Gena Franco

From Field to Fabric

My research project consisted of being a technical assistant to Dr. Lui and her graduate student Katie Jo in their research on hemp and it’s ability to be used as cloth fiber. This program opened my eyes to a lot of possibilities that make me excited for the future and what other projects I could involve myself in or even start myself.

Real Life Skills

The most beneficial part of being a part of the program was most likely building a relationship with Katie Jo and improving my relationship with Dr. Liu. I also had a class with Dr. Liu while working with the program so I was spending a lot of time with her. I learned from Dr. Liu that time management is extremely important in motivating myself to write my paper.

Designing the Future 

My favorite part was getting to know Katie Jo and getting to work with such a controversial topic. It really is a great icebreaker. I plan on staying in the program until the end of fall semester 2018 since I got started so late. I am thinking about maybe trying to construct my own garment out of hemp since I am studying to be a design major.

“The most beneficial part of being a part of the program was most likely building a relationship with Katie Jo and improving my relationship with Dr. Liu.”