Graduate Student Highlights: Creighton Baltier

Creighton Baltier has been a dedicated graduate research assistant in Dr. Bara’s lab for the past three years. His time at The University of Alabama began in 2016 when he was pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering. Following the four years studying as an undergraduate student, he felt well prepared for the transition to graduate school, so he began his Master’s program in August of 2020.

Creighton’s decision to continue his graduate studies at the Capstone can be attributed to various reasons. With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, he changed his mind about entering the industrial workforce and felt compelled to stay at UA to pursue higher-level degrees and get more involved in the research opportunities available to graduate students. He was particularly drawn to Dr. Bara’s lab and the research, which involves developing green solvents for the dissolution of hard to dissolve plastics. He also felt motivated by the amount of time and support that Dr. Bara and the chemical engineering department had invested in him.

His most meaningful accomplishment so far in his graduate studies is the thesis he wrote as part of earning his Master’s degree. He finds satisfaction in the fact that his research project is not a ‘headliner’, meaning that the research he is doing now serves as the starting point and the foundation from which others can build their own research ideas.

When reflecting on his previous research experiences to give advice to those beginning their research career, Creighton wants to emphasize the importance of keeping an open mind and demonstrating commitment and effort to the lab. He encourages students to be proactive in forming relationships with advisors and research professors. Creighton remains dedicated to his research efforts at The University of Alabama and is looking forward to making meaningful contributions in the field of chemical engineering in the future.