2019
Yonas Abraha
Institution: Seattle Central
Faculty Mentor: David Masiello, Chemistry
Yonas is a rising junior at Seattle Central College who is pursuing a degree in electrical engineering. This summer he is working with David Masiello under the mentorship of Jacob Anthony Busche, broadly on the topics of nanophotonics, plasmonic resonance and the behavior of electrons in metal nanoparticles. Understanding the nature of plasmons interacting with electric fields helps investigate applications in solar energy, such as the plasmoelectric effect. In his free time, Yonas enjoys playing soccer, bowling, pool and spending time with friends. Yonas is hoping to transfer to University of Washington next year.
Tabatha de la Rosa Gomez
Institution: Green River College
Faculty Mentor: Christine Luscombe, Chemical Engineering
Tabatha is a rising sophomore at Green River College majoring in chemical engineering. This summer she will be working in Dr. Luscombe’s lab on polymerization via the cross-dehydrogenative coupling reaction of arenes. Tabatha works with the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program in her community college where she tutors math classes. She is also involved with the LatinX community, serving as a board member of the LatinX Student Union for two years. In her free time, Tabatha enjoys finding new music, reading, and traveling.
Red Dimaculangan
Institution: Highline College
Faculty Mentor: Xioasong Li, Chemistry
Red is a rising junior at Highline College pursuing aerospace engineering. This summer he will be working in Xiasong Li’s research group in the department of Chemistry focusing on the development of 2D materials to accelerate size reduction and efficiency improvements in microelectronics. Red is investigating electronic and magnetic properties of bilayer chromium triiodide after doping oxygen and chlorine to predict how the material behaves under fabrication conditions. His hobbies are playing the guitar and singing. Red hopes to become an engineer for either SpaceX, Boeing or NASA and focus on designing rockets that can potentially mine asteroids.
Tigre Falla
Institution: University of Washington, Seattle
Faculty Mentor: Brandi Cossairt, Chemistry
Tigre is a rising junior on the pre-science track. He earned his Associate in Science (AS)-Transfer degree from Grays Harbor College in the spring of 2018. Tigre is transferring to the University of Washington Seattle to pursue his B.S. in physics. In the Cossairt lab, he is conducting research on applications of quantum dots as photocatalysts for redox reactions. Tigre’s ultimate goal is to earn a Ph.D. in physics and to conduct research on clean and safe methods of energy production. Apart from academics, Tigre spends much of his time playing instruments and writing music. He also enjoys playing soccer, exploring nature and acting in musical theatre.
Elizabeth Hall
Institution: Chestnut Hill College
Faculty Mentor: Alexandra Velien, Chemistry
Elizabeth Hall is a sophomore at Chestnut Hill College, located near Philadelphia. She is majoring in forensic chemistry, but all things pertaining to science peak her interest. This is her first research opportunity and she is eager to learn and gain all that there is to offer at this institution. So far, she has really enjoyed learning from her mentors at UW and is enjoying the her time spent doing research. In her free time, Elizabeth likes to read, hike, and watch movies. She also enjoys spending her time in the garden and surrounded by animals. She has loved exploring Seattle, and looks forward to the rest of her time at the university.
Natalie Hoss
Institution: Green River College
Faculty Mentor: Cody Schlenker, Chemistry
Natalie Hoss completed her Associate of Arts (2017) and Associate of Science (2019) degree from Green River College in Auburn, WA. She will pursue a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering at the University of Washington in the spring of 2020. By applying research from the chemistry lab and mechanics from engineering , she hopes to reduce emissions of the largest sources of pollution: transportation, industry, and electricity. After conducting research for several years, she plans to transition into management, policy or public outreach, then retire and become a part-time physics teacher at a local community college. Hoss spends her free time gardening, scrapbooking, lifting and traveling.
Patrick McDermott
Institution: University of California, Davis
Faculty Mentor: Daniel Schwartz, Chemical Engineering
Patrick is a rising senior at UC Davis majoring in both Economics and Environmental Policy & Planning. This summer, Patrick is working with Daniel Schwartz and Gregory Tassey on a project to assess state clean energy policy and technology based economic development assets using the comprehensive regional TBED framework explored and developed by Prof. Tassey. He hopes this research will provide important insights into clean energy policy and provide a baseline for future TBED research in this field. Outside of the lab, he enjoys playing rugby, reading, backpacking, and running. Ultimately, Patrick plans to pursue a MD/PhD or a J.D. with a concentration in environmental law.
Iqra Mohamud
Institution: Green River Community College
Faculty Mentor: Christine Luscombe, Materials Science and Engineering
Iqra Mohamud is a rising junior at Green River Community College in Auburn, Washington. She has no prior research experience. The Clean Energy Bridge to Research program will be her first research project here at UW. She will work with her faculty mentor Dr. Christine Luscombe, the Director of the Molecular Engineering Ph.D. program. Her research project focuses on the design and synthesis of polymers and the analysis of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Iqra is very excited to learn a lot about what goes on in the research at the Molecular Engineering and Science building. She is also a Washington State Opportunity Scholar and is a member of MESA and Trio at her college. She plans to finish her prerequisites and transfer to the UW Chemical Engineering Program. Iqra wants to continue her career more on the research side as she loves learning and doing her own work and dreams of someday of having her work published. In her free time, she loves socializes, reading, and watching comedies.
