Undergraduate Student of the Month

Undergraduate Student of the Month - Kimberly Fung

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 00:17:16 +0000

Undergraduate Student of the Month - Kimberly Fung Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 02/15/2021 - 17:17

My name is Kimberly Fung, and I am from Boulder, Colorado. I am a third-year in mechanical engineering with minors in business and leadership.

As a leader and engineer, I am driven to create and bring products that make people feel inspired and enable them to make the world a better place. Give everyone a little magic, if you will. This desire to do so came from yearly trips to Disneyland and of course an undying love for the movies. When visiting as a kid, I was incredibly scared of the dark rides like the Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, and notably, It’s a Small World. My parents remind me to learn about the things I am scared of to find bravery. I found myself fascinated by the ride mechanics and the joy that the Disney parks bring people. I want to use my skills in engineering and leadership, as well as my passion for storytelling, as a Disney Imagineer to inspire others to dream big.

In addition to being a student, I am the student liaison for the Newton Chair Center for Leadership and vice president of the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ
chapter. Most recently, my friends and I started a not-for-profit LLC, Unmask the Racism, a social media campaign that aims to raise awareness about xenophobia against people of Asian descent during COVID-19. A cornerstone of our organization is bringing meals from local Asian cuisines to local frontline and healthcare workers. Through this mission, we are showing that the Asian community is a positive part of our community as a whole.

None of these experiences could be possible without the support of my family, friends, and many people at the university. I am so thankful for their support and desire to help me grow.

Yearly trips to Disneyland and an undying love for the movies motivate Kimberly Fung on her quest to create products that make people feel inspired and enable them to make the world a better place.

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Undergraduate Student of the Month - Quin Livingston

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 22:09:46 +0000

Undergraduate Student of the Month - Quin Livingston Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/15/2020 - 16:09

Hi, I'm Quin. I'm currently a junior-ish in Mechanical and Biomedical engineering (the double major makes years complicated). I work at the Idea Forge here at CU in the rapid prototyping lab 3D printing and Laser cutting fabrication requests that we get from students, faculty, and researchers alike. As much as I love my job over at the idea forge, what I really want to end up doing is fabricating prosthetics and orthotics.

I've loved tinkering for as long as I can remember and as a little kid, remember getting into my parents' toolbox to make random little circuits and devices, including a paper lamp complete with LED and battery when I broke my mom's and tried to replace it (in case you couldn't have guessed, she noticed). It wasn't until high school that I started seeing all of the ways that engineering can help people and fell in love with rehabilitation technology after designing and building a variety of devices to help students and community members with disabilities. I made everything from a weighted vest batman costume and custom pencil grip to help a kindergarten student learn how to write in a way that worked for him, to an adjustable necklace to hold a communication device for a high school student at another school. I found my current passion through designing a proof of concept EEG prosthetic arm for an upper arm amputee. During that whole process, I loved the fabrication and even more so, knowing that the work I was doing was going to help someone.

As a Queer engineering major, my CU journey hasn't always been smooth but hopefully, this will give some visibility to Queer students in STEM and encourage others that see this. Outside of work and classes (which let's be honest isn't much time), I enjoy hiking and exploring Boulder Creek's water bugs with my partner, taking care of my rescue hermit crabs, and raising way more house plants than should be living in my basement apartment. I'm also an exec board member of CU's chapter of Theta Pi Sigma, oSTEM general member, and BOLD scholar so I've ended up tied to CU in a lot of ways but am definitely looking forward to pursuing a career of using what I've learned here to help people after I graduate.

Quin fell in love with rehabilitation technology after designing and building a variety of devices to help students and community members with disabilities, making everything from a weighted vest batman costume and custom pencil grip to help a kindergarten student learn how to write to an adjustable necklace to hold a communication device for a student at another school.

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Undergraduate Student of the Month - Katie Kubacki

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 16:58:38 +0000

Undergraduate Student of the Month - Katie Kubacki Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 09/21/2020 - 10:58

My name is Kathryn Kubacki. I am originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico but have lived in Colorado for over 14 years. I am currently a senior studying mechanical engineering and am minoring in biomedical engineering. My passion for engineering began during my senior year of high school where I happened to take an engineering class to fulfill elective credit. That elective class introduced me to computer modeling and is ultimately the reason I decided to pursue mechanical engineering at ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ. Since then, I have decided to combine computer modeling with my passion for medicine; in the future, I hope to use my skills to further the medical device industry. Currently, I am working with my senior design team to develop a 3D-printed respiratory system to be used as an intubation training device. I am super thrilled to work on this project and believe what we create will end up helping a lot of people. Outside of engineering, I am a mellophone player with the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ marching band. I have been playing french horn since I was ten and have happily been a part of a marching band for the past eight years. I am also a part of Kappa Kappa Psi, an honorary service and leadership organization that serves the college and university band programs. I have learned so much through my years at ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ and am excited to take the next step into the medical industry in May once I graduate.

