Hayat Adawi is an undergraduate Chemical and Life Science Engineering student at VCU. Hayat loved chemistry since high school, where her favorite chemistry teacher was actually a former chemical engineer! Now at VCU, research is a valuable way for Hayat to discover the field of industry she's passionate about. After hearing of Dr. Hani El-Kaderi's work with designing MOFs for selective gas capture, Hayat felt drawn through her interest in environmental protection. She joined the El-Kaderi Research Group in the summer of 2016, and loves spending her days in lab practicing organic chemistry synthesis, learning to use surface area analyzers, and getting to know her chemist colleagues down the hall.  Plus, she gets to work with Shamara Weeraratne - the coolest graduate student and mentor, ever! Check out Hayat's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayatadawi