Roberto Federico-Perez Received Eastman Travel Award
Roberto Federico-Perez, a second year Ph.D. student in Prof. Xue’s group, received 2014 Eastman Chemical Company Travel Award. Each year, selected universities are requested to submit nominations of students and encourage them to apply. A team of scientists from Eastman then rank all of the received applications and award either travel grant or full fellowship to several applicants.
“Roberto stood out to the award committee because of the high level of contribution he has been able to make in such a short period of time.” Dr. Peter Chapman, Eastman Principal Chemist commented, “The committee tries to identify students with high potential and we felt that Roberto fit that mold.”
“I feel happy and humbled that Eastman considered me as one of the recipients for this grant,” Federico-Perez said. “It will be a great contribution for my professional development. By granting this award, Eastman will support me to attend a scientific conference or meeting, and I will have the opportunity to showcase my work and obtain feedback for it.”
Originally from Caborca, Mexico, Federico-Perez attended the University of Sonora in Hermosillo, Mexico. During his undergraduate studies, he had the opportunity to study abroad at the University of Wisconsin River Falls. After defending his capstone project, which focused on the risk assessment for chemical substances used in medical facilities, he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Food Science in December 2011. Federico-Perez’s interest in green chemistry and sustainability motivated him to pursue a Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Development at the same institution, by working on the characterization of mercury emissions from a clinical laboratory used as a case study in Hermosillo, Mexico. Federico-Perez entered the UT chemistry Ph.D. program in August, 2013 and joined Prof. Xue’s group in December. His current project focuses on the analysis of polar species in aviation fuels by means of optical sensors.
“I plan to graduate in 2018,” Federico-Perez said. “I intend to work in industry on research and development after my graduation. I’m particularly interested in green chemistry and cleaner production, and I believe these areas have currently built a lot of momentum in industry and are great career opportunities for the near future.”
Previous recipients of Eastman Chemical Company Summer Fellowship from UT
- 2008 – Michael Gilbert Full Fellowship (Dr. Frank Vogt)
- 2011 – Rebecca Horton Travel Grant (Dr. Frank Vogt)
- 2012 – Christ Bennett Travel Grant (Dr. Jon Camden)
- 2013 – Weiyu Wang Full Fellowship (Dr. Jimmy Mays)
- 2014 – Hobbie Turley Full Fellowship (Dr. Jon Camden)
- 2015 – Roberto Federico-Perez Travel Grant (Dr. Ben Xue)