Third-year materials science and engineering Ph.D. student Luis Sotelo is always working to make things stronger. Whether it’s ceramic materials in the lab or the graduate student communities he’s part of in the UC Davis Chicanx and Latinx Engineers and Scientists Society (CALESS) and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), he aims to make a difference in his community.
Recent materials science and engineering (MSE) Ph.D. graduate Weidi Zhu had never worked with glasses before coming to UC Davis, but through research projects with Blacutt-Underwood Professor Sabyasachi Sen, he developed an interest in the material that turned into a career with Apple. As the world becomes “smart,” Zhu hopes to use what he learned at UC Davis to contribute to the science behind the glassy materials that will become increasingly important to the world.
The Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) department is hosting a virtual “block party” for current graduate students and MSE alumni from 5:15 – 6 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23. Register here to attend.
For fourth-year materials science and engineering major Raegan Taylor, engineering is a means to understand and contribute to the world around her. Driven by a desire to help people, she has used her curiosity about the world and her research experience to build a strong foundation in engineering as she pursues a career in optical engineering.
“I see engineering as an avenue to learn about the world and round out my interests in a way that’s beneficial to other people,” she said.
Fourth-year materials science and engineering major Louie Zhong looks to the ultra-small and ultrafast to make a big impact on the world. Though he has always liked math, engineering and chemistry, Zhong explains his interest in materials science with the James Joyce quote, “In the particular is contained the universal.” Ever since a high school teacher introduced him to the quote, it’s become a way for him to think about his interest in materials, and in science in general.
The Materials Advantage Student Chapter (MASC) at UC Davis is hosting a virtual block party on June 4, 2020 from 5:15 – 6 p.m. over Zoom. College of Engineering virtual block parties, named after the video display blocks on Zoom, are events for current students and alumni to build connections, share experiences and give each other hope and encouragement during this difficult time. Register here to attend.
Becoming an engineer was a natural choice for fourth-year materials science and engineering major Ian Phillips. He grew up working on cars with his dad, giving him a love of hands-on work and problem solving he’s taken with him throughout his time at UC Davis, from studying semiconductors and ceramics at UC Davis and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to teaching shop tools at the UC Davis D-Lab.
From her interest in textiles and sustainability to her advocacy for public health and social justice, fourth-year materials science and engineering major Annie Wang’s interests cross paths and drive her to make a difference at UC Davis and in the world.
Fourth-year Ph.D. student Jianheng Li received an ALS Doctoral Fellowship in Residence at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL). Li will spend the 2019-2020 academic year at LBL’s Advanced Light Source (ALS) facility working with the state-of-the-art equipment, techniques and applications in synchrotron radiation research, and will receive $20,000 towards his research
Third-year Ph.D. student Kimiko Nakajima has been named a 2019-20 Mistletoe Research Fellow by the Mistletoe Foundation. Over the 2019-20 academic year, she will receive $10,000 towards her research and collaborate with a hardware-based startup company on science and technology problems.
