Courtney Mitchell

Research Interests:
Materials (Soft), Polymers, Interfacial and Colloidal Science. I am interested in these research areas to find bio finders to identify/characterize hair and skin type to optimize the performance of beauty care products.

Interests outside of school/research:
I enjoy going out to eat and trying new foods. I also enjoy spending time with family and friends.

Interesting things you did at ACCESS and people you’ve met?
I enjoyed the tours of Boston and Cambridge, visits to the labs, and presentations by current graduate students and professors.

Favorite part of the weekend and why?
All of the food was delicious! And, of course, I really enjoyed finding out about the graduate admission process.

Do you think you benefitted from the program – did it help you in any way? Why or why not?
Yes.  Even though I had attended similar programs at other universities, ACCESS allowed me to see the research opportunities at MIT and also experience the MIT culture.

Prior to attending ACCESS, did you have plans to apply for graduate school? How did ACCESS impact your decision?
Yes, graduate school had always been in my educational plan.  ACCESS benefitted me by allowing me to network with other students from around the country who were also interested in obtaining a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering.  It allowed me to see that I would not be on this journey alone.  I also made some lifelong friends!!

Are you planning on applying to graduate school now? If so, where?
Yes.  I will be attending Vanderbilt University as a Ph.D. candidate in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in August 2011.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
In 5 years I will hopefully have received my Ph.D. in chemical engineering and will be doing R&D in a large cosmetics company or a large manufacturing company that has a beauty care division.  In 10 years my goal is to have started my own beauty care line, where I will focus on products for multi-cultural women.

Anything else I want to share?
I love being a chemical engineer and look forward to the abundance of opportunities in my future 🙂