Research Experience

University of Washington, Seattle, WA, January 2008 - present
Created a TCF bleaching process for wheat and alfalfa straw including chelation and biobleaching steps in efforts to increase brightness.

Academic and Research Experience

Georgia-Pacific, Camas, WA, July 2007 - January 2008
Planned and designed trials for the paper machine. Worked to find solutions to a dramatic increase in cost of bleaching pulp, followed through by creating and testing hand sheets. Resulting in saving the company several hundres thousand dollars per year.

Work Experience

University of Washington - Hutchinson Hall, Seattle, WA September 2006 - Present
Student Assistant. Worked 18 hr/wk while attending school

Tutoring, Vancouver, WA
Tutored High School and College students in math and sciences. Also tutored freshman English, AP Calculus, Auto CAD, and symphonic band.

Memberships and Activities

Society of Women Engineers (SWE) - UW Chapter President, Region J RCNE (2007-Present)
Xi Sigma Pi Honor Society
Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS)
Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Products Industry (TAPPI)

Skills and Certifications

Web Development: HTML, Java Script, Visual Basic, CSS
Operation Systems: Windows XP and Vista, UNIX, Linux, Mac OS
Specialized Skills: Auto CAD, Office, Solid Works, database connectivity and mining, Python, Java

Honors and Awards

Deans List 2007
Washington Pulp and Paper Foundation Scholarship 2007
Dollars for Scholars 2006

Hobbies and Interests

Hiking, wakeboarding, puzzles, soccer, racquetball, having adventures, Rubik's cube, karate

Personal Statement

The choice to become an engineer was an easy one to me. The hard decision was what kind? As I entered my junior year in high school I found out that chemistry was a growing love. My teacher at the time pushed me to consider majoring in chemical engineering in college. During the end of my junior year in high school I was allowed to sit in an astronomy class in the University of Washington. The class was going over payloads and rocket fuel and the professor presented the challenge of creating a more efficient rocket fuel. I spent most of my junior summer and senior year obsessing over possible ideas to the solution. So when I applied to the University of Washington, I applied to the Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering major because I thought that it was most suited for a career in rocket fuel.

Currently, I am pursuing a double major in Chemical Engineering and Paper Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. Paper Science and Engineering focuses not only on the science of paper, but also alternative fuels, such as biofuel. I am also working on a concentration in fuel cells in chemical engineering. I hope at some point to be able to engineer some sort of alternative fuel in rockets. This is why I am excited to be working at NASA.