Stevens Center Academic Spotlight: Allie Wooden
November 02, 2017 | Women's Swimming & Diving, USC Ripsit Blog, Features
USC's student-athletes are more than just champions on the field, court, diamond and pool -- they're champions in the classroom as well. Each week, we will get to know one of these scholarly Trojans a bit better in our academic spotlight.
Name: Allie Wooden
Class: Junior
Sport: Women's Swimming
Major: Chemical Engineering (concentration in nanotechnology)
GPA: 3.4
Aubrey Kragen (AK): When and how did you first become interested in chemical engineering?
Allie Wooden (AW): My high school had pretty developed math and science departments and I really enjoyed chemistry and math. I was like, 'OK, let's do chemical engineering,' because I knew I had some type of future in it, and I could make money and support myself with that major. And I love to problem solve and I work well in a team atmosphere, which is a lot of what engineering is.
AK: What are some of the most interesting things you've learned in the chemical engineering major?
AW: Especially since I declared my concentration in nanotechnology, we've done a couple labs discovering how nanoparticle sizes affect different properties within gold. So we've shrunk gold particles down to nano-size and varied the sizes within that range, and it's showed how very different sizes can affect color. And then we do basic chemistry labs, like titration and gas analysis, so it's a very broad range. I'm also taking a class called reactors right now, so we're learning how to design plain batch reactors and flow tube reactors.
AK: Do you have an idea of what you want to do career-wise with your degree?
AW: I think I want to go more toward management of engineers. I don't feel like research is really my driving force. I think I'm good at communicating with people and getting the products from the lab into the real world.
AK: You mentioned management and team work — do you see your studies and your role on the swimming team as overlapping at all?
AW: Yes. I've definitely learned a lot from swimming that I've applied to engineering. One is the discipline that swimming give me. It's helped me get my work done and do it well.
AK: What do you think about while you're swimming? Does your mind ever drift to classwork?
AW: Sometimes when I'm having a really good practice, I'm super in the zone. But sometimes school does creep in. [USC head coach] Dave Salo always tells us, 'When you're in the pool, you're swimming. School doesn't matter in the pool.' Which I 100 percent agree with. Sometimes it does creep in though. Sometimes I find myself trying to solve homework problems in my head just to get through a long set.
AK: After growing up in Ohio, what made you decide to come all the way out to USC?
AW: I had a few family members come out here, but at that point, I was a pure Ohio girl. I wanted to stay in the midwest or east coast. But after coming out here, I wanted to commit so badly on my trip. I also looked at Virginia and Ohio State, but they didn't even compare to USC, especially with the school and the swimming. Dave's an amazing coach. And the school, there's nothing like it — I'm being challenged in most respects.
AK: In what ways have you furthered your education outside of the classroom in terms of internships or research projects?
AW: A lot of freshmen and sophomores get research positions in the summer, but starting this year, a lot of students will get internships, which is what I'm applying for right now. Right now, I'm also doing a little bit of independent research with a professor here in dialectric breakdowns. I'm coding a simulation and creating a polymer and applying electric fields to that polymer and finding the point when electricity starts to flow through the polymer chain. And then I'm finding the point where it actually breaks.
AK: What are your goals, both academically and athletically, during the rest of your time at USC?
AW: I'd definitely like to get an internship this summer. And I'd like to make Dean's List this semester. I think I have a chance to do that. Athletically, I'd like to qualify for NCAAs, because it's in Columbus this year and I kind of want to go back to Ohio. I want to lead the team to a top four finish because we really want a trophy. And I feel like this year with the captains we've created a really good team and culture.
Name: Allie WoodenClass: Junior
Sport: Women's Swimming
Major: Chemical Engineering (concentration in nanotechnology)
GPA: 3.4
Aubrey Kragen (AK): When and how did you first become interested in chemical engineering?
Allie Wooden (AW): My high school had pretty developed math and science departments and I really enjoyed chemistry and math. I was like, 'OK, let's do chemical engineering,' because I knew I had some type of future in it, and I could make money and support myself with that major. And I love to problem solve and I work well in a team atmosphere, which is a lot of what engineering is.
AK: What are some of the most interesting things you've learned in the chemical engineering major?
AW: Especially since I declared my concentration in nanotechnology, we've done a couple labs discovering how nanoparticle sizes affect different properties within gold. So we've shrunk gold particles down to nano-size and varied the sizes within that range, and it's showed how very different sizes can affect color. And then we do basic chemistry labs, like titration and gas analysis, so it's a very broad range. I'm also taking a class called reactors right now, so we're learning how to design plain batch reactors and flow tube reactors.
AK: Do you have an idea of what you want to do career-wise with your degree?
AW: I think I want to go more toward management of engineers. I don't feel like research is really my driving force. I think I'm good at communicating with people and getting the products from the lab into the real world.
AK: You mentioned management and team work — do you see your studies and your role on the swimming team as overlapping at all?
AW: Yes. I've definitely learned a lot from swimming that I've applied to engineering. One is the discipline that swimming give me. It's helped me get my work done and do it well.
AK: What do you think about while you're swimming? Does your mind ever drift to classwork?
AW: Sometimes when I'm having a really good practice, I'm super in the zone. But sometimes school does creep in. [USC head coach] Dave Salo always tells us, 'When you're in the pool, you're swimming. School doesn't matter in the pool.' Which I 100 percent agree with. Sometimes it does creep in though. Sometimes I find myself trying to solve homework problems in my head just to get through a long set.
AK: After growing up in Ohio, what made you decide to come all the way out to USC?
AW: I had a few family members come out here, but at that point, I was a pure Ohio girl. I wanted to stay in the midwest or east coast. But after coming out here, I wanted to commit so badly on my trip. I also looked at Virginia and Ohio State, but they didn't even compare to USC, especially with the school and the swimming. Dave's an amazing coach. And the school, there's nothing like it — I'm being challenged in most respects.
AK: In what ways have you furthered your education outside of the classroom in terms of internships or research projects?
AW: A lot of freshmen and sophomores get research positions in the summer, but starting this year, a lot of students will get internships, which is what I'm applying for right now. Right now, I'm also doing a little bit of independent research with a professor here in dialectric breakdowns. I'm coding a simulation and creating a polymer and applying electric fields to that polymer and finding the point when electricity starts to flow through the polymer chain. And then I'm finding the point where it actually breaks.
AK: What are your goals, both academically and athletically, during the rest of your time at USC?
AW: I'd definitely like to get an internship this summer. And I'd like to make Dean's List this semester. I think I have a chance to do that. Athletically, I'd like to qualify for NCAAs, because it's in Columbus this year and I kind of want to go back to Ohio. I want to lead the team to a top four finish because we really want a trophy. And I feel like this year with the captains we've created a really good team and culture.
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