Ms. Valerie García-Negrón, a doctoral student in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville received an ACS CELL Graduate Student Award. Valerie’s research focuses on the converting lignin, a component of plants, into nanostructured carbon composites, suitable for use in a variety of applications, including anodes in lithium-ion batteries. Valerie is co-advised by Prof. David Harper of the Center for Renewable Carbon at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and Prof. David Keffer in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. For her research, Valerie received the second place ACS CELL Graduate Student Award.

Every year the Cellulose and Renewable Materials Division of the American Chemical Society, in collaboration with the Eastman Chemical Company, recognizes graduate student achievement in cellulose and renewable materials research. The first place winner receives a check for $1,500, up to $500 for travel expenses, and a plaque honoring the recipient's accomplishment. The award for the second place winner consists of a check for $750, up to $500 for travel expenses and a certificate honoring the recipient's accomplishment. The recipients are invited to attend the following Spring ACS National Meeting and deliver an oral presentation on their awarding winning work.

Graduate Student Awards

More photos on the Keffer research group site.