My Story
The drive to my grandparents’ house takes about 7 hours from Arizona to California. It’s a grueling one, especially since there is very little scenery to admire once you’ve been on the highway for two hours. But the trip was always worth the wait when I was a child because I loved spending time with them and the treasures I always discovered in their home. A landline phone, a record player, and a typewriter were my favorites until I began receiving old technologies as gifts for my birthday. Curious to understand how these devices worked, I stepped into the world of physics and gravitated toward this area of research.
While I thoroughly enjoyed my science and math classes in high school and my projects with professors, I often wondered about the possibility of conducting independent research. When I finally mustered the courage to ask one of my mentors, Prof. Ye enthusiastically offered to help. So I designed a project where I discovered that current satellite solar cells could be redesigned with new materials to perform better at lower costs. This experience helped me realize how much earlier I could have begun doing independent research and how fortunate I’d been to come across such an opportunity. I now seek to share these STEM opportunities with other female students who can benefit from having a mentor who will encourage them to not only pursue a STEM field but also enjoy the process of scientific research through experimentation and discovery.
My Project
My project will provide 6th to 8th grade girls, especially those living in low socioeconomic neighborhoods, the opportunity to join an online STEM club in November 2022. We will meet twice a month to learn about renewable energy sources through discussions and projects until May 2023.