Incredible Research: Welch Grant

From tracking stars to modeling molecules, summertime doesn't slow our students down. While many are scattered across the globe studying and working in places like Australia, Kenya, Mongolia and Spain, thanks to the Welch Grant, others are keeping themselves busy right here in Longview.

The whole process begins with a letter. Every year, the Welch Foundation picks through hundreds of Texas colleges and universities conducting chemical research and sends grant proposal invitations to a select few. And for the past eighteen years, LeTourneau has been among those select few.

After receiving the invitation, LETU profs go to work on their research proposals (even our professors can't escape a little homework every now and then). Once their proposals are finished and approved and the funds roll in, they and their students can get to work.

The grant provides special scholarships to select students, making it financially possible for them to spend a few weeks working with faculty on new and existing research projects during the summer.

Among this summer's projects, our teams are preparing a radio telescope to track celestial bodies by measuring radio waves emitted during hydrogen transitions, researching the applications of bleach in organic synthesis and plotting the trajectories of molecules.

At LETU, we know hands-on learning experiences are the key to producing skilled and innovative professionals, and we're proud to see our students working on research projects alongside our faculty all over campus... even on rooftops.