Major: Mechanical Engineering
Stanford M.S.: Atmosphere and Energy
M.I.T PhD.: Mechanical Engineering
what are you up to now?
I am a mechanical engineer, and I work in research, which I really enjoy. I am currently a Ph.D. student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), but prior to that I worked in a national lab and at a rapidly growing start-up in the San Francisco Bay. The photo is me with an early prototype of a battery-powered induction stove that I helped develop for Copper while living in the San Francisco Bay Area.
What is the coolest thing about what you do?
A large component of the Ph.D. is developing a research question and the methods to answer that question – one of the best parts of this is that I have a choice about the research questions I want to work on. Inspired by my many years of running, I wanted to identify a research topic that unified principles from mechanical engineering with human movement to develop improved devices to make movement more accessible. The way that I pitched it to my advisor is that I have spent over a decade trying to find and exceed my own limits as an athlete and I would like my work to help people do the same whether it is through improvements in therapeutics and personalized rehabilitation or devices that make it easier for people to achieve their goals. In a way, this ideal has been the guiding light of my research.
What's been your favorite moment at your job?
One of the best days of my Ph.D. so far was when I finally ran under four minutes in the mile last winter. I had been close to breaking four in each of the last two years and knew that I could get there if I really focused and optimized my processes. Seeing as so many people complete a Ph.D. each year, I wanted to distinguish myself somehow!
However, I suppose breaking four minutes in the mile is not really work related. It is hard to pick out a single moment from work, but without a doubt the best part about MIT is the people. The Institute is filled with fascinating people, and they are what make the day-to-day enjoyable. Since being at MIT, I have been involved in both the Tortoise Track Club, a newly founded graduate student-led racing team for the MIT community, and the Melanated MechEs, another newly founded student group at MIT that aims support the wellness and inclusion of Black students within mechanical engineering. Similarly, I have met many other great researchers that are always very insightful.
How did UMBC prepare you for life after college?
In many ways my current life is a more refined version of the life that I started building at UMBC – I still train and do engineering, so in many ways my life now is pretty similar to my life at UMBC. In addition to being a student-athlete at UMBC, I was also a Meyerhoff Scholar (M28). Having both experiences was a key aspect of my UMBC experience, and both have significantly shaped the person that I am now. Being involved in both made me learn to work hard, but they alsalso taught me how to make time for the other things in life that are important to you.
What's your favorite UMBC memory?
This is easy! Hosting the America East Conference meet my sophomore year of college was hands down the most fun weekend of undergrad. That year in particular was very tough for me because I got really sick in the fall causing me to miss about a month of running and the rest of the year felt like it was trying to get my body healthy again. Fortunately, everything came together for me at the conference meet. I was second in the 800m and then I anchored the 4x800m relay to third place about an hour later. After the setbacks from that year, it was really rewarding to have a good race on our home track.
What do you miss most about UMBC?
I definitely miss my friends from UMBC the most. I was a part of the class that graduated during the pandemic, so college came to a rather abrupt end for me. Since I moved out of the area right after graduation, there are many people that I have not seen since college. It would have been nice to have had a proper sendoff before graduation!