For Melissa Morris, the choice to travel almost two hours from her home in Billerica, MA, to URI was decided by passion. Entering freshman year with the conviction of someone beyond her years, Morris knew two things: Chemistry was the right path for her, and she had no idea if she was right. “While my high school didn’t offer AP chemistry, my teacher did a wonderful job showing us how chemistry can connect math, physics, biology, environmental science, forensics, and countless other fields,” Morris explains, “I have since realized that getting a degree in Chemistry will allow me to work in both industry and academia, and I will be able to study almost anything in graduate school.” While on the college touring process prior to making her eventual decision to attend, Morris fell in love with the rigor URI’s ACS accredited Chemistry department displayed in its curriculum, as well as the Rhody Spirit radiating from the students and campus itself. Needless to say, she was hooked, and Morris entered URI knowing she’d found her home away from home.

From the very start, Morris proved herself to be a unique asset to the Chemistry department. Unsure if Chemistry was the right choice for her, Morris took it upon herself to attend the Chemistry department’s weekly seminars. “Apparently, this was not a common thing for freshman to do, because professors kept asking who I was and if I actually understood anything that was presented,” Morris states, “My answer was always, ‘I don’t really understand the details yet, but that’s fine because I’m just here to be inspired.’” Continuing her precocious streak, Morris was accepted into an internship program the summer after her freshman year at an atmospheric chemistry company called Aerodyne Research Inc. in her hometown of Billerica. During her time working for Aerodyne, Morris adds that she was lucky enough to work alongside two of the company’s leading scientists on a couple major field campaigns. One took place in California with the purpose of measuring methane from dairy farms, and another in Norway with the intent of measuring emissions from a liquefied natural gas plant. “The field work experience changed my life, because it showed me how I can help people and our planet using my degree,” Morris says, “It also helped me become an advocate for environmental  issues, such as methane emissions, because I got to present my research at one of the URI Chemistry Department Seminars during the fall.”

Looking to the future, Morris graduates in May 2019 with a B.S. in Chemistry (with honors) and dual minors in Mathematics and Physics. Drawing on her previous experiences with URI’s Chemistry department, Morris aspires to go on to graduate school, and, eventually, become a university professor, like those who inspired her before, including Professor Jason Dwyer, who Morris has conducted undergraduate research under for the past three years. She hopes to lead her own environmental chemistry research program one day, and she thanks URI for all it helped build for her. As she states, “URI has given me a strong foundation in chemistry, math, physics, reading, writing, and research, and I feel well-prepared to continue on to graduate school.” Morris serves as an inspirational beacon to those who may feel lost in the process of deciding a major, advising that students follow her lead and immerse themselves. “My hope is that you will go into your major fearlessly,” Morris states, “Because college is not about what you already know, it’s about finding a passion for something new.”

~ Written by Chase Hoffman ’21, Writing & Rhetoric and Anthropology Double Major