{"688267":{"#nid":"688267","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Finding His Path Through Undergraduate Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen Sam Lucas arrived at Georgia Tech in the summer of 2018 for the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/senic.gatech.edu\/education-and-outreach\/reu-program\/\u0022\u003ENNCI Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU),\u003C\/a\u003E he didn\u2019t know that it would set the course for the next seven years of his academic and personal life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt the time, he was an undergraduate at Mississippi State University (MSU) studying chemical engineering. He was fresh off a series of research opportunities, but was still unsure of what doing research full-time would look like or what he wanted to do post-undergraduate.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, Lucas has earned a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Georgia Tech with a focus on nanomaterial drug delivery for cancer immunotherapy. And according to him, the path from undergraduate to Ph.D. can be traced directly back to his REU.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPreviously, Lucas had worked in labs in high school and his early college career, but those roles were mostly task-based.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u0027d started working in a\u0026nbsp;lab\u0026nbsp;at the University of Southern Mississippi my senior year of high school,\u201d he said. \u201cI was\u0026nbsp;doing polymer coatings for corrosion resistance.\u0026nbsp;Then I did some miscellaneous stuff at MSU.\u0026nbsp;But the REU was interesting because\u0026nbsp;it\u0026nbsp;was in some ways the most structured research experience that\u0026nbsp;I\u0027d\u0026nbsp;had to that point.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuring that summer, Lucas worked with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ce.gatech.edu\/directory\/person\/kimberly-e-kurtis\u0022\u003EKim Curtis\u003C\/a\u003E\u2019 group in the Georgia Tech \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ce.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E. He worked to understand how incorporating titanium oxide particles into cement can absorb pollutants when exposed to sunlight. It was his first hands-on, interdisciplinary research experience.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThat summer was significant\u0026nbsp;both in starting to make sense what research could\u0026nbsp;actually look\u0026nbsp;like on a full-time day-to-day basis and also what being at Tech might be like.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeyond the research, Lucas discovered that being on Georgia Tech\u2019s campus was just as formative. Surrounded by peers who were similarly driven, and often similarly unsure about their paths, he began to see himself as a \u201creal\u201d researcher. Meetups with fellow REU students, sessions on research communication, and structured mentorship all gave him confidence.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe impact of Lucas\u2019 REU experience didn\u2019t end there. It helped him earn a spot in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cnf.cornell.edu\/education\/international\u0022\u003ECornell\u2019s international research experience program (iREU)\u003C\/a\u003E the following year. There, he worked on nanomaterials for cancer vaccine applications. The transition from cement technologies to vaccine applications became the bridge to his eventual Ph.D. focus.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe REU truly became a launchpad for Sam\u0027s career, as it has for others who have come through our program,\u201d said Leslie O\u2019Neill, education outreach manager. \u201cSeveral of our former participants have returned to Georgia Tech for their Ph.D., and it\u2019s because the experience gives them clarity about research and opens doors they didn\u2019t even realize existed.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2020, Lucas arrived back on campus, where he enrolled in the \u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/academics\/phd-programs\/phd-biomedical-engineering\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u2019s Joint Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E program. As part of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/thomas.gatech.edu\/thomas.html\u0022\u003ESusan Thomas\u2019 lab\u003C\/a\u003E, his research focused on nanomaterial drug delivery for cancer immunotherapy. He spent the next five and a half years working on immune system engineering and drug delivery systems.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough he had once imagined a career in oil and gas \u2014 a common trajectory for Mississippi State engineers \u2014 his REU experience pointed him in a new direction.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter defending his dissertation in 2025, Lucas is now continuing as a postdoctoral researcher in the Thomas Lab, contributing to nanomedicine projects while preparing for a future career in biotech or pharmaceuticals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe credits the REU with giving him the clarity and confidence to pursue research at the highest level. His advice to undergraduates considering the program is simple: Go for it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf you apply for it and get an offer, just go ahead and do it,\u201d said Lucas. \u201cThere\u2019s not really a downside.