Frederick Cooper

Frederick Cooper

Chemistry student Frederick Cooper was recently selected for the Texas A&M University Commerce Research Experience for Undergraduates program. REU is funded by the National Science Foundation and gives participants the opportunity to work side-by-side with A&M-Commerce faculty and students to investigate challenging scientific projects.

“He is a student who has high intellectual potential,” chemistry professor Mike Buttram said. “He’s one of those guys who can walk in, take the book, read it, come in and make 100s on the test.”

Frederick received a $4,500 stipend for the 10-week program, in addition to lodging and support for research supplies and scientific conference costs. He will be matched with a mentor at A&M-Commerce and will gain priceless research experience working with his mentors and other research students. Students in the program are expected to work full-time in a defined role on in-depth research projects.

Buttram said that successfully completing the program could open lots of doors for Cooper, and could potentially lead to the rest of his schooling being paid for through the doctorate level. Cooper was selected after Buttram nominated him for the program.

“We here at Texarkana College can help put a kid in the right situation, to make a big difference,” Buttram said. “Frederick has lots of potential to do a lot of different things.”