Major: Materials engineering
Hometown: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Clubs and activities: Undergraduate research, Supplemental Instruction (SI) leader, FIRST Lego League volunteer judge
Awards and honors: George Washington Carver Scholar, University Honors Program member, Alcoa Scholarship Fund recipient, First-Year Honors Program Mentor Grant
Who was your most influential mentor while at Iowa State?
Michael D. Bartlett, former Iowa State assistant professor of material science and engineering. His passion for material science was my initial inspiration to become a material engineer, and the opportunity to work in his lab taught me a lot about research.
What would you consider your greatest accomplishments?
Completing my Honors project, a flexible electronics demonstration for DARPA. It was the culmination of many hours and late nights, and along the way I learned a lot about the nature and purpose of research.
What’s your favorite memory of your time at Iowa State?
My favorite memories would have to be participating in intramural sports with my friends.
What’s your favorite place on campus?
The third floor of Hoover. It’s where everything I’ve learned gets put to use. Slowly exploring the labs over the course of my time in MSE and using them to help reach my goals has been really rewarding.
What’s your advice for first-year students just starting at Iowa State engineering students?
Be curious and try as many things as you can. The world is vast and there is always something you don’t know and won’t realize. Slowly learning more about anything over time will help you understand how everything fits together in ways you didn’t originally understand.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I enjoy playing pick-up soccer and watching old movies in my free time.
What are your plans for after graduation?
I will be getting a job in industry as a materials engineer before eventually returning to academia to get a Ph.D. in material science.