Spring 2024 Undergraduate Research Scholars COHORT
Aidan Cooper
B.S. in Biochemistry
Aidan Cooper earned a B.S. in Biochemistry at the Colorado School of Mines. In the Chemical and Biological Engineering department, he conducted research on biochemical metabolism relating to platelet thrombosis (blood clotting) and on metabolism in genetically modified plants. During his time doing research, Aidan was able to explore the impacts of genetic modification on biochemical processes, allowing for improvements in the capabilities of an organism. He wants to take this basic principle into his career as a biochemist, working in industries relating to genetics and genetic engineering in order to improve things like human health or agricultural outputs.
Alexis Capitano
B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Minor in Public Affairs
Alexis Capitano graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Public Affairs. She conducted research on Engineering Education and Macroethics with Dr. Katie Johnson. She was given the “Best Undergraduate Presentation” award at the ASEE Rocky Mountain conference in 2023 for a presentation given on the paper published that year. Her research has looked at ways to improve engineering education and retention of early career engineers in the profession. Alexis is pursuing her M.S. in STEM Education and plans to graduate again in December.
Armand Ovanessians
B.S. in Quantitative Biosciences, Minor in Data Science
Armand Ovanessians graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in QBE and a minor in Data Science. Throughout undergrad Armand worked simultaneously in both the single molecule biophysics lab under Dr. Sarkar in the physics department and the Machine Learning Lab under Dr. Wang in the computer science department. After his undergraduate education he will be a PhD student at Harvard Medical School aiming to develop deep learning based algorithms to enhance our understanding of disordered proteins.
Armelle Duston
B.S. in Applied Mathematics & Statistics
Armelle Duston graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Applied Mathematics & Statistics. She pursued research in the AMS department under Dr. Michael Mikucki and Dr. Cecilia Diniz Behn. With Michael Mikucki, she wrote software automating local forward sensitivity analysis for systems of ordinary differential equations. With Cecilia Diniz Behn, she studied sleep and circadian rhythms with a focus on sex differences in adolescence using both statistical and mathematical modeling techniques. Armelle graduated summa cum laude and received the outstanding graduating student award from the Applied Math & Statistics Department. In the future, she plans on attending the University of British Columbia where she will pursue a master’s in biostatistics.
Ben Longaker
B.S. in Computational and Applied Mathematics, Minor in Physics
Ben is graduating from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Computational and Applied Mathematics and a minor in Physics. At Mines, he was conducting research with Dr. Stephen Pankavich, studying stability of equilibrium solutions of plasma models, using analytical and computational techniques. He will be pursuing his Ph.D in Computational Science, Engineering and Mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin.
Claire Beebe
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Minors in Biomechanical Engineering and Computer Science
Claire Beebe graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and minors in Biomechanical Engineering and Computer Science. She conducted research in Dr. Anne Silverman’s Functional Biomechanics Laboratory for two years. Claire researched muscle excitation and fall risk in older populations during the five times sit-to-stand assessment. She had the pleasure of presenting her work at the Mines Undergraduate Research Symposium and the American Society of Biomechanics Rocky Mountain conference. She was awarded the Alice & Ron Cox scholarship, Mines Undergraduate Research Fellowship, and the Reuleaux Writing Grant and was a member of Tau Beta Pi honors society. Claire hoped to work in the medical device industry and return to school for a master’s degree in biomedical engineering.
Dale Thompson
B.S. in Biochemistry
Dale Thompson graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Biochemistry. She conducted research on the use of peptide-modified hydrogels in the treatment of growth plate injuries. She plans to continue this research, in the chemical and biological engineering department, towards the pursuit of a 4+1 Thesis-M.S. in Chemistry. Her sophomore year, she received a Department of Chemistry Faculty Award for inorganic chemistry. Outside of academics, Dale was RMAC bronze medalist in the pole vault in 2023, as well as an RMAC Academic Honor Roll member, and has one remaining year of eligibility for Mines. In the future, Dale aspires to a career in the biomedical industry, with a focus on medical science.
Dhruva Sogal
B.S. in Computer Science
Dhruva Sogal graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Computer Science with a focus in Data Science. His research in the Computer Science department focused on improving the privacy of smart home devices. After graduation Dhruva will work as a software engineer in industry.
