Emma Hollmann describes attending the University of Tennessee as a family tradition. When the time came for her to choose a university, it was high on the list. A visit to campus during her senior year of high school cinched the deal.
“I left that day excited about all that UT, particularly the Tickle College of Engineering, had to offer,” said Hollmann, a Cookeville, Tennessee, native.
Hollmann, a senior in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE), has kept that excitement working for her, earning a series of awards and honors. She is a member of both the Haslam Scholars and Neyland Scholars programs. She also received the Eastland Family Scholarship; the James B. Porter Jr. Scholarship; the C.W. Keenan Outstanding General Chemistry Student Award; the Pete Barile Design Competition Award; and the Homer Johnson Scholarship in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
Most recently, she was named a 2014 Goldwater Scholar and received the Dow Outstanding Junior award from the CBE department. Along with her own enthusiasm, Hollmann credits the sense of community in the Tickle College of Engineering (TCE) as a foundation for success.
“It doesn’t take long for you to get to know most of your fellow students,” she said. “No one in engineering succeeds alone. We pull each other through and, towards the end, I think we all begin to realize how interesting and meaningful the experience has been.”
Hollmann’s motivation to contribute to this experience began early on.
“I have had a passion for renewable energy technologies since middle school,” she said. “Once I entered high school, I developed a passion for chemistry.”
Chemical engineering allowed Hollmann to combine these interests. She found the TCE pace invigorating from the start.
“Honors Engineering Fundamentals with Dr. Chris Pionke and Dr. Roger Parsons set the tone of my time at UT,” said Hollmann. “We had a constant stream of homework, group projects, and tests. Somehow, though, we all managed to have quite a bit of fun along the way.”
Pionke helped Hollmann stay on course amid the heavy first-year workload.
“Like many students, I questioned my choice of major during my freshman year,” she said. “Dr. Pionke and I had many discussions about my future with engineering.”
Hollmann stayed with engineering, and continued to excel in her studies. She found further encouragement from multiple faculty members along the way.
“The strength of the faculty in the TCE is rather impressive,” she said. “I think something more noteworthy, though, is the extent to which the faculty supports its students.”
This support has greatly enhanced Hollmann’s undergraduate studies and research efforts.
“Dr. Thomas Zawodzinski, known as Dr. Z. to CBE students, is the best research mentor for whom I could have wished,” she said. “His continued support has taught me to be confident in my abilities and knowledge about my topic.”
Zawodzinski is the UT Governor’s Chair Professor for Advanced Energy Storage, researching advances in fuel-cell technology. Hollmann says that being in the “Z Group” has been vital to building her own research, especially with the guidance of research associate Douglas Aaron.
“I can always count on him to help me figure out any problems I face on my projects,” she said.
Hollmann also thanks Lee Riedinger, director of the Bredesen Center, for his support.
“His introduction to Dr. Z. my sophomore year, and his support of my Goldwater application, have been pivotal in my academic career,” she said.
The Goldwater Scholarship brought rewards to Hollmann even before she received it.
“The application process for the Goldwater Scholarship taught me to communicate a technical topic in a way that it is accessible by a general audience,” she explained. “The process, with the help of Dr. Zawodzinski, helped me to think more about the ‘big picture’ of my work.”
An engineering service trip to Costa Rica in 2013, organized by the Global Initiatives Program, showed Hollmann ways to connect the “big picture” on an international scale.
“I was better able to understand how what I learned in class could help make a true difference in the world,” she said.
Hollmann also went to Padua, Italy, for research during the summer of 2014, mixing her engineering studies with her passion for travel. As she continues her family tradition at UT, she has found many ways to balance life in and out of the lab.
“I love practicing yoga, especially after stressful days on campus,” she said. “Ultimately, it is spending time with my loved ones (pets included) that I enjoy the most. Without their support, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
After graduation, Hollmann plans to pursue her chemical engineering PhD, continuing her investigation of redox flow batteries and fuel cells.
“Outside of class, I hope to fully enjoy all that UT and East Tennessee have to offer during my last year here,” she said.