Spotlight: Mary Sullivan

When Mary Sullivan decided to get her degree at Drexel, she wasn't thinking of a bachelor's. She had her sights set on nothing short of a Ph.D. And thanks to the College of Engineering's groundbreaking B.S./Ph.D. program, this ambitious student will have her doctorate by the time she's 23 years old.

And she's well on her way. Sullivan began her research in the program working on the KC-135 project as a Mechanical Engineering freshmen. Sullivan is now studying polymers and electrospinning of nanofibers under thesis advisor Dr. Giuseppe Palmese in preparation for a Ph.D. in the area of composites.

And her co-op? Nowhere short of Tokyo, Japan would suffice for this bi-lingual student.

Sullivan has been enjoying her experiences as the program's pioneer. "I've learned a lot more by doing research, by doing things myself, than I would have just by sitting in a lecture hall. And I've formed a lot of personal relationships with my professors and advisors, which has been invaluable."