“One of the reasons that I have been successful in research is that I was given a lot of responsibility early on to pursue my own projects.”

Josh Temple is a senior in ChemBE who has been heavily involved in research since intersession of his freshman year. He won the Sarah K. Doshna Undergraduate Research Award from ChemBE as well as the Provost’s Undergraduate Research Award from the Provost’s Office for his work in Dr. Warren Grayson’s (Biomedical Engineering) lab.

The goal of his research was to find ways to regenerate craniofacial bone with stem cells, which included creating scaffolds out of biomaterials that would safely degrade inside of the body. These scaffolds were based on CT scans which would then be converted to 3D models for printing on a custom 3D printer he designed.

He suggests that students interested in doing research should wait until intersession of their freshman year (at the earliest), so that they can start exploring after they have made the adjustment to college. Students can research lab websites to find groups that interest them, and then reach out to the faculty in charge of the lab to learn how to get involved. He recommends that students try to schedule an in-person meeting with potential research advisors as that may help them secure opportunities!

Josh’s education in the ChemBE department combined with his research experience has given him problem solving skills that can be applied both inside and outside of engineering. After he graduates in 2015, he plans to take an associate position with the GLG Institute, a company that provides leading business professionals with opportunities to share their expertise with each other.