As a native of the northern town of Woonsocket, RI, Adelaide Levenson made the decision to travel an hour south for school for pragmatic reasons. Initially choosing URI for its cost-effective in-state tuition, Levenson found herself nevertheless falling in love with the Chemistry department. Her adoration for the subject originated in high school, during which time, as she recalls, chemistry was the one class she genuinely enjoyed taking. “I figured I should try it out as a major,” Levenson states, “And I can confidently say that I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else.”
Armed with her already matured love for chemistry, Levenson found her fascination with the topic furthered by her involvement in the department. “One experience that truly inspired me was presenting my first poster after completing a summer chemistry internship,” Levenson states, “I was very nervous about presenting, but, once it was over, I realized that I was ready to do this for the next few years of my life. It inspired me to continue working in research.” As a member of the class of 2021, Levenson still has a ways to go until her time comes to join “the real world”, yet she still looks forward to graduating in May of that year with a B.S. in Chemistry and a minor in Mathematics and Sustainability.
Recently, Levenson was awarded a competitive Undergraduate Research Grant. Alongside Dr. Mindy Levine and Ben Cromwell, she will conduct research on the testing of boron-nitrogen compounds for their ability to retard and prevent flame development in cotton-containing materials. She will design, develop, and optimize a method for testing the ability of these chemicals to retard the development of fire or the spread of fire.
With a career in research in mind, Levenson hopes to put the knowledge behind her degree towards helping protect the environment. She aspires to work as an organic chemist with a focus on sustainability, and she’s thankful to the URI community for all it’s given her. As she states, “I believe that URI has provided me with role models who have been immensely influential in the time I’ve spent here so far. These people push me to do as much as I can, and I know it will be beneficial in obtaining the dreams I have for myself.” As for advice, however, Levenson looks to the social side of college. “If I had any advice for the incoming A&S students, I would tell them to get as involved as possible,” she states, “It definitely enhances your experience here at URI and you’ll meet a ton of great people with similar interests.”
-Written by Chase Hoffman, Writing & Rhetoric and Anthropology Double Major, URI Class of 2021