Honors College junior Joshua Passantino has been nominated for the prestigious Morris K. and Stewart L. Udall Scholarship for Excellence in National Environmental Policy. The Udall Scholarship was established to provide scholarships to outstanding students who demonstrate leadership, public service, and a commitment to environmental issues.

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Joshua, from Morris, Alabama, is currently a triple major pursuing degrees in Biosystems Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Spanish. Since the fall of 2013, he has pursued undergraduate research in chemical engineering using cellulose nanocrystals – a natural high strength material found in all biomass – to make high-strength films and fibers. Under the direction of Dr. Virginia Davis in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Joshua’s research is focused on mitigating brittleness in films produced from aqueous dispersions of sulfonated cellulose nanocrystals, without negating the benefits of producing the films from high concentration dispersions that exhibit liquid crystal phase behavior.

Among his many awards and honors, he was a summer 2015 undergraduate research fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado; president of the Auburn University Student Chapter of Engineers Without Borders – USA; vice-president of the Environmental Awareness Club; Supplemental Instructor (SI) in the Office of Undergraduate Studies; IMPACT Volunteer; and certified chemical and bacterial tester for Alabama Water Watch.

Congratulations, Joshua, and best of luck!