When a barn fire erupted at her family home, Sophia LaPorta, then only 13, vowed to never again be in a position where she couldn’t defend her family or her community. Now a trained firefighter and defensive specialist for the Scarlet Raptors volleyball team, the Rutgers–Camden junior also brings a determined energy to her academics as a chemistry major focused on materials research.
LaPorta discovered a passion for chemistry in high school, where she took a STEM-intensive program and grew fascinated with lab experiments and the hands-on process of making things. While in high school, she also developed a love for volleyball and happened to be competing at a tournament where Rutgers–Camden coach David Gerst was in attendance.
“That’s how Rutgers–Camden got on my radar,” LaPorta said. “I knew I wanted to major in chemistry, and I knew I wanted to do research. So, I investigated it more and talked to some of the seniors on the volleyball team; they said there were a lot of opportunities here.”
The student-athlete has thrived at Rutgers–Camden, even adding another sport to her résumé. She joined the Scarlet Raptors women’s indoor and outdoor track and field teams, where she competes in both the long jump and the 200-meter event.
This year, In the middle of her athletics, studies, and research, LaPorta completed fire academy training, where she is equipped to handle everything from vehicle extrication using Jaws of Life to search and rescue in fire conditions and scaling 100-foot ladders.
In training, LaPorta learned more about how fire interacts with buildings and grew concerned with the breakneck speed at which some materials can cause a flashover, an ignition that can engulf an entire room in as little as 90 seconds.
“I want to make materials that are affordable, easy to build with, and have a better fire rating. As a firefighter and someone who has experienced loss from fires, I would never want anyone to lose everything so quickly,” she said.
LaPorta studies in the undergraduate research lab of David Salas-de la Cruz, associate professor of chemistry, where her work focuses on plant-based materials that can be used to create a plastic alternative. This summer, she tested 75 samples of biomaterials with ionic liquid, adjusting for concentrations and times, to determine how a plant-based alternative would react. “These materials have potential if you can home in on what causes their properties to change,” she said.
The student researcher has continued her work in the lab while volunteering with her local fire department. LaPorta, a fourth-generation firefighter and the first female member of her family to serve, joined on her 14th birthday.
“When I went to my first real fire, I thought, ‘Oh, this is scary,’” she said. “I'd be lying if I said fires weren't scary, but I really like being able to help people and being able to do something instead of feeling helpless.” LaPorta has witnessed firsthand fire’s devastation.
Her goal is to pursue graduate studies, where she hopes to create strong and durable materials for modern construction that can withstand the harshest fire conditions. She is already preparing for her Ph.D. as a fellow of the U–RISE program, which trains Rutgers–Camden students for doctoral work in various areas of STEM.
While she balances her current slate of academics, athletics, research, and firefighting, LaPorta credits her Rutgers–Camden professors and mentors for bringing her long-range goals into focus. “I feel like anything related to research or my future self has become so much clearer, because now I actually know where I want to go and how to do it,” she said.
