Being in research has been the biggest learning opportunity!
Author: Caroline Eddy | Major: Biochemistry
Hi, everyone! My name is Caroline Eddy, and I am a Fulbright honors biochemistry major here at the University of Arkansas. My research mentor is Dr. Robert Coridan in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. I began research in the Coridan Lab my sophomore year of college and received the Honors College Grant my junior year in the spring of 2022. My future plans for my senior year in the research lab are to continue working on patterning, characterizing, and functionalizing my CuBi2O4 photocathode.
In the spring of my freshman year, Dr. Coridan was my Chem II for Majors professor. His teaching style allowed me to flourish academically in the course and helped me realize what I was capable of accomplishing during my next three years of college. In the summer between my freshman and sophomore year, I reached out to Dr. Coridan for a potential meeting to discuss research opportunities. We met via zoom and talked about all things research in the Coridan Lab. Later in the summer, I attended a group meeting of his, also on zoom, and listened to the individual graduate students present their current research. Immediately I knew I wanted to get involved in Zeb’s research, one of Dr. Coridan’s graduate students.
The research I am currently working on with Zeb’s and Dr. Coridan’s assistance concerns the incorporation of a CuBi2O4 photocathode into a working photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell to convert solar energy into H2. This basically means that I am working on an individual piece within a bigger project. I am actively working on patterning and characterizing a CuBi2O4 photocathode that will work in conjunction with Zeb’s already established anode and working PEC cell. Together, our goal is to achieve a working PEC cell that is enhanced by both my photocathode and his anode to generate a clean energy source—H2. Ways in which to obtain clean energy are extremely relevant considering the need to decarbonize our current society. What makes this project so unique is that by using a PEC cell to facilitate the conversion of sunlight to H2 harmful pollutants like carbon dioxide are not produced. Once I finish patterning and characterizing my current CuBi2O4 photocathode, it will be integrated into a working PEC cell to functionalize its capabilities.
Being actively involved in a research lab has been such a special experience for me. I have learned so much in what seems to be such a short time. I have learned how to write a research grant proposal and how to critically think within a group. I have also learned how reward can be found by being held accountable within a working environment. Pursing research on a piece of a project that involves continuous collaboration with a graduate student within the lab has been a learning experience that has impacted me for the better. Because of it, I now have a new perspective on how to approach setbacks that are inevitable when carrying out research. Now that I am a senior in college, I realize just how much I am going to miss being involved with research once I graduate. Being in Dr. Coridan’s lab has been the biggest privilege in my college career and has provided me with a community that I will forever be grateful for.