Emily Stec
B.S. in Chemical Engineering
Emily Stec graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. She completed three semesters of research in the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering department with the Mozur Group. During her senior year, her research was under the Mines Undergraduate Research Fellowship, working on a project to improve the reversibility of conversion cathode material for lithium-ion batteries. After graduation, she will pursue a career in electrochemistry contributing to decarbonization or improvements to energy storage.
Emma Leszczak
B.S. in Environmental Engineering
Emma Leszczak graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a BS in Environmental Engineering in 2024. During her time at Mines she worked in undergraduate research in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department in the Higgins and Strathmann Research groups. She worked on multiple PFAS projects under Dr. Shilai Hao. After undergraduate, she continued at Mines in the CEE masters program and plans to work in environmental consulting after finishing graduate school.
Emmelia Ashton
B.S. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Minor in Biology
Emmelia Ashton graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering and a minor in Biology. She conducted research with Dr. Terry Lowe as a member of the Transdisciplinary Nanostructured Materials Research Team (TNMRT). Her research ranges from developing a novel characterization technique for detection of magnetic phases in medical stainless steels, developing the next generation of sustainable magnets, and creating nanopatterned antibacterial surfaces. During her time at Mines, Emmelia served as an Undergraduate Research Ambassador and was also a participant in both the FIRST and SURF programs. She was also a recipient of the ARCS Scholarship.
Evan Okolovitch
B.S. in Chemical Engineering with a Biological Focus and Chemistry with a Biochemistry Focus
Evan Okolovitch graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with a Biological Focus and Chemistry with a Biochemistry Focus. He has conducted research with Dr. Pak in the Chemical and Biological Engineering department since the start of June 2021. During his time at Mines, he earned the ARCS scholarship and has been able to present his research to his peers with MURF. Namely, the research presented dealt with understanding how to engineer bacterial microcompartments to give rise to biological behaviors of interest, such as ones that enclose a particular metabolite or high-value product for a chemical reaction. In the near future, Evan will continue to work with Dr. Pak on this research while working on his M.S. in Chemical Engineering, after which he hopes to pursue future work at the graduate level concerning infectious disease and biopharmaceuticals.
Grant Bell
B.S. in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering, Minor in Computer Science
Grant Bell graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering (QBE) and a minor in Computer Science. Grant was awarded the Mines Undergraduate Research Fellowship and the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship to conduct research under the guidance of Dr. Alan Sellinger in the Chemistry Department. Grant’s research focused on the synthesis of organic glasses used in nuclear materials detection. Throughout his undergraduate career, Grant also conducted research with Dr. Kevin Cash and Dr. Hua Wang. Outside of the lab, Grant served as a captain of the Men’s Varsity Soccer Team, the president of the Pre-Medical Society, and helped establish the BioBuilders Society on campus. Next year, Grant will be attending graduate school in pursuit of a Master’s Degree in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics.
Isabella Roszell
B.S. in Chemical Engineering
Isabella Roszell graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. She conducted research within the chemical and biological engineering department. During her time as an undergraduate researcher, she won the first place $10,000 prize for the Mines Global Energy Future Initiative Innov8x challenge with her team. Additionally, she was on the dean’s list and graduated Summa Cum Laude. Her research focused on the characterization of NH3/H2 flames as a carbon free alternative to natural gas, running experiments and tests to better understand various aspects of the catalytic membrane reformer technology. After graduation she hopes to have a career focused on the environmental aspects of chemical engineering, particularly dealing with alternative forms of energy.
Jade Glaister
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Minor in Energy
Jade Glaister is graduating with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and an energy minor. She was involved in research for four semesters at Mines through MURF. Her first research project was in the environmental engineering department, conducting tests on a low-energy wastewater treatment system. Her second research project was in the mechanical engineering department, analyzing the relationship between wildfires and solar photovoltaic energy production. Jade’s research interests revolve around improving energy technologies, particularly solar energy. She plans to pursue graduate education in applied mathematics at the University of Washington – Seattle as she hopes to research solar energy production modeling to improve the predictability of solar energy.
Jamie Regan
B.S. in Electrical Engineering
Jamie Regan, graduating with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, has made significant strides in research focused on enhancing the high school-to-college transition for students with disabilities. Collaborating closely with research mentors at the Arthur Lakes Library, who specialize in Open Educational Resources, Jamie has dedicated her undergraduate research to this cause.
While at Mines, she played an instrumental role on the boards of both the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics and Oredigger Disability Activism and Community. Her commitment to student well-being extended further through her involvement as a Peer Educator in the Wellness Group.
