June Engineer of the Month working to solve energy and emissions in transportation

Recent University of Cincinnati chemical engineering graduate Rickey Terrell combines work on fuel cells and batteries with mentoring the next generation of engineers.

Terrell is the College of Engineering and Applied Science's June Engineer of the Month. Engineers of the Month demonstrate “excellence in the classroom, success in their co-op assignments and leadership through extracurricular activities on campus and/or in the community.” These students have found the balance needed to be leaders and exemplary scholars at UC.

After learning about the emergence of fuel cell and batteries in high school, Terrell chose to study chemical engineering at UC to take advantage of the cooperative education (co-op) program in which he learned from work experiences as well as study in the classroom and research in the lab.

“I was really excited about the co-op program to look at what I wanted to do in industry and also look at different research opportunities which I took advantage of to navigate my undergraduate journey through chemical engineering,” Terrell said.

Terrell is energized by the potential of clean energy and reduced emissions.

“What excites me about the future of this field and its applications aren’t necessarily the individual components, but how they can all work together to create a more sustainable future,” he said.

In addition to his study, research, and co-op work, Terrell worked with nearby Hughes STEM High School to develop a science fair program for their engineering capstone course.

"Going in and teaching them, it definitely reinforced all of the lessons that I learned in my engineering curriculum here at UC," he said.

Now a UC graduate, Terrell is pursuing a Ph.D. in chemical engineering at Stanford University.

Featured image at top: UC engineering student Rickey Terrell is the June Engineer of the Month for the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Photo/Corrie Stookey/CEAS Marketing