Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Junior year was my favorite year since I was accepted into the NASA High School Aerospace Scholars program. From December to March, I completed a 16-week course module of assignments ranging from designing satellites to creating promotional videos. When June came around, I participated in an Engineering Design Challenge called Moonshot that mimicked an Artemis themed space mission. In my team, I took on the role of subtopic manager of Lunar Cargo and Payload, which is responsible for transportation and processes of materials and machines from the Earth to the moon. My job was critical for success; my team's manager constantly assigned tasks for me to do. Even If I didn't have the confidence, I turned on my camera and collaborated with my team. I helped the engineering team define the different tools and devices we needed. I talked to a professional engineer about engineering devices, such as using the RFID Enabled Autonomous Logistic Manager Scanner, to detect manifested cargo, and compressed this data into a one-minute presentation. If the simulation was real, all the cargo would've been transported to its designated location on the Moon. I felt confident that I could work with some of the greatest mathematicians and scientists in the future. Although the experience itself was enriching, I'll never forget the times my teammates and I laughed over the stress of the project.

What's most exciting to me about Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is the focus on undergraduate research, such as the Center for Materials, Devices, and Integrated systems. I believe research will allow me to gain the experience to become a Nanotechnologist. When I was fifteen, I lost my dad to cancer. As I watched him take his last breath, I felt hopeless. My dad was an inspiration for me to pursue engineering since he was a mechanic, but he was a reminder I needed to continue to be a part of my community. I would like to meet the experienced Professor Diana-Andra Borca-Tasciuc and take her course on Radiation Heat Transfer. This interest is important to me because I want to study engineering to research nanotechnology as a method of cancer treatment and therapy for patients. I know this is possible through writing a chemistry research paper that detailed the properties of gold nanoparticles, in which I heavily discussed topics like heat transfer used in nano tools for cancer cell treatment. I would like to work with Dr. Borca-Tasciuc in the research area of materials, materials processing, and controls, and focus on topics such as energy transport at micro and nanoscale. Dr. Borca-Tasciuc is also appealing as a mentor for her thesis supervision of 7 master students, as well as being a woman in STEM, which is encouraging for a Latina like me. I believe teachers like Dr. Borca-Tasciuc will provide an education that is both engaging and practical at RPI.