Kathryn Kubacki hopes to use her mechanical engineering skills to further the medical device industry and is excited that her senior design team is developing a 3D-printed respiratory system that she believes will end up helping a lot of people.

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Undergraduate Student of the Month - Wesley Schumacher

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 06:00:00 +0000

Undergraduate Student of the Month - Wesley Schumacher Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 09/18/2020 - 00:00

My name is Wesley Schumacher. I’m a senior at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering. I am also a transfer Buff; I transferred to ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ in fall 2019 from Community College of Aurora where I took calculus 1, 2 and 3, physics 1 and 2, chemistry 1 and 2, differential equations and more. I grew up as a third-culture kid, born in Pakistan, and living in Afghanistan but still an American citizen. My dad was an engineer who specializes in small scale hydropower. Growing up, I would go to his workshop often and spend time with the locals learning how turbines were made and had fun making knives and axes. Most of my inspiration to pursue engineering comes from his work in the remote villages of Afghanistan.

I graduated from the most diverse high school in Colorado, Overland High School in Aurora, Colorado. I was the team captain of the swim team and was also on the basketball team. I had many opportunities to grow in leadership during those years, including my work in the Institute of Science and Technology program, competing in sports year round and as the head lifeguard at Cherry Creek Athletic Club. During summers between high school, I spent time on my dad’s farm in South Dakota, working on the land with livestock and repairing tractors and other machinery when things broke down. This also laid a foundation for my interest in engineering.

Attending ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ has been a phenomenal experience. The education, the classes, the energy; I love it all! This last summer I had an internship with Vivid Engineering Group. It was a fantastic and challenging experience, and I spent time working on the reconstruction of I-70 in Denver, performing materials testing services.

My goals in engineering are to create self-sustainable technologies that would provide essential resources to those most vulnerable. One of my goals is to work in a refugee camp to create these resources for those who live there. Refugee camps are often overcongested and crowded. I worked in Athens, Greece with Afghan refugees in 2018. I was deeply affected with grief when I learned the news that Moriah, one of Greece’s largest refugee camps was just burned to the ground.

Through my dad’s influence, I’ve learned how engineering can benefit people’s lives holistically. Oftentimes, when I think of engineering, I consider the societies that engineers can affect and positively influence. I think of people’s lives: school girls who have access to electricity so that they can study at night, women who can start a business such as handiwork, because they have access to electric sewing machines, families that can learn about the world through satellite television. I think it’s essential to recognize that our advancement in technology is not simply for our own benefit but largely for the people around us and society’s improvement.

Partly through my dad’s inspiration, I seek to work in isolated areas of the world that are in need of what Maslow described—the basic elements of what humans need to function: safety, warmth and shelter. Growing up with my dad and taking trips in Afghanistan required critical thinking, flexibility, technical skills and proficiency in cross-cultural communication. As a third-culture kid who grew up in Afghanistan, I plan on utilizing the strengths that were developed in that environment. I learned through my dad’s organization that engineering requires management skills, technical expertise and effective communication to properly function. As an aspiring engineering student, I am personally encouraged by the engineers that seek to interconnect the technical aspects of engineering with improving society.

For more information on what my dad did in Afghanistan visit this website and watch this video.

Wesley Schumacher was born in Pakistan and grew up in Afghanistan. When he thinks of engineering, he thinks of people’s lives and believes it’s essential to recognize that our advancement in technology is not simply for our own benefit but largely for the people around us and society’s improvement.

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Undergraduate Student of the Month - Christopher Doyle

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Feb 2020 21:12:50 +0000

Undergraduate Student of the Month - Christopher Doyle Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 02/14/2020 - 14:12

My name is Christopher Doyle. I am in the second to last semester of my engineering degree path. I am originally from the west suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, though I moved to Aurora, Colorado in 2007 after I graduated high school.

Two years after completing high school, I joined the United States Navy where I served just over five years as a Nuclear Engineering Electronic Technician. It was my work in the Navy that drove me to my career choice of mechanical engineering. Working on nuclear power plants really showed me that I truly enjoy thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and energy analysis style work. It was also the Navy that has helped me decide to pursue a career in the defense sector, continuing to protect the lives of those I care about.

