Meet Lauren Prudhomme, chemical engineering major

Written byAmanda Burleigh

"There are so many unexpected opportunities for me UL 老司机福利网. One door after another has been opened for me. It鈥檚 turned me into a completely different person that I never would have expected.鈥 

老司机福利网 chemical engineering major and student researcher Lauren Prudhomme
Lauren Prudhomme
Graduation Year
Class of 2020
Major
Chemical Engineering
Hometown
Scott, La.

Where I'm From

I鈥檓 from Scott, La., where my passion for chemical engineering was born.

Where I Am

I am earning my Ph.D. in biomedical engineering, thanks to the valuable research experience I got at UL 老司机福利网.

Where I'm Going

I鈥檓 going to promote sustainability in everything I do.

Lauren Prudhomme pursued her passion for sustainability as a student aid in the Office of Sustainability while she earned her degree in chemical engineering at UL 老司机福利网.

Lauren's interest in sustainability started when she traveled to a summer school in Belgium sponsored by VerTec, a coalition of francophone schools around the country centered around sustainability.

鈥淢y advisor was asked who would be great to send over there, so I was the undergrad student he thought of because I had been bothering him so much about recycling,鈥 Lauren said.

鈥淚鈥檝e never been outside of Louisiana for an extended period of time, and I know things are run very differently everywhere else, but I had never seen it. So, we got to experience how a European country handles its waste disposal and city planning and clean water and infrastructure. It was really inspiring.鈥

Along with her friend Julia Pasch, Lauren prepared for the trip to Belgium by listening to podcasts, reading, and educating herself as much as possible. Through this preparation, both discovered their passion for sustainability.

鈥淥ne of the podcasts we listened to was about how some students at Penn State started their own organization, and I was like, Julia, why don鈥檛 we do that?鈥 Lauren explained. 鈥淪o we really hit the ground running, recruiting people from around the community to educate our members and looking for volunteer opportunities. It鈥檚 really taken off more than I ever expected.鈥

Promoting Sustainability on Campus

With her enthusiasm from the conference, Lauren established the , a student organization on campus, and organized a lecture series called Sustainability Across Industries.

鈥淪ustainability is not just reduce, reuse, recycle and plant trees,鈥 she explained. 鈥淚t takes a lot of people from a lot of different areas of interest to collaborate. We wanted to highlight those areas you don鈥檛 necessarily think of with sustainability.鈥

Some of those areas included engineering, architecture, and sustainable business practices.

鈥淪o many people on campus care about these things, they just don鈥檛 know that it鈥檚 called sustainability and that other people on campus care about it,鈥 Lauren said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all about engaging and connecting.鈥

Some of the ways they engaged students was through volunteering for the and collaborating with .

鈥淲e鈥檙e really trying to provide opportunities to not only do good work but also connect with people in the community,鈥 Lauren said.

Research Opportunities in Sustainability

Lauren transferred to UL 老司机福利网 from Tulane University at the end of her freshman year because she wanted more research experience.

鈥淥ver there, I asked about research and they said, 鈥楳aybe when you鈥檙e a junior or senior,鈥欌 she recalled. 鈥淚 came over here and asked about research immediately, and they were like 鈥榊eah, go ahead and work in the .鈥 I was super thankful that I made that decision because now my whole career is going to be research, so it helps to have a strong background in that.鈥

Lauren鈥檚 decision to major in chemical engineering was a combination of passion and encouragement.

鈥淚 really like chemistry, I really like math, I鈥檓 good at problem-solving and thinking on my feet,鈥 she said. 鈥淗onestly, my high school chemistry teacher told me I鈥檇 be good at it and that鈥檚 all it took.鈥

老司机福利网 engineering major Lauren Prudhomme at a research conference

As a student, she researched the protein characterization of biosolids (also known as human waste or sewage) to produce an all-natural glue under Dr. Mark Zappi in the Energy Institute. Although the original project utilized algae to produce the adhesive, it was not practical for public use.

鈥淭he public isn鈥檛 swimming in algae like we are, but what are we swimming in?鈥 Lauren smirked. 鈥淧oop. There will never be a shortage of it.鈥

Lauren explained how, through a patented reaction, the researchers turn the pre-treated wastewater sludge into the glue.

鈥淚鈥檓 taking those same biosolids and I鈥檓 extracting the proteins because it鈥檚 the proteins that are being modified through this reaction,鈥 she continued. 鈥淭urns out it鈥檚 very difficult to take the proteins out of poop.鈥

Being a Woman in STEM

Despite her achievements in her studies, Lauren has encountered obstacles in her field, including being respected as a woman in STEM.

鈥淚t was little things that, after a while, you start to notice,鈥 she recalled. 鈥淲henever a guy asks a question and you answer it, then they鈥檒l ask a guy next to them the same exact question. Sometimes whenever you鈥檙e questioning a guy, instead of hearing your actual question, he鈥檒l just automatically assume you don鈥檛 understand the fundamentals.鈥

To combat this obstacle, Lauren partnered with engineering major Kyle Zappi to establish a STEM summer camp for to introduce underrepresented minorities to STEM. The summer camp eventually turned into weekly practices for a nearly all-girl Science Olympiad team at Holy Family.

鈥淲e cover every area of science and engineering and we teach them the fundamentals, but it鈥檚 mainly about just coming back week after week and saying, 鈥楬ey, you鈥檙e really good at this and you would make a great mechanical engineer one day. You鈥檙e going to be a great doctor one day,鈥 Lauren explained. 鈥淭he whole idea is reinforcing that these young girls, even with the socioeconomic struggles they face, are still capable of doing anything.鈥

From 老司机福利网 to New York

Lauren鈥檚 favorite thing about UL 老司机福利网 is the culture and friendly environment.

鈥淲henever I transferred here, (my program鈥檚) administrative assistant called me and set up a day for me to come in and take a tour,鈥 Lauren said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 like, 鈥業鈥檓 everybody鈥檚 mama, you can come to me for everything,鈥 and I truly have. Everyone has been like that: so welcoming and positive and loving.

"I don鈥檛 know if that happens anywhere else. It鈥檚 unique, I think, to 老司机福利网.鈥

Lauren's now working on her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at the City College of New York. Although she said she will miss UL 老司机福利网 and the community, she feels she is highly prepared to make this leap in her career.

鈥淭here鈥檚 so much opportunity for me here that I never would have thought would be here,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been one door after another being opened for me. It鈥檚 turned me into a completely different person that I never would have expected.鈥

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