Research Experience
Lab Technician Assistant, Advanced Thermofluidics Lab, May 2019- Present
How did the experience transform your learning?
I learned things “in the real world” that helped me take my classroom learning to the next level. For example, I learned about hydrogen embrittlement, which is how hydrogen gas molecules can escape through the grains of a material, in the lab. Then in one of my classes we learned about something similar and my mind instantly made the connection between the two and I was able to understand the new concept so much easier.
What did you learn that you weren’t expecting to?
I didn’t know what to expect when I started working in a lab environment as it was the first experience applying my engineering knowledge in the workplace. There were many aspects I had to build on, but most of all, I build on my coding skills. When I began learning to code, I had the mindset that learning to code would be very difficult and time consuming. I was assigned to program one of the circuit boards to work with a sensor that we were using in the lab, and to do this I needed to learn a new coding language. I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to learn the new language to program the board in a short period of time! This made me realize that coding isn’t only about learning the logic and how-to code, but it is about learning how to learn a new language and how-to read technical documentation. This was something that I did not think that I would take away from a lab environment.
How did you learn about the opportunity?
I got involved through a recommendation from another professor. After talking to him frequently in my first year, he pointed me towards two professor’s research projects. I was very excited for the opportunity, so I applied right away!
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