Q&A with faculty mentor Kerry Hamilton

Assistant Professor Kerry Hamilton guides student researchers in the Master’s Opportunity for Research in Engineering, or MORE, and Fulton Undergraduate Research Initiative, or FURI, programs in interdisciplinary research projects at the intersection of environmental engineering and human health. She has been mentoring in some capacity since graduate school, and enjoys seeing students in MORE and FURI achieve success in research and other opportunities.

What made you want to get involved in MORE?

I am fortunate to have had many mentors throughout my studies who have motivated me to pursue a scientific career and I would like to pay forward this mentorship to create the next generation of scientists. 

What is your favorite part about seeing your students conduct research?

It is very rewarding to see students collect their own data and contribute to publications in our group. I really enjoy hearing about successes and seeing students achieve the next step they were aiming for, whether that is graduate school or another opportunity.

How have your FURI and MORE students had an effect on your research?

FURI and MORE students have enabled our group to expand existing projects, aggregate information from the published literature, and pursue more fundamental scientific questions related to our research portfolio topics of pathogen quantification and microbial risks, in particular for antimicrobial resistance. 

What have you gained from being a MORE mentor?

The experience has been very rewarding for me as a mentor as well as for senior graduate students in our group who have had the opportunity to also gain experience as mentors and interact with other students. We have published several papers with FURI and MORE student work.

What advice would you give to students who might be interested in participating in FURI and MORE?

The FURI and MORE programs are a wonderful opportunity to get involved in research. Being organized and proactive can help you to get the most out of your program.

Why should other faculty members become MORE mentors?

This is a good opportunity to leverage existing grants to create more training and research opportunities. MORE and FURI students are highly motivated and add positively to both research and teamwork aspects of the group.