Joe Magee
Senior
Major: Chemistry
Joe Magee has a pragmatic point-of-view. “As a Chemistry major, you can only learn so much in the classroom,” he said. In fact, “Research is an integral part of any science. It is one thing to learn about how a reaction works, it's another to be able to perform the reaction by yourself.”
The pragmatism continues in his research topic of choice. “I choose to accept that a daunting energy crises is developing, and instead of trying to hide from it, I want to do my part in finding an answer.”
His research, performed in the laboratory of K.V. Lakshmi, assistant professor of chemistry, focuses on the light-driven catalytic metal ion complex centrally located in the photosynthetic protein, photosystem II. So far, there has been no conclusive consensus as to the exact structure of this complex. Determining the structure will lead to breakthroughs in many areas of alternate energy, according to Magee.
Getting into research was easy for Magee. “The Chemistry Department here is a close-knit group of faculty and students who look out for one another. The faculty also provides ample opportunity to find research in an area that you find interesting,” he said.
Magee stresses that people surround undergraduate researchers to help them understand the project as much as possible. “As an undergraduate you aren't expected to log countless hours in the lab and give up your personal freedom for projects,” he said. “You are given an opportunity to work on a project that is interesting.”
Aside from solving the world’s problems, Magee enjoys the experience undergraduate research gives him. He said, “The more time I spend in the lab, the more comfortable I become with equipment and instruments that are featured in every real life laboratory in the world. I am gaining the preparation necessary to enter the world as fully functioning scientist.”
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