Our Stories

ChemE Undergrad Anna Harris to Present Membrane Manufacturing Research at Society’s Annual Meeting

Anna Harris, a third-year chemical engineering major, has won an Undergraduate Student Travel Supplement to attend NAMS 2023, the North American Membrane Society’s annual meeting.

Harris is an undergraduate researcher working with associate professor of chemical engineering Geoff Geise, who also has a courtesy appointment in materials science and engineering. Geise’s research group specializes in the design of polymeric materials for membrane-based liquid separations and energy applications.

Harris earned the award to present a poster on her research project, “Analysis of Manufacturing Methods of Ion-Exchange Membranes for Desalination,” at the meeting.

Harris’ research focuses on the characterization of polymer membranes that can be used for water purification through electrodialysis — a process used to remove salt ions from water streams through alternating cation and anion exchange membranes. She is comparing the properties associated with membranes she creates in the lab and those made using an emerging electrospray technology in additive manufacturing by her collaborators at the University of Connecticut.

“We are hoping to show that the fine-tuning capabilities of electrospray technology allow for more material control, which leads to more efficient ion transport and increased membrane selectivity. This manufacturing method decreases material and energy costs to effectively manufacture more sustainable materials in an effort of green engineering,” said Harris, who is an A. James Clark Scholar.

Summer 2022 Update

Summer 2022 allows us to welcome our 5th cohort to the UVA Clark Scholars Program. Our summer program is underway and includes a total of 21 Scholars.

The summer program is supported by a number of returning Clark Scholars from Cohorts 1, 3, and 4.

Spring 2022 Update

Spring 2022 represented a major milestone for the UVA Clark Scholars Program as we graduated our first cohort of Clark Scholars. Our graduating cohort included 14 Scholar that started their journey at UVA in the summer of 2018.

Congratulations to cohort 1 for completing your degrees! Thank you for your contributions to the UVA Clark Scholars Program, we can't wait to see the amazing things you will accomplish!

Dinner with the Deans 2022

During the Spring 2022 semester we had the opportunity to return to our Annual Dinner with the Deans event. This event was designed connect our Scholars with leaders within the School of Engineering and beyond. The event was also an opportunity to bring all of our Scholars together as a community to celebrate their successes.

Summer 2021 Update

Summer 2021 allowed the UVA Clark Scholars Program to welcome our 4th Cohort. This summer program represented our return to grounds and the growth of our program to 18 Scholars.

Spring 2020 Update

Like people and programs everywhere, the UVA Clark Scholars Program (CSP) experienced great change during Spring 2020. Here we provide an update from our Spring 2020 Semester:

Teambuilding on the ropes course

Cohort 2 spent their third day of the Scholar Retreat supporting each other on the low and high ropes. 

Etiquette and Leadership Luncheon

Clark Scholars are offered monthly opportunities to engage with university and industry leaders to discuss topics in personal growth, leadership development and career exploration. 

Getting Started: Clark Summer Program

As part of the six-week summer program [need link], incoming first-year Clark Scholars attended the UVA Summer Orientation to meet other incoming first-years and register for fall courses.