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 ground-breaking 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 her first year in the program. A chemical engineering major, Sullivan is studying polymers and electrospinning under thesis advisor Dr. Giuseppe Palmese (chemical) in preparation for a Ph.D. in the area of composites.

In her ‘spare’ time, Sullivan also conducted research in zero-gravity, flying in NASA’s KC-135 Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program, or “Vomit Comet.” And her co-op? Nowhere short of Tokyo, Japan would suffice for this bi-lingual student, where she’ll be joining her SuperNOVA advisor Dr. Tony Lowman’s (chemical) research group.

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.”