Meet our very own graduate student, Kevin Click, a 5th year who grew up in Alliance, Ohio! Before coming to study at Ohio State, Kevin pursued his undergraduate studies at Kent State University and graduated with his B.S. in Chemistry in 2012. When it was time to turn his sights towards graduate school, it was a hard decision indeed. Kevin says he ultimately picked Ohio State because of its great reputation and also because he’d still be close to his family.

Kevin is currently a member of Dr. Yiying Wu’s research group and is working on some interesting Chemistry! In the lab, he is designing and synthesizing organic dyes for solar energy conversion and storage. This seems to be the perfect area of research for Kevin--he has always been interested in synthesis since he studied Organic Chemistry as an undergraduate. On top of that, this work speaks to his creative side; he has always considered himself a creative person, playing guitar and writing music in a band when he was an undergraduate. The synthesis process allows him to be creative and imagine new dye structures that he can then produce in lab. In addition to this, he also finds the application of the synthesis enjoyable. Kevin explains “After designing and making a new dye, we get to build solar devices and evaluate its performance.”

This exciting work inside the lab couldn’t be done without the help of others, Kevin noted. Within the department, Kevin looks up to many of the prior and current graduate students in Dr. Wu’s group. He is grateful that he has gotten a chance to work with many bright and talented people, each with their own unique strengths and skills. He also has found support outside of the department. Kevin looks up to his father the most for many different reasons. Kevin explains that his father has been a hard worker his entire life and, as a result, has motivated him to work just as hard no matter what he is doing. He is 63 years old and still runs and lifts weights at the gym every morning. “I can only hope to still be that motivated at that age”, Kevin stated.

Even with his strong support system, graduate school can still present some challenges. The most difficult part about being a graduate student for Kevin has been time management. Graduate students have a lot of freedom but with that freedom comes a lot of responsibilities! You have to be efficient with your time when balancing teaching, grading, research, meetings and classes. Kevin explains it can be overwhelming at first, especially in the first couple years. In addition to that, being a graduate student requires being highly independent. He has found that when you do research, things rarely ever work the way they are supposed to. It is important to be able to figure out these problems for yourself because nobody else knows the answer. Despite these challenges Kevin is adamant that he has really enjoyed being a graduate student. He stated, “I really don’t feel like I even have a job because I am doing things I enjoy every day. It is the best job I have ever had!”

Having gained new knowledge and insight, Kevin is ready to head out into the job market. After graduating this May, he will start his new position at the Science and Technology Development Program which is a part of Owens Corning Science and Technology Center in Granville, Ohio. He says he is excited to start his new career at Owens Corning but knows he will always miss the research he has done here and all the people he has worked with.

Most people don’t know that Kevin has an identical twin brother, a fact that he sometimes uses to his advantage. He’s even brought him to CBC Holiday parties to see how many people he can trick! His brother graduated from Kent State University with his B.S. in Biology and now works in Athens Ohio. Although they look alike, there are some important differences. They both enjoy the sciences, but he likes biology and Kevin is fonder of materials chemistry. He explains that unlike his brother, he’d rather not touch some things unless they have been dead for millions of years.

Despite what most of us think, graduate students (himself included) do know how to have some fun outside of the lab! In his free time Kevin enjoys being outdoors fishing, canoeing and camping. Some weekends, he goes to visit his brother (also an outdoor enthusiast) in Athens because of its proximity to these outdoor amenities. Sometimes he even feel likes he belongs on the show Duck Dynasty - his brother has a house off a dirt road in the middle of the woods; Kevin says when he isn’t busy in the lab it is a nice place to go on the weekends to get away out of the city and enjoy nature.

Dr. Yiying Wu stated that “Kevin is the most talented student in synthesis I have seen. His total synthesis of the Buckeye Hybrid (BH) dyes is just amazing.” We’ve enjoyed having you at OSU these past 5 years, Kevin! Good Luck in your new role at Owens Corning!