TV got this physicist into films

Many great scientists will tell you that a favorite teacher first influenced their career path. But for Connie Roth, it was the television show "MacGyver." The title character was a secret agent who carried a Swiss Army knife instead of a gun and relied on ingenuity to escape predicaments.

"It was an appealing premise to a teenager, that if you understand enough about how things work, you can put things together to solve problems. That's kind of what a scientist does," says Roth, assistant professor of physics.

Her lab uses both physics and chemistry to explore the dynamics of polymer molecules, including within thin films. Polymer films have a range of industrial uses, such as anti-reflective coatings for eyeglasses, membranes for gas separation processes and electrolyte layers for lithium batteries.

Read Roth's profile in Emory Report.