Looking ahead, Jamie aspires to a career in the aerospace industry. She is passionate about continuing her advocacy for improved accessibility in STEM fields, aiming to create more inclusive and supportive environments for all aspiring scientists and engineers.
Jesutomisin Olusoji
B.S. in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering
Jesutomisin Praise Olusoji graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering. She joined Dr. Melissa Krebs’s Lab group in the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department to study the therapeutic effects of alginate/chitosan polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) in growth plate injuries. More recently, she worked on identifying the anti-angiogenic and anti-osteogenic effects of specific miRNAs on different cell lines to prevent the formation of new blood vessels and subsequently, prevent a bony bar from forming in growth plate injuries. During her undergraduate tenure, Praise received the first-place award for disseminating her research at undergraduate research symposiums at Mines and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical campus. Following graduation, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. degree in Immunology or Cancer Biology and aspires to work at a national lab such as the National Cancer Institute, where she can continue performing research.
Julianna Hays
B.S. in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering, Minor in Data Science
Julianna Hays graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering and a minor in Data Science. During her senior year, she performed research in the Chemical and Biological Engineering department under Dr. Nikki Farnsworth, investigating nanocapsule drug delivery for the treatment of Type 1 Diabetes. In her junior year, she conducted research in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department under Dr. John Spear, exploring the microbiology and geochemistry of snowstorms in Golden, Colorado. As a scholarship athlete, she was a two-time recipient of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Summit Award for having the highest cumulative GPA of all women swimmers competing at the conference meet. In addition, she received RMAC All-Academic First Team honors in 2024 for her performance in both the pool and the classroom. Julianna will pursue a master’s degree in bioinformatics in the Knight Campus Graduate Internship Program at the University of Oregon with future plans to work as a bioinformatics scientist.
Kagan Giltinan
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Minor in Biology
Kagan Giltinan graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Biology. His research lab was the biomechanics lab in the mechanical engineering department. He received Summa Cum Laude honors at graduation and completed four years on the varsity mens soccer team. His research induced working on a research team that partnered with the Naval Health Research Institute which aimed to determine whether a hip belt and differing walking slopes affected the kinematics of a backpack worn by military persons. He would like to work in the biomechanics engineering or aerospace fields.
Kaitlyn Betz
B.S. in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering, Minor in Data Science
Kaitlyn graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering and a minor in Data Science. During the Summer of 2022, she joined the Transdisciplinary Nanostructured Materials Research Team with Dr. Terry Lowe. As part of the team, Kaitlyn has worked on etching copper samples to enhance microbial properties. In the future, she is interested in using her degree and research experience to pursue a career in the biomaterial applications of biomedical engineering.
Kobi Hobert
B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Minor in Chemistry
Kobi Hobert graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a minor in Chemistry. He conducted research for three years in the chemistry department with Dr. Annalise Maughan and Sinclair Combs. His research ranged from thermochromic smart materials to solid-state electrolyte synthesis and characterization. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from CU Boulder starting in Fall 2024.
Leah Bandy
B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Minor in Computational and Applied Mathematics
Leah Bandy graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with a Biological Engineering Specialty. She also obtained a minor in Computational and Applied Mathematics. She participated in undergraduate research at Mines as well as a NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis in Mathematics. Through this REU and research in the Mines Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, she completed research projects involving simulations of biologically-relevant phenomena. At Mines, Leah’s research focused on coarse-grained simulation of aggregating peptides, while her REU project focused on simulating interstitial fluid flowing around osteocytes. In addition to these research experiences, Leah received the Chevron scholarship and the Chemical Engineering Excellence scholarship and was the captain of the Mines Cheer team. After graduation, Leah will take on a refining engineering position with Marathon Petroleum and plans to obtain a graduate degree in an interdisciplinary field in the future.
Lisa Elmiladi
B.S. in Electrical Engineering
Graduating from the Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, the student worked on research in the antennas and RF field within the electrical engineering department for Biomedical applications. Throughout their undergraduate tenure, they achieved the highest honors, consistently appearing on the Dean’s List and Honor Roll for the past four years, and are soon to be graduating summa cum laude. Their exceptional academic performance was recognized with several prestigious awards, including the Outstanding Graduating Senior Award, the Cox Scholarship Award, and being a finalist for the Colorado Engineering Council Silver Medal Awards. Additionally, they were accepted into the Blue Sky Honor Society, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society—serving as an officer—and the Order of Omega. Their research centered on pioneering applications in the antennas and RF field, specifically through the modification and enhancement of the NanoVNA with Bluetooth capabilities for non-invasive, portable metabolic monitoring. Looking forward, they aspire to make impactful strides in medical devices, semiconductor circuit design, and embedded systems. This ambition will be further pursued through their master’s studies in the upcoming year, laying the groundwork for a promising career in electrical engineering and medical technology innovation.
