AUBURN, Ala. – Now that he's beginning his doctoral studies at Rice, former Auburn student-athlete Kevin Wyss still participates in two of the three Rs he mastered on the Plains: reading and research.
Running, at least until the Houston heat of summer subsides, can wait.
"Felt like taking some time off, was a little banged up at the end of the season," said Wyss, who hasn't "run a step" since concluding his Auburn career in May by finishing eighth in the 10,000 meters at the SEC Championships, Auburn's best showing in the event in four years.
"Definitely now I'm starting to feel the tug to go running again," he said. "The SEC 10K can be really deep so to be one of those top eight guys meant a lot and was the whole reason that I wanted to stay athletically for a fifth year."
A champion miler and cross country runner in high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Wyss' high-altitude and high mileage training paid off when running at a lower elevation in college, but the transition presented other challenges.
"Definitely the heat and humidity and the intensity of the workouts, training at a whole new level than high school," he said.
Running cross country at Auburn, Kevin steadily advanced toward his goal of making the All-Region team as a senior after missing it by two spots as a junior.
"I always really loved cross country and so that was the end of a lot of hard work," he said.
While making his mark as a runner, Wyss also excelled academically, graduating in chemistry while earning a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, a prestigious honor that will provide $138,000 over three years while Kevin works toward his Ph.D. in synthetic chemistry.
Just like with his running career, Kevin's adjustment to Auburn's rigorous academics was not immediate. A 3.2 freshman GPA, he says, briefly jeopardized his academic scholarship.
"A lot of it was finding balance and using the resources that exist in Athletics and surrounding yourself with people who are motivated and focused when you need to be," he said.
One of those people was Bethany Burgess, Kevin's girlfriend of four years who graduated summa cum laude from Auburn University's College of Science and Mathematics and is now a student at the University of Texas School of Dentistry in Houston.
"She talked some sense into me," Wyss said. "Surround yourself with people who support you and push you to be the best version of yourself."
His focus reestablished, Wyss attacked his studies like a runner chasing down an opponent on the last lap.
"I've just always been a curious person," said Wyss, whose professors noted his diligence.
"Kevin is an extremely talented student," said Dr. Christian Goldsmith, Auburn University associate professor in chemistry and biochemistry. "His best quality, in my opinion, is that he continues to strive to do better."
" I knew when I first met Kevin as an undergraduate student that he was very smart and very motivated," said Dr. Anne Gorden, Auburn University associate professor in chemistry and biochemistry. "I found working with him in undergraduate research that he had some of the best qualities needed for a talented scientist: a natural scientific curiousity, creativity and determination."
For the NSF fellowship, Wyss submitted a research proposal with a title only a chemist could understand: "Use of Hemilabile Interactions to Create Switchable Hydrogenation Catalysis via an Earth Abundant Metal-centered PNP-Pincer Ligand."
"Catalysis is important in turning one molecule into another, in producing pharmaceuticals, plastics, fragrances, and fertilizer," he explained. "These catalysts often use rare metals that are expensive and environmentally damaging to mine. Chemists also have very little control over catalysts, and being able to turn 'off' and 'on' catalysts or even 'tune' the rate of catalysis would significantly advance chemistry.
"I proposed making a catalyst that will address both of these concerns. Cobalt is very abundant, decreasing price and making a more environmentally friendly catalyst, and has shown promise in carrying out catalytic reactions. The molecule surrounding the cobalt metal center will allow for a 'switchable' nature to the catalyst: being able to turn on or off the reaction simply by adding a simple salt solution."
With ideas like that, it's no surprise that all eight Ph.D. programs Wyss applied to accepted him.
"There are so many possibilities and applications," he said. "There are so many rabbit holes you can go down. That's why I enjoy research so much.
"I am grateful to Auburn for providing all of the opportunities that have allowed me to grow as a person, scientist and researcher."
Once he earns his doctorate, Kevin plans to lead a research group, working with others to solve problems. In a way, it would be similar to the mentoring role he sought to provide as an Auburn student-athlete.
"When I was a freshman, there were seniors and a fifth year grad assistant and they really helped me be the runner I am," he said. "Being able to be that person for some of the freshmen or sophomores on the team was also something I was pretty passionate about.
"I think I'm going to look back on my fifth year at Auburn as one of the best things that happened as far as what I was able to do, where it was able to slingshot me toward the NSF and my grad school experience, and closure as far as athletics."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer