Narrative

Explanations of modern research often seem like technologies and ideas from a superhero comic. When I first learned about Dr. Hatzell's research, her projects certainly sounded like high-tech tools pulled right out of an action movie. The almost magic-seeming elements of this research inspired me to draw this comic, which incorporates three areas of research that Dr. Hatzell and her student researchers explore in their projects. These projects are informed by the members of the lab's experiences and studies in numerous fields including: mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, material science, environmental engineering, and chemistry. The research described in the comic includes: a process for solar power fertilizer manufacturing, the creation of a biology inspired "gill" which people can use to breathe underwater, and the development of technology to draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.