Upon exiting the military and starting college as a non-traditional student, I was lucky enough to become a member of the Colorado Space Grant Consortium. Within this program, I have built autonomous, obstacle-avoiding robots. I have launched multiple high-altitude weather balloon satellites, including one that recorded the shadow of the moon moving across Earth during the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse from roughly 80,000 feet high. This footage made it onto local Denver 9 News. I built a payload with two classmates that we launched into space from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on a sounding rocket.

My most important success while at community college and here at CU is having had the privilege of becoming a teaching assistant and mentor to many of my classmates, helping them follow their engineering aspirations. Engineering is my team sport, and I want to do the best I can to help my teammates succeed. I enjoy helping my peers, as well as, my future colleagues solve any issues that arise, from the simple to the complex. Giving back to the community at large is a huge part of who I am and want to continue to be.

Making it to where I am now in my higher education pursuit has been a difficult but exciting journey. I would not be where I am today if it were not for the love and support from my amazing family. I met my wonderful wife when we were only 12 years old in middle school. In 2011 we got married and now have three beautiful young daughters who mean the world and more to us both. My oldest daughter is always asking me how things are made. I am raising my replacement, and I could not be prouder.

My big audacious goal is to make the world a safer place for everyone to live in. I think that engineering is the best way to accomplish this goal and the most rewarding.

Christopher Doyle said he sees engineering as his team sport and that he wants to do the best he can to help his teammates succeed. His goal is to make the world a safer place for everyone to live in and said engineering is the best way to accomplish this.

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Undergraduate Student of the Month - Christopher Kling

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 23:24:38 +0000

Undergraduate Student of the Month - Christopher Kling Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 01/13/2020 - 16:24

Christopher Kling is a fifth-year senior and is planning on graduatin

g in May. He grew up in Craig, Colorado and his interests include activities in the outdoors such as camping, motorcycling and playing with his dogs.

Kling's passion for engineering started as a small child building planes and cars out of Legos. Currently, he is working in the Precision Laser Diagnostics Lab where he is helping build a wildfire wind tunnel. The wind tunnel is one-of-a-kind, can tilt to different angles and allows wildfires to be studied under controlled conditions. This will hopefully save the lives of wildland firefighters by helping to predict where and how fast a fire will spread.

Kling is midway through his last year as an undergraduate who is excited to graduate and work in industry. He hopes to go into the aerospace industry, a lifelong aspiration. Kling enjoys studying thermo and fluid mechanics and is also considering going to graduate school for thermo-fluid dynamics.

Christopher Kling's passion for engineering started as a small child building planes and cars out of Legos. Currently, he is working in the Precision Laser Diagnostics Lab where he is helping build a wildfire wind tunnel.

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Undergraduate Student of the Month - Liam O'Connor

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 17:54:02 +0000

Undergraduate Student of the Month - Liam O'Connor Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/12/2019 - 10:54

Liam O'Connor has a love for machines. From designing cube satellites to tuning up bikes, he spends most of his time working with hardware and making things go. Recently, Liam and his senior design teammates formed a startup called Puppy Pal Prosthetics which obtained a provisional patent for their advancements in canine prosthetic technology. Over the summers, he’s interned at ANSYS Inc., while trying his best to also go motorcycle camping and trail run as much as possible. Following graduation in December 2019, Liam intends to pursue a graduate degree in applied mathematics. One day, he hopes to teach engineering at a place like ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ.

From designing cube satellites to tuning up bikes, Liam O'Connor spends most of his time working with hardware and making things go. Recently, Liam and his senior design teammates formed a startup called Puppy Pal Prosthetics.

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Undergraduate Student of the Month - Sarah Brondum

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 18:12:05 +0000

Undergraduate Student of the Month - Sarah Brondum Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 10/14/2019 - 12:12

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Student of the Month, Sarah Brondum

My name is Sarah Brondum. I was born in Tacoma, Washington before moving to Vacaville, California. Up until my father's retirement in 2013, he was an Air Force Lieutenant Colonel so we moved from base to base before settling in Monument, Colorado, the place I now call home. Currently, I am a fifth-year mechanical engineering student with a minor in business. I plan to graduate in December 2019.

Throughout my childhood, I was an avid swimmer, competing in both club and high school swim teams. When I started my degree in the fall of 2015, I made the decision to pair athletics with my degree. For the next two years, I competed on the CU club swim and dive team, making it to nationals my first year. Throughout those two years, I navigated the challenges that come with a rigorous academic load, dealing with the loss of a friend, working part-time at Career Services on campus starting my second year, and managing my own mental health.

