Britney Mack
GEM Fellow
The Materials Discovery Research Institute at UL Research Institutes has enlisted the best and brightest to help uncover the answers behind finding new water sources. One of those researchers is a GEM Fellow from the University of Alabama, Britney Mack.
Mack, a second-year doctoral student, worked as a research assistant with MDRI focusing her attention on the institute’s atmospheric water harvesting project. “There’s not a lot of research in the water harvesting space,” Mack said. “The research we did here this summer [2024] will create a foundation for accelerated research for the next 25 years.”
Mack chose ULRI for her GEM Fellowship because she wanted to work on research that was not federally funded and was aimed at uplifting women and minorities. With a background in materials science research and working toward her Ph.D. in chemical engineering, the role was a perfect fit.
During her fellowship, Mack found the lab experience extremely valuable, something she said not a lot of doctoral students receive during internships. She also had the opportunity to help build and organize MDRI’s newly opened laboratory from the ground up. “I was able to help MDRI build on and finish their lab, assist with safety mitigation plans, tagged equipment, and was given autonomy in organizing the lab,” she said. “I now have valuable experience with equipment that I would have never had access to. This 10-week internship has given me a year’s worth of experience.”
Mack participated in ULRI-ULSE’s Student Engagement Program during her 10 weeks at MDRI. She said the professional development workshops were helpful because they relieved some of the pressure she was putting on herself. “I’m still in the learning part of my life, and it was helpful to hear that so many people are going through the same thing,” she said. “I’m here to learn, so I was able to then ground myself and understand I don’t have to know everything yet.”
