WVU student researcher finds a future in the familiar
At WVU, senior biochemistry student Kasia Jaczynska has kept finding new ways to love science with the help of the Office of Undergraduate Research. (WVU Photo/Micaela Morrissette)
For West Virginia University undergraduate researcher Kasia Jaczynska, who grew up in Morgantown, “WVU has always felt like home.”
But even here on her home turf, Jaczynska has never stayed in her comfort zone.
Now a senior, she came to WVU fascinated by chemistry and the access that discipline gave her to the invisible world of molecules and atoms.
“I really loved it,” she recalled. “It wasn’t that it was easy — it wasn’t — but I was drawn to it. I loved thinking about how all those tiny pieces fit together.”
But Jaczynska kept pushing forward, encouraged by her father, Jacek Jaczynski, to go after the unfamiliar.
A professor of food science and human nutrition at the WVU Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Jaczynski encouraged his daughter to explore biochemistry. The shift opened her eyes, she said.
“Biochemistry gives me such a broad overview of science. It leaves the door open, so I don’t feel locked into one path after college. Now I feel like I can choose from a wide range of options.”
Through the WVU Research Apprenticeship Program, Jaczynska joined a project studying sustainability in textiles, specifically the environmental impact of cotton versus hemp.
Cotton is one of the most widely used fibers in the world, she explained, but it comes with a heavy environmental cost, requiring enormous amounts of water and energy and releasing harmful greenhouse gases during production.
Hemp, on the other hand, has long been suggested as a sustainable alternative.
Kasia Jaczynska said she appreciates how her chosen major allows her to explore a wide range of career paths after graduation. (WVU Photo/Micaela Morrissette)
“It’s thought to have similar properties to cotton — comfort, durability and versatility — but it requires fewer resources and releases fewer harmful gases,” Jaczynska said.
Under the guidance of Kevin Orner, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, and Sunidhi Mehta, former assistant professor at the Davis College, Jaczynska focused on adding more data to a still-developing research area. Working with Statler College graduate student Denis Ruto, she compared cotton and hemp at the fiber stage — the beginning of the textile process — and found that hemp performed better environmentally at that level.
The challenge, Jaczynska noted, is that hemp hasn’t been studied as thoroughly, especially in later stages of production, such as yarn and fabric.
“So we can’t say yet what it looks like across the whole process,” she said. “But at least at the fiber stage, hemp shows promise as a sustainable alternative to cotton.”
For Jaczynska, the project was appealing, not only for the science but for the real-world implications.
“I liked that it was something people could actually use. It’s not just theoretical. It’s information that could help the public make better decisions about what they buy and wear.”
The WVU senior was drawn to a research project comparing cotton to hemp at the fiber stage because the findings could have real-world implications. (WVU Photo/Micaela Morrissette)
From hemp’s higher price point to misconceptions linking hemp with marijuana, challenges remain for hemp as a mainstream textile. That makes consumer education important, according to Jaczynska.
In her own education, the WVU Office of Undergraduate Research has been equally important.
“They’re really helpful in encouraging students to find the right fit,” she said. “If you start in one area and it’s not for you, they’ll help you find something else. And the faculty here are open to mentoring undergrads and giving them those opportunities. That’s been my experience — really positive and supportive.”
Jaczynska said her undergraduate experience at WVU has taught her that whatever the direction of her future research, her work will be grounded in the real world — and she’ll stay grounded thanks to her West Virginia roots.
“This has always been home,” she said. “And now I get to be part of the community of researchers who are helping WVU push forward, that feels really special.”
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