I received a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt with minors in both materials science and physics. While an undergraduate, I worked as an electron microscopist for Prof. Florence Sanchez (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Prof. James Wittig (Electrical Engineering), and Prof. Greg Walker (Mechanical Engineering).
I spent 3 years learning everything from machining to composites to data acquisition to computational modeling as part of the Vanderbilt Formula Society of Automotive Engineers.
During my time in the shop, I led the manufacturing team for 3 years, a design team for 1 year, and was a part of our award winning business team. I served as president of the Vanderbilt chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. I also served as a mentor for incoming freshman engineers and other outreach opportunities through my sorority.
Before graduate school, I spent a summer in Peru working as a biological anthropologist.
The view from the field (above) was incredible. In addition to sorting and documenting bone specimens, I made castings of cut marks from Huari era femurs and tibia or from skulls that been trephaned, the fine structure of which would later be analyzed with electron microscopy.
During my graduate work, I spent a summer as a nanotechnology instructor for the Vanderbilt summer academy, run by the Vanderbilt programs for talented youth.
Clean room tour during the Vanderbilt summer academy
Academic Interests
Microscopy, reduced dimensional materials, biosensors, electrophysiology, synaptic vesicle recycling, big data strategies, biomaterial interactions, hippocampus, synaptic plasticity, optogenetics, connectomics, membrane & nanoscale biophysics
Recreational Interests
Clarinet, French Horn, Piano, Hiking, Running, Spin, Baking, Weightlifting, Golf. More Golf. Vanderbilt Baseball!