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESam Lucas\u2019 journey from a summer undergraduate research program to a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering highlights how early research experiences can shape long-term academic and career paths\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Sam Lucas\u2019 journey from a summer undergraduate research program to a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering highlights how early research experiences can shape long-term academic and career paths"}],"uid":"35272","created_gmt":"2026-02-16 15:33:04","changed_gmt":"2026-02-18 19:01:17","author":"aneumeister3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-02-16T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2026-02-16T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679288":{"id":"679288","type":"image","title":"Sam Lucas Graduation","body":null,"created":"1771255804","gmt_created":"2026-02-16 15:30:04","changed":"1771255842","gmt_changed":"2026-02-16 15:30:42","alt":"A smiling graduate stands on a tree-lined campus walkway covered with fallen leaves. He is wearing a gold doctoral gown with blue velvet panels and sleeve bars, along with a matching blue tam and tassel. Campus buildings and autumn trees are visible in the background.","file":{"fid":"263429","name":"Sam-Lucas-graduation.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/16\/Sam-Lucas-graduation.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/16\/Sam-Lucas-graduation.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":171617,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/02\/16\/Sam-Lucas-graduation.JPG?itok=85q40lit"}},"679287":{"id":"679287","type":"image","title":"Sam Lucas hooding ","body":null,"created":"1771255645","gmt_created":"2026-02-16 15:27:25","changed":"1771255795","gmt_changed":"2026-02-16 15:29:55","alt":"During a hooding ceremony indoors, a faculty member places a doctoral hood over the shoulders of a seated graduate wearing a gold gown and blue velvet doctoral regalia. Two additional faculty members in academic dress stand nearby, smiling. Rows of rolled diplomas are visible in the background.","file":{"fid":"263428","name":"Sam-Lucas-hooding.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/16\/Sam-Lucas-hooding.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/16\/Sam-Lucas-hooding.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":136872,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/02\/16\/Sam-Lucas-hooding.JPG?itok=1nNcLBoZ"}},"679286":{"id":"679286","type":"image","title":"Sam Lucas Japan iREU","body":"\u003Cp\u003ESam Lucas (back row, far left) during the iREU experience in Japan.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1771255198","gmt_created":"2026-02-16 15:19:58","changed":"1771256125","gmt_changed":"2026-02-16 15:35:25","alt":"Nine young adults pose together outside a building on a sunny day. Some stand while two kneel in front. They are dressed casually, smiling at the camera, with trees, a sidewalk, and a building entrance sign visible behind them.","file":{"fid":"263424","name":"Sam-Lucas-iREU.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/16\/Sam-Lucas-iREU.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/16\/Sam-Lucas-iREU.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":184173,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/02\/16\/Sam-Lucas-iREU.JPG?itok=LCWe80ir"}},"679285":{"id":"679285","type":"image","title":"Sam Lucas with Kurtis Group","body":"\u003Cp\u003ESam Lucas (far right) with members oif Kim Kurtis\u0027 research group during his summer 2018 REU.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1771255142","gmt_created":"2026-02-16 15:19:02","changed":"1771256078","gmt_changed":"2026-02-16 15:34:38","alt":"A group of nine people sit together around a long wooden table in a restaurant. Plates, drinks, and condiments are on the table. The group smiles toward the camera, with framed maps and warm lighting visible in the background.","file":{"fid":"263423","name":"Sam-Lucas-with-Kim-Kurtis-group.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/16\/Sam-Lucas-with-Kim-Kurtis-group.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/16\/Sam-Lucas-with-Kim-Kurtis-group.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":137877,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/02\/16\/Sam-Lucas-with-Kim-Kurtis-group.jpg?itok=KD_B8D-i"}}},"media_ids":["679288","679287","679286","679285"],"groups":[{"id":"660369","name":"Matter and Systems"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193652","name":"Matter and Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.neumeister@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Neumeister\u003C\/a\u003E | Communications Program Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Institute for Matter and Systems\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["amelia.neumeister@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}