ÍøºìÍ·Ìõ

KENNESAW, Ga. | May 21, 2026

Rusty Hooper traded nuclear submarines for the study of physical chemistry at Kennesaw State University.

An undergraduate researcher in the laboratory of Assistant Professor of Madalynn Marshall, Hooper enrolled at ÍøºìÍ·Ìõfor its proximity to his home in Dallas, Ga., but quickly found his way to the and its lab complex. He inquired with Marshall about the honors chemistry society, Phi Lambda Upsilon, and in short order he had found a research home.

Marshall conducts research in materials with applications in energy storage and generation using magnetic means, a niche at the intersection of chemistry, physics, and materials science with some engineering thrown in for good measure. Issues with energy demand, consumption, supply, and storage make this research critical on a world scale.

Now a chemistry and modern language major, Hooper chatted about his experience recently.

Q: Madalynn Marshall’s research sits at the intersection of physics and chemistry. Is that similar to your experience in the Navy?

A: Yes. I operated shutdown nuclear reactors for about 10 years in the Navy. I worked more on the electrical side of the power plants. What really got me interested in Dr. Marshall’s project was the ways the theory and the synthesis can be put toward real applications. I believe the title of the project has to do with energy conservation, transfer, and storage. Given there are only so many fossil fuels and so many ways that we can make energy, we as humanity need to be on the bleeding edge of sustainable technologies. Even as recently as this week, we can see the detriments of running out of fossil fuels from the economy alone, let alone what happens when we're actually out.

Q: Did your interest in this develop while you were in the Navy or before?

A: Honestly, the interest in sustainability and environmental conservation, the trajectory I want to take with anything I do now, it's something that developed after I started college, probably the second semester of my freshman year. I was taking English Composition II, and we had to do a research paper on global issues, any topic. I operated nuclear reactors for 10 years, so energy sustainability and greenhouse climate change — those two are intrinsically linked. In my mind at least there’s one path forward and that is through nuclear technology as we find a way to make things a little bit more sustainable in terms of solar, hydroelectric, and all the other forms of cleaner energy.

From there, I dug into the weeds of the nuclear industry and then sustainability in general. I thought it was fascinating and it invigorated me. It was something that I was excited to read about and learn about, not even just from the nuclear side of things. Now I’m thinking, how could I take what I'm learning now and turn that into something useful down the road?

Q: What's your ultimate goal with research?

A: I want to have something worthy of contributing to global conversations about the direction of humanity. It's very nebulous and very lofty, right? It’s hard to say, but environmental conservation is a huge thing for me. There's only so much space on Earth, there are finite resources, and we consume them all, right? We are ever-expanding and ever-consuming. That is the nature of humanity and I want to contribute to ensuring that the Earth is still here while humanity figures out what it wants to do next.

Q: What kinds of projects have you taken on toward this goal?

A: I developed a proposal for developing a metal organic framework that would essentially absorb carbon dioxide emission from cars, and then it would be the synthesis of that material and the rapid testing of them. There have been a lot of studies in the materials like that already. So, I would be advancing their work. But I also look at human effects on the environment. Right now, in my chemistry lab, I'm starting a project analyzing the difference in residual pesticides found in the honey of bee hives here in metro Atlanta versus that in southern Georgia and northern Georgia, and seeing if commercial pesticide use is impacting bee hives.

Q: How have you found the accommodations for non-traditional students and veterans at KSU?

A: ÍøºìÍ·Ìõtakes care of us veterans. We have a lot of resources available to us. My experience differs in that there isn’t really anything that has been thrown at me so that I haven’t been able to overcome. Every time that I’ve had a question about Veterans Affairs or just needed a place to go sit and study, the lounge is nice. It’s very convenient to get to. Everyone on the Military and Veteran Services side of the house has been very nice, very cordial, very polite, and great to work with.

– Story by Dave Shelles

Photo provided

 

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, ÍøºìÍ·Ìõ offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 51,000 students. ÍøºìÍ·Ìõis a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university's vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. ÍøºìÍ·Ìõis a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.