Wyatt Vaughn - 2026 Udall Scholar

Wyatt Vaughn, from Olathe, is the son of Erin and Derek Vaughn. Vaughn in double majoring in English creative writing and chemical engineering, with an interest in the two fields' overlap and how they influence each other through both science communication and creative writing works with science as a subject for enjoyment. His research revolves around wastewater treatment, specifically biologically active sludge as a feed stock for a process called hydrothermal liquefaction through Dr. Williams research group. This high temperature and pressure process is a promising technology that has the potential to reclaim energy, optimize wastewater treatment processes, and destroy rising contaminants such as PFAS/ "forever chemicals". The larger goal of this research is to make wastewater treatment greener while recovering all valuable resources that we can from "waste". 

More information about Wyatt:

• He is the founder and president of KU's Society Network of Aspiring Poet Scholars (SNAPS).
• He is a first generation college student.
• He is working for the City of Olathe over Summer 2026 as an Environmental Services intern through their Public Works department. 
• He hopes to write poetry inspired by the wastewater treatment process.