West Central Reporter

A Western Illinois University alumna has received a U.S. Department of Energy award to participate in an Oak Ridge National Laboratory study. 

Hannah Drake, who graduated from WIU in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in forensic chemistry, will be participating in the study this summer, according to QuadCities.com. She's currently pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry from Texas A&M University. 

“During the course of the program, I will be working at Oak Ridge National Lab on my thesis as an (Office of Science Graduate Student Research) student,” Drake said. “My area of study for the award will be neutron science, and the division I will be under within the DOE is called Basic Energy Sciences, Neutron Scattering Research and Instrumentation. The title of my work will be ‘Investigation of Photoresponsive Metal-Organic Frameworks for Light-Induced Switchable Adsorption.'”

Drake told QuadCities.com that she studied crystalline coordination chemistry compounds as an undergraduate and was one of the students who began the Research Inspiring Student Excellence (RISE) initiative and the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) organization at WIU.

“I was highly involved in the chemistry department outreach activities and actively helped organize three of the four annual science demo shows co-hosted by chemistry and physics during my four years,” she said. “I served as the women’s freshman honors resident assistant for three years and worked closely with Dr. (Rick) Hardy in the Honors College and (John Biernbaum) in housing to cultivate leadership skills in my students."

Drake also was a founding executive member of the WIU President’s Institute and was involved with the 2016 WIU TEDx talks.

Drake was one of 62 students selected for the research program. The U.S. Department of Energy has been a supporter of training scientists and students of other similar subjects for over 50 years, according to QuadCities.com. 

More information on the research program can be found on Oak Ridge's website.