BlackboardTarra M. Beach
Tarra M. Beach is a fourth-year graduate student at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU, Tallahassee, FL). She is pursuing her PhD in civil engineering with an emphasis in environmental engineering.
"Attending the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering allows me to pursue my research interest in the filed of phytoremediation, a process that utilizes plants to remove or prevent the infiltration of pollutants into the soil and water in order to prevent the contamination of our potable water supply," she says.
With her PhD, Beach wants to make a positive impact on society and the environment. "As an environmental engineer, I hope to contribute to the sustainability of the environment," she says. "And I want to work in STEM education for underrepresented children, to help them discover the infinite value and potential they possess."
Beach earned her bachelors in chemistry at Tennessee State University (TSU, Nashville, TN) in 2000. Working full-time she stayed on for her masters in chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry and graduated in 2004. A year later she accepted a scholarship at TSU's College of Engineering, Technology and Computer Science and in 2007 she finished her masters in engineering with an emphasis in environmental engineering.
Like many diverse students, Beach has had to overcome barriers throughout her academic journey. One of the most significant was the loss of her mother as an undergrad. "When I returned home to help during my mother's illness, she constantly stressed the importance of my returning to school," she recalls. "Unfortunately she did not she me graduate."
Beach finds doing effective research her greatest challenge and her greatest joy. "I enjoy solving intricate engineering problems and adding to the body of knowledge in my research area," she says.
Beach believes that engineering demands the contribution of an array of creative ideas to discover the best design solution. "Our differences permit us to understand other approaches to concepts," she says.
-Excerpted from 'Advanced degrees', by Angela M. Hutchinson published in Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology | Minority College Issue Winter 2012/Spring 2013 | www.diversitycareers.com
