Pictured here in the lab are (left to right) Kyle Chaney, Dr. John Hearn, and Paul Adeyemi
Lee University’s Dr. John Hearn was awarded a new contract with ENSCO. During this seven-month contract, Dr. Hearn and two Lee students are experimentally supporting ENSCO’s development of a model that predicts the fate and transport of chemicals in the environment. The contract began this February, and the bulk of the research will take place this summer.
“I am excited to work with students on a real-world problem this summer and provide a needed service to ENSCO,” said Dr.
Hearn, assistant professor of chemistry at Lee. “It is a win-win for academics and professionals.”
Throughout the spring semester, Lee students Paul Adeyemi and Kyle Chaney have been assisting Hearn with research, which he will finalize this summer. Mr. Adeyemi is a biochemistry major, and Mr. Chaney is a chemistry and math major. Both students will graduate in December 2017.
According to Dr. Hearn, this research gives undergraduate students an opportunity to work on a project at a level that is accessible to them. Many research efforts are complex and require skills and knowledge well beyond what students acquire in their undergraduate curriculum.
Dr. Hearn joined the Lee faculty in 2013. Prior to coming to Lee, he worked as a chemist at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Tyndall Air Force Base. Dr. Hearn completed his doctoral degree at the University of Georgia and his bachelor’s degree at Asbury University.
For more information about Lee’s Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, call 423-614-8275.
Dr. Hearn, left, and Mr. Adeyemi, right, observe as Mr. Chaney conducts research