 2018, Julia has been doing research under the mentorship of Stephanie Kesner in the Biofuels and Environmental Catalysis group of CAER, where her research has focused on algae cultivation, environmental adaptation, CO2 consumption and reutilization. Julia enjoys watching documentaries, being active outdoors, and being a car enthusiast.
Victor Valdivia, who is originally from Versailles, KY, has been doing research under the mentorship of Dr. Bob Jewell and Dr. Tristana Duvallet in the Cementitious Materials Group at CAER since the spring 2018 semester. He received the William C. Parker Scholarship and the Governor’s Citation among other scholarships and awards. Victor is majoring in civil engineering and intends to firefight at an airport or city after graduation. He spends much of his time with the fire department but he is also involved in Civil Air Patrol, the American Society of Civil Engineers, cycling/mountain biking, and soccer, which he referees. Victor is currently a firefighter with the Versailles Fire Department in Woodford County as a volunteer and part-time worker.
Johnte Lipford from Gretna, VA, joined UK’s Materials Engineering Program in the fall of 2017. Since the summer of 2018 Johnte has been doing research under the mentorship of David Eaton in the Carbon Fibers group, where his work has focused on comparing bamboo fibers with hemp fibers as feedstock for the synthesis of carbon materials.
Johnna Campbell, who is originally from Xenia, OH, joined UK’s Chemical Engineering program in the fall of 2014. She received the William C Parker scholarship, the Buick Achievers and the Allwaysup Scholarship. Since the summer of 2018 Johnna has been doing research under the mentorship of Jonathan Pelgen in the Power Generation and Utilities group of CAER where her work has focused on post-combustion CO2 capture. Johnna is also involved in the UK student chapter of NSBE. In her spare time, Johnna enjoys cuddling with her cat and boyfriend while watching crime shows and also enjoys a good horror book here and then. Her favorite genres of music is anything worth listening to and she also likes dance and food channels on YouTube.
Camron De’Vine, who is originally from Homewood, IL, joined the UK Chemical Engineering program in the fall of 2017. He has received the Kentucky Futures, William C. Parker, and SeeBlue Scholarships. Since the summer of 2018, Camron has been doing research under the mentorship of Dr. Chad Risko, in the Theoretical Materials group of CAER, where his work has focused on the morphology of organic semiconductors of interest for solar cells. As a rising sophomore, he is an executive board member of UK’s National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Camron has also been invited to attend British Petroleum’s (BP) STEP Program this summer. He is very interested in sports and has most recently taken up golfing. He also enjoys traveling.