Originally From: Reno, Nev.
Fellowship Start Date: Spring 2020
Research Subdiscipline: Earthquake and Structural Engineering
Research Advisor Dr. Keri Ryan
What inspired you to pursue a PhD?
I have always had an interest in structural engineering, especially earthquake engineering, but my undergraduate career barely scratched the surface of those topics. I wanted to learn more. Being invited to take part in the GAANN program was an opportunity I did not see coming, but I am glad that I have this chance to become a more capable engineer by deepening my knowledge of structural engineering. I hope that my PhD will give me the opportunity to contribute to the field and solve real world problems.
I am also looking forward to the GAANN program’s supervised teaching experience. I enjoy sharing knowledge with others, and I am considering teaching in the future. I hope that I can learn good teaching skills to better train the next generation of engineers.
What are you most interested in learning more about during your PhD study?
I am most interested in using modern computing tools to make structural engineering research more “user friendly.” Our research saves lives by preventing building collapse, but what good is that research unless it can be packaged in a way people can actually understand? Right now I am developing a building model in OpenSees and Python, with a focus on making data easy to extract and process. I hope by improving my programming ability I will be able to perform more in-depth research and more accurate engineering analysis.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I LOVE foreign language learning. I studied Spanish throughout high school, spent two years in Mexico City, minored in translation, and am currently studying Japanese on my own. Learning these languages has helped me be less timid, express myself more eloquently, and understand others more. If you ever want to talk about languages, come see me!
