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University students: Tell us about you!
Hello University Students!
Welcome to the forum! We're thrilled to have you here and would love to learn more about you and your research.
Whether you're pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree, your work and ideas contribute significantly to our growing academic community.
Please take a moment to introduce yourself:
Please include a link to any currently published research, if available.
Your name and which university you're attending.
Your area of study or research.
A brief description of your current research project or interests.
What inspired you to pursue this research.
What you would like to pursue professionally after graduation (to help with potential job opportunities).
Connecting through shared interests can spark great conversations, collaborations, and innovations. We look forward to reading about your academic journey and exploring potential opportunities to learn from each other.
Keep growing!
Dr. J
I’m Alex Eckman, finishing up my B.S. in Cannabis Chemistry at Lake Superior State University. It’s a traditional ACS-accredited chemistry degree with added courses in cannabis extraction and analytics. We grow hemp on campus, run hydrocarbon and wiped film distillation, and have access to a full Agilent suite for compliance-level testing, plus additional instrumentation such as SEM and micro XRF. To my knowledge, it’s one of the only programs in the country where undergrads are hands-on with this kind of work. Somewhere along the way I found myself falling deep into organic chemistry, and that’s where most of my focus is now.
I’m currently wrapping up a senior capstone project looking at polymer degradation in vape hardware, which I am planning to submit it for peer review soon! I was first introduced to this research project from my PI, Dr. Derek Wright who knew I had a background producing vape carts for a caregiver lab prior to enrolling at the university. He was interested in developing a novel method of heavy metal analysis via SEM-EDS. I found the project super interesting, even though my passion was more on the orgainc/med synthesis chem side, not metals analysis. During the sample prep development, we ran into many issues which diverted to focus over to polymers - the main being an unknown percipitant from some vapes volitalizing under the SEM beam. That turned out to be a polymer, which is the focus of my current research!
I entered the cannabis space after medically retiring from a short stint as a firefighter. Started as a budtender, moved into extractions, then eventually processing lab management. When I came across this degree, I figured it was time to double down and commit to cannabis as a long-term career path.
Now I’m building Higher State Brands, a research-forward cannabis company focused on product innovation and tech development.
Big shoutout to Dr. Justice and the whole CRC team for creating space like this. The work you’ve all been doing has been a massive source of inspiration for me since day one. Grateful to be part of this community and looking forward to connecting with everyone!
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-eckman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexeckman.eth / https://www.instagram.com/alexeckmancanna YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AlexEckmanCanna