Taking the first step

Amanda Nguy (second from right) demonstrates how to
make glue from milk at the 2007 National American
Chemical Society meeting in Chicago.

In high school, Amanda Nguy wanted to either enter the medical field or become a forensic scientist (not because of the TV show CSI, she insists). She realized biology would prepare her well for both fields and started down that path. Once she got to TTU, however, she fell in love with the Chemistry Department and decided to add biochemistry as a second major.

She also knew she wanted to do research in college, hopefully relating to forensics. "I've always been fascinated with labs and enjoyed lab activities in high school," Amanda writes. "I decided to do research in my freshman year, to sort of get a head start, since most students don't start that until junior year." She also hoped to get a project of her own and to get as much hand-on lab experience as possible. The next step? Simple: "I asked my department chair, Dr. Boles, about it." Amanda currently works with Dr. Boles in the pre-research stage of a project to extract nucleic acid from human tissue. "Depending on which career I choose, my research will definitely let me have experience under my belt, and published papers by the time I graduate."

Amanda isn't just doing research in chemistry, though; she's also pursuing leadership roles throughout campus, another area of interest that began in high school. A number of leadership positions with JROTC fueled her love of leading, and she continues to develop that interest at TTU. As the Secretary of the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society at TTU and an "officer" of the Institution for Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Experimental Studies, she's working with professors in her department and building contacts within her field. Her role as Leadership Committee chair in the Honors Program lets her plan interdisciplinary workshops and day-long leadership training events to pass her interests and skills on to others.

Her advice? "I've met so many people, and made so many connections by being involved on campus. In Honors, anyone can be a leader if you put forth the effort, and Tech has the network to get your started on research as early as freshman year!" Amanda's indefatigable optimism serves her well as she takes charge of her education and pursues her interests at TTU.