A 2020 chemical engineering graduate from Mississippi State University recently made headlines in a local Midland newspaper. The Daily News shared Shameria Jones's hopes to pursue a doctoral degree, her current plans with the job she does at Dow Chemical Co., and what inspired her to pursue chemical engineering.
According to the news report, which has gone viral, Jones works as a research and development technologist at Dow. She also takes classes online through her alma mater with high hopes to transfer to a Ph.D. program at the University of Michigan.
In the future, JOnes plans to work on specialized catalysts. “Like chemical processes that are better for the environment," she explained in the interview with Niki House for the Daily News. "For example, we use a lot of fossil fuel soil materials to make a lot of consumer products. Catalysts cater more towards bio feed stocks, feed grass, or corn. These processes are more sustainable,” she added.
In high school, Jones developed more than a passing interest in a chemistry project, so she found a video online on how to do combustion reactions. Once she'd mastered the experiment, she asked her teacher if he would help with a project for a science fair where she excelled.
"I realized that was chemical engineering and so I continued to pursue that field," Jones told the newspaper. She is also a twenty-something professional engineer who tries her hand art at shaycantart.
