My name is Katie Bibas and I am from Irvine, California. I am an undergrad here at UC Merced studying Mechanical Engineering, but I transferred from Santa Barbara City College in the Fall of 2017. I will be graduating from UC Merced in December of this year, 2019.
I have had some great opportunities over the past two and a half years. I have gained invaluable experience as an intern at both L3 Harris as well as General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. During these internships, I was introduced to industry standards while practicing my design, analysis, and communication skills under extremely knowledgeable professionals. These are skills that I know will benefit me greatly in my career, so I am glad to have already formed a foundation to grow from. I also had the opportunity to gain exposure to hydrogen fuel cell research in Abel Chuang’s lab, TEEL. He is an incredible teacher and I believe a grew a lot from the experience. I am currently taking the Fuel Cell and Batteries class to further my understanding. I am also taking Capstone this semester and have the privilege of working with Reza Ehsani and Erin Hestir on a miniaturized optical sensor system for farmland soil sensing.
Post-graduation I plan to start my career. I am in the early stages of the interview process with a few companies, so I am hoping to be able to start shortly after graduation.
I appreciate this nomination greatly. I feel honored that someone finds me deserving of this award.
