Grand Challenge News: Student Success Story
Chemical Engineering Grad Student Wins 2nd Place in American Fisheries Society
Rural Reimagined congratulates Dennis Piercy, a Master’s Chemical Engineering student,
in winning second place for his student presentation at the 2021 Tennessee Chapter
of the American Fisheries Society meeting. He presented about the joint research effort
between the Water Center and the Chemical Engineering department for producing a nitrogen
stripping/oxygenating column for fish hatcheries that would help our rural ecosystems.
Dr. Jeff Schaeffer and Dr. Holly Stretz mentored Dennis throughout the project. Regarding his project and presentation, Dennis stated, “This opportunity really has been so unique due to the interdisciplinary cooperation between chemical engineering and the Water Center. I took a chemical engineering design and presented it to fish specialists effectively, and I was so happy that people were interested in the research. This has been an amazing experience that has expanded my knowledge and skill sets as I transition from academia to industry.”
