Bio

After graduating from Our Lady of Lourdes in 2007, Cathy went on to study chemistry at Marist College. There, she not only received a phenomenal education in the classroom , but began active research with her undergraduate advisor and organic chemistry professor, Dr. Jocelyn Nadeau. It was after her freshman year that she developed a love of organic materials by studying conducting polymers, or plastics that transmit electricity and can be used in electronic materials. 

While at Marist, Cathy received several awards including the Barry M. Goldwater scholarship for her academic performance and aptitude for research as a sophomore, and a research fellowship sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The NSF award will allow her to fund the majority of her graduate school career. Cathy graduated from Marist College as Valedictorian in 2011. 

After graduating from Marist, Cathy began her Ph.D. work at Cornell University under guidance of her academic advisor, Dr. William Dichtel. While at Cornell, Cathy has worked on bringing an emerging class of materials, Covalent Organic Frameworks, into a new application space; namely, electrical energy storage. In addition to authoring several publications in prestigious scientific journals, Cathy has a patent application filed for some of her work in this field. During graduate school, Cathy received several awards including the Simon Bauer Scholarship which funds her travel back to Marist to present her doctoral work. Cathy will graduate this May with her Ph.D. in organic chemistry and will start her career at the Dow Chemical Company located in Marlborough, Massachusetts. She will be a part of the electronic materials division working in the Interconnect Technology Division.

Cathy believes “We do not have the ability to change the past-so we must march through the present with care.” 

Great advice Cathy!