Logan Pike
B.S. in Computational Applied Mathematics
Logan Pike graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Computational and Applied Mathematics. He conducted two semesters of research as part of the interdisciplinary Active Subspace Coarse-Graining research team supervised by Dr. Steve Pankavich of the Applied Mathematics department and Dr. Alex Pak of the Chemical and Biological Engineering department. His research focused on using neural networks to predict atomistic configurations of molecular systems from active subspace coarse-grained variables. He plans on pursuing a career in the field of computational biology after concluding his Mines education with an M.S. in data science.
Madeline Inge
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Madeline Inge graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a track in Biomechanics. She completed two years of undergraduate research with the Functional Biomechanics Lab in the Mechanical Engineering department. The focus of the research project she completed was to quantify the influence a hip-belt backpack attachment has on the symmetry and magnitude of shoulder loading when a military pack load exceeds 40 percent of the carrier’s body weight. She analyzed pressure data collected from military participants in the study, who walked three different slopes with two different pack configurations (1) one entirely shoulder borne and (2) with a hip-belt attachment to determine whether significant differences in pressure and symmetry existed between conditions. She found that that wearing a hip belt when carrying a heavy backpack will reduce shoulder pressure and area of pressure, regardless of walking terrain, suggesting reductions in tissue strain and discomfort. In the future, Madeline intends to work in the medical device injury, designing surgical and rehabilitative equipment and focus on human centered design projects.
Maximalian Kephart
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Maximalian Kephart graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Max is involved in undergraduate research in Mechanical Engineering with a specific interest in biomechanics, structures, and finite element modeling. In his research he explored the use of finite element models to quantify the effectiveness of different brace designs and how well it impacts the internal ligaments. In the future Max would like to continue to research by pursuing a graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering specifically focusing on solid mechanics and the use of FE models in biomechanics and aerospace industries.
Pablo Chang Huang Arias
B.S. in Geophysical engineering, Minor in Data Science
Pablo Chang Huang graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S, in Geophysical Engineering and a Minor in Data Science. He has been part of student leadership groups like the International Student Council (ISC) and the Society of Student Geophysicists (SSG). Pablo’s research focused on improving the efficiency of mineral characterization workflows through Machine Learning Algorithms. He is going further on his studies to graduate school in the University of British Columbia where he will be applying Machine Learning techniques in Geophysical methods to improve mineral characterization processes.
Scott Dahl
B.S. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
Scott Dahl graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from the George S. Ansell Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. He was awarded the Matlock Endowed Scholarship for the 2023-2024 academic year from the Department. Scott’s research focused on quantifying stainless steel sheet drawability and the surface of antimicrobial copper using optical and atomic force microscopy. He also conducted some research into the growth of oxide materials using molecular beam epitaxy. After graduation, Scott will be pursuing a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Sophia Lee
B.S. in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering
Sophia Lee graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering and a minor in Data Science. She researched with both the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Civil and Environmental Engineering. She appeared on the Deans List during each of her last four semesters. She first researched SARS-CoV-2 spike protein inhibition through molecular dynamics and secondly microbial plastic degradation. Following graduation she will finish her M.S. in Environmental Engineering Sciences.
Stephanie Morrall
B.S. in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering, Minor in Public Affairs
Stephanie Morrall graduated in May 2024 from the Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering. She also earned a minor in Public Affairs through the McBride Honors Program. Additionally, Morrall researched in Mines’ Chemical and Biological Engineering department, beginning her work in the Cash Lab. Under the guidance of Dr. Beeler and Dr. Cash, she dedicated her Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship to studying the effect of magnetic fields on the growth of E. coli. She continued to do further work for the Farnsworth lab, exploring the impact of extracellular matrix conditions on islet dysfunction. Lastly, Morrall planned to continue her studies with a Master of Science (M.S.) in Data Science at the Colorado School of Mines, aiming to specialize in pharmaceutical development as a bioinformatics scientist.