Aaron Diamond: Outstanding Senior in Materials Science and Engineering
Long before he arrived at UC Davis, Aaron Diamond spent hours watching YouTube tutorials and teaching himself how to make custom kitchen knives. What began as an interest in working with tools quickly evolved into a fascination with the science behind the material itself.
“I was especially interested in how the material science of steel worked and how its structure changed as it was heated,” he said. “Understanding why materials behave the way they do was what drew me in.”
That curiosity ultimately led him to study materials science and engineering at UC Davis, where classroom concepts connected directly back to the hands-on work that first inspired him. Diamond has brought that curiosity beyond his own work by founding the UC Davis Bladesmithing Team, a materials science club focused on knife-making and metallurgy.
“I deeply enjoy sharing my passion and experience with other students who are interested in it,” he said.
Another defining part of Diamond’s college experience has been the Concrete Canoe Club, where students design, build and race a 20-foot concrete canoe, which has deepened his appreciation for engineering as a collaborative and creative discipline. In his first two years, Diamond learned to work on a large, difficult engineering project with a team, and in his later years, he learned to lead and coordinate the complex process himself, a fulfilling and rewarding process in itself.
At this year’s competition, another university’s canoe cracked during transportation, and students from multiple schools gathered late into a rainy evening to try to repair it together. It’s an event that will stick with Diamond.
“It felt very special to have 40 engineering students from three different schools all working together on the same problem,” he said. “It made me feel proud to be an engineer.”
That sense of perspective and purpose was reinforced throughout his time at UC Davis by faculty mentors like Jeremy Mason, a professor of materials science and engineering. During office hours, Mason would explain why the lecture concepts mattered and provide examples, connecting the dots for Diamond from the classroom to the real world.
Diamond encourages incoming students to connect their own dots by committing to one or two extracurricular activities rather than splitting their time among several. In his opinion, this fosters skills like organization and efficiency and allows for deeper connections.
Connections, for Diamond, were imperative to getting through his college years. He credits much of his success to the close-knit community within the materials science and engineering program.
“I don’t think any of us could have gone through this degree alone,” he said. “Most of what I learned and how I developed came from the support and friendship of other students.”
After graduation, Diamond will begin work as a metallurgist at SSAB, a Swedish steel company specializing in sustainable, high-strength alloys. He is especially excited about the opportunity to contribute to reducing global carbon emissions through innovations in steel manufacturing.
For Diamond, the same fascination that began in a workshop years ago saw him through his time at UC Davis and will propel him forward into his next chapter: understanding materials, solving problems and creating something meaningful with his own hands.
Generative AI tools were used to assist in organizing and drafting this Outstanding Senior Spotlight using responses from a student-submitted questionnaire. In alignment with the University of California Responsible AI Principles, human members of UC Davis College of Engineering communications staff reviewed, revised, fact-checked and approved the final story to ensure accuracy and authentically reflect the student’s experiences and achievements.