In the summer of 2017, I was offered an internship in the oil and gas industry with the company, JT Thorpe. For the next 3 months, I lived in Northern California and worked 72 hour weeks on the Tesoro refinery. I was in charge of all timekeeping responsibilities, tracking about $8 million in labor charges, I shadowed a project manager and worked with project engineers on the job. The experience with JT Thorpe and a small engineering team, solving problems and watching those design solutions be implemented almost immediately, gave me a better sense of what I wanted to do with my degree.

While I wasn't jazzed in the oil and gas industry itself, I was drawn towards the small team dynamic and the challenge of holding multiple responsibilities at once. Starting my junior year of college, I continued working part-time with Career Services on top of my full academic load which eventually led to my next internship with CenturyLink.

Working as a planning intern with Centurylink allowed me to combine my engineering education and my minor in business. The job itself was a fantastic opportunity that I enjoyed for the year; however, while I loved the problem solving that comes with optimizing circuit routes, I quickly realized that sitting at a desk isn't my strong suit.

This past spring I continued my passion for art and took a class that paired me with an artist in Denver, Trey Duvall, where I worked as a shop assistant helping him with his numerous projects. That position helped me get back to my love for building and creating and ultimately led me to a manufacturing job. This last summer I worked with Folsom Custom Skis as a production intern. I helped build custom skis including graphic design, core construction, fiber layups, and product finishing. I also had the opportunity to help refurbish a mono ski press to a dual ski press. Currently, I am taking a step back from work to pursue my own art. Upon graduation in December, I am moving to Breckinridge, Colorado to work as a mountain safety attendant for the winter season. Afterward, I plan on either pursuing an MBA or I will join the workforce with a full-time job, hopefully working with start-ups or other entrepreneurs.

Sarah Brondum is a fifth-year mechanical engineering student with a passion for art, athletics, business and beyond. While at ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ, she made it to nationals on the swim team and held multiple internships.

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Undergraduate Student of the Month - Daniarely Loma-Jasso

Anonymous — Fri, 03 May 2019 19:20:08 +0000

Undergraduate Student of the Month - Daniarely Loma-Jasso Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/03/2019 - 13:20

Daniarely Loma-Jasso was born in Mexico and moved to Kansas in the United States at the age of six. She is currently a senior studying mechanical engineering and will be graduating in August.

During a research project in middle school, she became aware of devastating problems due to pollution and learned about engineering. Although the highest level of education her parents received was a middle school education, they encouraged her to pursue my academic dreams. After much searching, she chose to attend ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ to pursue her engineering dreams.

While at ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ, she was part of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers where she served as outreach coordinator her sophomore year and president her junior year. She found a great support team in this group, something she believes every college student needs. She was also able to give back to her community by bringing in pre-collegiate students and teaching them about STEM and supported the Hispanic STEM community on campus by having networking nights and raising money to attend out-of-state conferences with companies hiring for internships and jobs. She was also a member of the BOLD Center community and Inspired Dreamers. In all of these groups she said she learned the importance of being true to herself and finding people that can help when difficulties come, so you can also help others.

At ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ, Loma-Jasso said she has learned more about how to help the world through engineering and hopes to start a career in the renewable energy industry after graduation. She is most interested in wind and solar, because they are at the forefront of the renewable energy sector now, but she would eventually like to move toward energy-efficient home design. Loma-Jasso can't wait to graduate and accomplish everything her 12-year-old self dreamed of and more!

Daniarely Loma-Jasso said she has learned how to help the world through engineering at ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ and hopes to start a career in the renewable energy industry. She was involved with SHPE, the BOLD Center and Inspired Dreamers. Loma-Jasso can't wait to graduate and accomplish the things she once dreamed as a young girl.

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Undergraduate Student of the Month - Syd Levy

Anonymous — Fri, 12 Apr 2019 21:04:04 +0000

Undergraduate Student of the Month - Syd Levy Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/12/2019 - 15:04

While Syd loves Mechanical Engineering, it is far from his only interest. Syd currently works in the THING Lab in the ATLAS Institute and has been part of Engineers without Borders Rwanda, Biomedical Engineering Society and CU Emergency Medical Services. Syd is passionate about ecological preservation and wilderness areas. Last summer, Syd worked as a snorkel and kayak guide in Virgin Islands National Park and will be working this summer as a canoe and backpacking guide in the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area. When he graduates, Syd hopes to apply his engineering knowledge to the medical field, either working as a biomedical engineer or pursuing a higher degree in medicine.

While Syd loves Mechanical Engineering, it is far from his only interest. Syd currently works in the THING Lab at ATLAS Institute and has been part of Engineers without Borders Rwanda, Biomedical Engineering Society and CU Emergency Medical Services.

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