Cottrell Scholar Awards
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Spotlight on: Teri Odom
by Jaimie Leopold | October 12th, 2009
Dr. Teri W. Odom, a 2005 Cottrell Scholar and associate professor of Chemistry, Dow Chemical Company Research Professor in the Weinberg College of Arts and at Northwestern University, defines herself as a "risk taker." She embraces transformative research as a norm in her research and in her teaching.
Recognized by numerous organizations, most recently by the Materials Research Society which named her an Outstanding Young Investigator, Dr. Odom has also received an NIH Directors' Pioneer Award.
One of her fundamental research goals has been "determining how light interacts with metal nanostructures." Dr. Odom's boundary-crossing research involves finding the tools to manipulate these building blocks into useful structures over large areas. This requires a "creative combination of synthetic procedures, characterization methods and mechanistic understanding." Her work is central in the development of diagnostic biomedical sensors, solar energy conversion and microwave communication.
Dr. Odom is also a dedicated teacher and mentor for her undergraduate and graduate students. "Research and teaching are interrelated. They both center on training students and pursuing excellence." She notes that the challenge is to push students so they can "gain insight into solving a broad range of problems." In her role as a teacher, Dr. Odom has designed hands-on nanotechnology modules a wide range of users, from high-school students to scientists in developing countries.
Central to her approach to teaching is her interest in supporting student success. Her 2005 Cottrell Scholar Award allowed her to think creatively on how teaching and research can be integrated. She pays attention to the innate abilities of the student and is deliberate in putting people together in teams, insisting that subgroups working on a common task meet regularly for updates and problem solving. She said she enjoys seeing the synergy at work when students from material science, chemistry and chemical engineering come together.
Dr. Odom says that innovation happens in research "when we take a non-linear approach. That means sometimes we are simply taking the time to learn the language of each discipline. As we ask each other questions, new thinking and ideas emerge."
--Jamie Leopold