Outstanding Undergraduate Student
Rebecca Empting
When Rebecca Empting visited the University of Tennessee with her older sister, Erin, who was interested in studying architecture, several advisors swayed them both to enroll in the College of Engineering. Erin graduated with a degree in civil engineering, and Rebecca isn’t far behind. She plans to graduate in May 2009 with a degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering before heading to medical school. “I learned of the combination of chemistry and math with physics in chemical engineering,” Empting said. “It seemed a perfect fit for me because of my aptitude for physics and math and my interest in chemistry, and it would leave many doors open for me after graduation.”
Originally from Germantown, Tennessee, Empting graduated from Houston High School. Before moving into the dorms at UT, she had never lived anywhere besides her childhood home. “The University of Tennessee is the perfect school for me. Not only did I receive several scholarships, I am relatively close to my hometown,” Empting said. “Sports were also a big factor for me. I love cheering on the Volunteer men’s and women’s basketball team and the football team.”
When she’s not cheering on the Vols, Empting is highly involved with College of Engineering activities. She is the vice-(is that true? I though she was the president) president of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) for the 2008-2009 year. She spent two years conducting research under Dr. David Keffer, and the Fall 2008 semester saw her recruiting for the Sustainable Technology through Advanced Interdisciplinary Research (STAIR) graduate program, which is directly involved with the Sustainable Energy Education and Research Center (SEERC). On her free morning once a week, she travels to Baptist West Hospital to shadow a physician to gain medical experience from an alumnus of the Biomedical Engineering Program of UT. She also completed a summer internship at Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Michigan. “I gained experience in the workforce and learned a lot more of what chemical engineering is all about. That experience was invaluable to my education,” she said.
“My favorite engineering memory is traveling to Philadelphia to the National AIChE Conference to show off all the hard work that several other students and I put into the Chem-E Car,” Empting said. The Chem-E Car challenge is an annual competition between universities to create a chemically powered vehicle. “Although we got eleventh place, I really enjoyed the time I put into it as well as the trip itself.”
She has received several scholarships including the HOPE Scholarship, the Volunteer Scholarship, the Dow Chemical Company Outstanding Junior Scholarship, and the Herbert and Lillian Duggan Engineering Scholarship. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in the department and the College of Engineering,” Empting said. “I have worked very hard, and it has all been worth it.”