Student Spotlight:
Marcus Sharp

Congratulations to Ph.D. candidate Marcus Sharp for his outstanding student presentation and success at AVS 68.

We asked him to share his experiences as a Washington State University graduate student that have contributed to his success.

Why did you choose WSU and your program for grad school?

I chose WSU for the opportunities it has to offer which would help me grow during my program. It has an accredited PhD program and great research facilities. I was also interested in its collaborations with its academic and government partners such as Pacific Northwest National Laboratory where I’m able to work.

How did you get interested in this field of research? Why do you think it’s important?

Catalysts are important to our everyday lives because most materials we use daily had some form of catalyst involved in its manufacturing. I wanted to be one of those people who helps to make new catalysts that are more environmental, less energy intensive and less wasteful. With climate change looming, improved catalysts are part of how we will overcome this and other challenges.

How is grad school different than your undergraduate experience?

The biggest difference is your focus and how you use your time. In undergrad, you’re focused on taking classes and doing course work. Even though you still take some classes in grad school, course work isn’t your focus. Rather, you are looking into a problem or a question that doesn’t have an answer yet and you try to solve it. In many ways, it’s more rewarding than undergrad in that when you learn something, it’s what you have pieced together for yourself rather than learning about it in a lecture or textbook.

What advice would you give students thinking about grad school?

I think the most useful thing a person can do is to join a research group while they are working on their undergrad. This will give them the opportunity to see what it’s like to do research. Further, if they choose to pursue grad school, they will have the experience and, if lucky, a paper published, which will go a long way when applying to schools.

What do you hope to do with your graduate degree?

Currently, I am leaning toward going into industry and want to choose a profession that is environmentally and climate change conscious. I’m interested in areas such as renewables, energy storage, energy efficiency, CO2 capture and bioenergy.