This summer, Dr. Steven Weinman hosted a six-week summer program for undergraduate and graduate students from Stillman College, Shelton State Community College, The University of Alabama at Birmingham and Lawson State Community College, as well as local high school teachers. The program, called Research Experience and Mentoring: Utilizing Plastic Waste in Applications for Removing Dissolved Debris, aims to educate students and educators about upcycling plastics.
Funded by the National Science Foundation, REM: UPWARDD allows students and educators to gain paid research experience in the discipline of plastics upcycling, utilizing various types of hands-on programming to give participants an understanding of the vast issue of plastic waste. Participants perform research in the labs of UA professors, including Drs. Weinman, Jason Bara, Milad Esfahani, Steve Ritchie and James Sheehan.
“They feel like they can help contribute to the problem of plastic waste in the environment, and that’s really the main goal,” Weinman said. “What we’re doing in the labs is a very small piece of this huge puzzle but seeing that what you can do can have an impact, even if it’s a small impact, really helps students connect.”
While the main objective is to grant experience in research, Weinman said that group activities are also used to encourage community among the cohort. Participants engage in waste pick up around Tuscaloosa and attend lectures by individuals such as environmental lawyers, staff from the UA Office for Innovation and Commercialization, and COE faculty members, Drs. Tibor Szilvási and Heath Turner, who specialize in computational simulation. Participants also have the opportunity to attend and present research findings at the annual Emerging Researchers National Conference in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, usually held in Washington, D.C. At the end of the summer, participants give final presentations to the group about their research experiences.
Stacey Hudnell, a teacher at Paul W. Bryant High School, who took part in the program in 2024, said that she appreciated being involved in research as an educator.
“The REM program is an amazing opportunity. I have been able to participate for three summers and have enjoyed learning more about upcycling plastic,” Hudnell said. “It gives you hands-on experience and a solid background on what can be accomplished through research. I love that the program includes teachers, college students and high school students.”
To learn more about NSF REM programs, visit https://www.nsf.gov/eng/efma/rem.jsp.