Tony Hoch ’19 is a current undergraduate student majoring in biological engineering with a concentration in pharmaceutical processing. During 2017 and 2018, he performed research on the influence of surface composition on powder flowability of lactose-based materials.
“Powders are used in many industries across the world, including pharmaceuticals, plastics, and chemicals,” says Hoch. “The goal of my research was to help make powders less sticky so that they could flow better and not cause issues in machines used by these industries.”
Hoch first got involved with undergraduate research when he responded to an email chain sent out by his research professor, Dr. Teresa Carvajal. Dr. Carvajal currently serves as a professor of agricultural and biological engineering at Purdue and is a researcher at the Birck Nanotechnology Center.
Throughout his research experience, Hoch worked with multiple doctorate and postdoctoral fellows to learn the theory behind the flowability of powders. His involvement with undergraduate research allowed Tony to gain many valuable skills and experiences that he used to his advantage when applying for jobs. He was recently accepted into a full-time rotational program called the Global Operations Leadership Development (GOLD) Program within Catalent Pharma Solutions. This Program is an intensive, two-year opportunity that offers on-the-job experiences in operations and builds leadership skills.
“Participating in undergraduate research allowed me to open my mind up to possibilities beyond school,” says Tony.
“Being able to take things into my own hands and feel the direct impact of my efforts made research an amazing opportunity that I am thankful to have had a chance to participate in.”
Undergraduate Research Blog 