Delight Nweneka
Institution: Frederick Community College
Faculty Mentor: Devin MacKenzie, Materials Science and Engineering
Delight Nweneka is a rising sophomore at Frederick Community College currently in pursuit of her Engineering STEM Associates degree and Bioprocessing certificate. She hopes to transfer to a four-year university to major in bio-engineering or biomedical Engineering. She hopes to one day contribute to research projects that have lasting effects on the medical approach to combating vector borne diseases such as malaria. She is also interested in environmental sustainability and leads an environmental club on her campus; often working to forge new links with others who are concerned with, or simply interested in, making efforts to preserve the environment. She is excited to gain experience under Dr. Devin MacKenzie at the Clean Energy Bridge to Research program, which will be her first undergraduate research experience.
Emilee Paradis
Institution: Pierce College Puyallup
Faculty Mentor: Lilo Pozzo, Chemical Engineering
Emilee Paradis just received her Associates in Science from Pierce College and will be starting the Mechanical Engineering program at the University of Washington this September. After doing the Exploratory Clean Energy Bridge to Research program and a private industry internship, she found that she loved the impact and intellectual curiosity that research had to offer. Under the guidance of Dr. Lilo Pozzo, Emilee is currently automating sonication reactions for the production of nanoparticles with a custom CNC robot. She hopes that by automating this process nanoparticles can become more accessible, lowering the costs of new forms of batteries and solar panels. When she is not building robots, Emilee loves learning about philosophy, watching e-sports, dancing, and playing with cats.
Catherine Romero
Institution: University of Texas, Austin
Faculty Mentor: Alexandra Velien, Chemistry
She is originally from Dickinson, TX, and she currently attends the University of Texas at Austin where she is a rising junior seeking a B.S. in chemistry. At UT Austin, she has been a member of the Humphrey group since April 2018, and currently works on synthesizing and studying the properties of phosphine and arsine coordination materials for gas storage, heterogeneous catalysis, chemical sensing, and other applications. Catherine is working in the Velian group this summer on their cluster functionalization project. Catherine is interested in inorganic and organometallic chemistry research. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school in pursuit of a PhD in chemistry. Outside of the lab, Catherine enjoys shopping and doing makeup.
Leah Rosenberg
Institution: Rockland Community College
Faculty Mentor: Lih Lin, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Leah is a rising junior and recent graduate of Rockland Community College. In the fall, she will attend Queens College as a physics major. This summer, she is in Dr. Lih Lin’s lab, studying LED arrays. Her research interests include clean energy and photonics. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, reading, gardening, and dreaming about off-grid tiny house designs.
Kate Spencer
Institution: Smith College
Faculty Mentor: Devin MacKenzie, Material Science & Engineering
Kate is a rising sophomore engineering major at Smith College with interests in computer science, and logic. She is excited to be working in the MacKenzie Lab on creating more efficient perovskite solar cells, as she is enthusiastic about helping forge the path to clean energy. Kate also is a part of the Smith Debate Society, is a Head of New Students for her house, and enjoys exploring new places both in Massachusetts and Seattle. In her free time she loves to meet new dogs and watch shows with her friends.
Sebastian Walker
Institution: Green River College
Faculty Mentor: Xiaodong Xu, Material Science & Engineering
Sebastian is a rising sophomore at Green River College, who is pursuing a degree in materials science & engineering. Over the course of this summer, he is working in professor Xiaodong Xu’s lab at the University of Washington, which specializes in trying to understand the optical, electronic, and quantum mechanics of 2D materials. Sebastian himself is helping to test and try to understand the properties of Chromium Styrene-Butadiene (CrSBr) which will either prove or disprove a previously released research paper. During his free time, Sebastian likes to work on his car, play basketball, and to work out.
Esther Wang
Institution: Kent State University
Faculty Mentor: David Ginger, Chemistry
Esther Wang is going into her third year as an honors student at Kent State University. She is a double major in Chemistry and Applied Mathematics. At her home university, she is a part of inorganic chemistry research for catalysis, and works with different synthesis and characterization methods. This summer at the University of Washington REU program, Esther is excited to perform research with the Clean Energy Institute under Erin Jedlicka and Dr. David Ginger. She is working with a project that focuses on the synthesis of cesium lead bromide nanocrystals with various dopants and treatments using different elements and chemicals. Through this, she is involved with the investigation into how these changes alter the optoelectronic properties of the product. In her spare time, she likes to travel, play the violin and piano, and make visual art. Esther has also been enjoying exploring around the Seattle area in the weekends. In the future, she aims to go to graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry and continue with research as a career.
Vanessa Zambrano
Institution: San Joaquin Delta College
Faculty Mentor: Cody Schlenker, Chemistry
Vanessa is a sophomore at San Joaquin Delta College completing preparatory coursework for a degree in chemical engineering. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career within the realm of environmental protection and sustainability, be it in research or industry. This summer she is working with Emma Cave, within the Schlenker Research Group, to understand how electrode surface modification influences electrostatic fields at the electrode/ electrolyte interface. Her main goal is to learn as much as she can, as fast as she can, as she enjoys being out of her element. On her free time, Vanessa is committed to STEM outreach within underrepresented communities through organizing interactive events and mentoring. She also enjoys baking and creating art though various traditional and digital mediums.