Klaertje Hesselink

OUR Ambassador
Major: Chemical Engineering
Mentor: Joe Gomes
Biography

I am currently an undergraduate research assistant in the Gomes Laboratory working on zeolite catalyst analysis using computational models. Zeolite catalysts have so many applications in many different fields, so by optimizing computational models we will be able to maximize the usage of zeolite catalysts. 

I love computational research because it gives us the ability to model and see things that we could never see with our naked eye. I love atoms and how their interactions change based on their environment and with computational modeling, I am able to see the interactions close up. I also love catalysts because of their wide range of applications. Catalysts make processes so much more efficient and are crucial to developing more sustainable energy pathways. 

Outside of research I enjoy being a part of the Campus Symphony Orchestra, taking pictures with my film camera, or studying different types of fermented foods!