Outstanding students from each discipline in the School of Engineering are recognized by the faculty of their department for academic excellence and notable contributions to the department and the school.
Congratulations to our graduating students!
What's Next: Visit UC Merced Commencement
I have been in the Central Valley for the majority of my life, so being able to attend a University in the same area allowed me to
start giving back to my community. I was lucky enough to have my older sister attend this university, so I was able to grow a familiarity with the school that would eventually grow into my new home.
I had experience in the Biotechnology field and was introduced to gene engineering in high school. I wanted to develop my skills and since UC Merced had not yet introduced a Biotechnology major, I decided to choose between Biology and Bioengineering. Ultimately, what helped my decision was my love for math which started at a young age.
The biggest inspiration throughout my entire college career has been my family. Both of my parents sacrificed their own chances at higher education to raise my sister and I. My sister, Sofia, has been one of my biggest mentors throughout my academic life opening doors for me and guiding me whenever I felt lost. I thoroughly believe that this award is more of a product of my family's support and guidance than of my own work.
The most memorable academic experience I have had has been the various group projects I have been able to partake in. Another would be spending countless late nights with my friends studying for our exams in the library, which I will always look back on and appreciate.
After Graduating, I will be entering the job industry either as a Biomedical Engineer or as a Chemist. After working in the industry for a few years, I hope to return to school and obtain a Master's Degree with hopes of returning to the industry to pursue management roles.
UC Merced stands out as a new school that is constantly adapting to trends in industry and academia. From my experience, a lot of the engineering curriculum at UCM are heavily applied and updated to match what is in-demand which is an advantage that current students have. I attended UC Merced for the benefits of a newer, smaller school. For example, it's got an excellent faculty to student ratio meaning a richer education experience. There's also plenty of research/internship opportunities (e.g. UROC, REUs, CITRIS) that undergraduates can participate in. It's situated in a quiet place and lacks distractions so we can focus on our school work.
I pursued computer science and engineering because I am deeply fascinated by how computers work. Classes like Computer Organizationand Operating Systems uncover the internals of what really goes on "under the hood". Since it's taught as an engineering discipline here, we also learn about the circuits used to design something like a memory chip. Combined with the well-defined career outcomes that computer science can provide, I chose
to study this major at UCM.
I'd like to acknowledge my mentors and professors for guiding me through my undergraduate journey. I'm grateful to Dr. Xiaoyi Lu and the PADSYS lab for proving me a research opportunity working on object detection and NVMe SSDs. My mentor, Dr. Vy Duong, actively provided guidance during my summer research experience at the Joint Genome Institute. Dr. Alexander Petersen's Spark class on "The Science of Science" was a source of inspiration for me to pursue research.
Finally, I appreciate Dr. Santosh Chandreskhar and Dr. Stefano Foresti for coordinating the CSE120 Software Engineering course which provides all CSE students with practical industry experience.
My most memorable experience is the school of engineering's Innovate2Grow event held in Spring 2023. I worked with 4 other teammates to develop a solution for our client, Omron, to improve warehouse robots operating on slippery floors. I'll never forget how nervous and excited the team and I were to finally present what we have been working on for the past semester and finally see the project through to its success.
Many of the undergraduate courses teach computer science subjects at an introductory level. I aim to deepen my understanding in these topics by continue my education in graduate school. I'm currently applying to some graduate programs with a concentration in high-performance computing (my field of interest). I'll also be continuing current research projects and embarking on new research topics.
The UC education system is one of the best in the world. Merced gave me a chance as my community college GPA was not stellar, and being accepted here I was able to turn that around and perform at my best, leading me to plan on attending grad schools at another UC campus.
I enjoy every aspect of programming and always have. Every syntax error, every library dependency version mismatch, every bad documentation website, every micro concussion I’ve given myself banging my head on the desk when my model predicts worse than random. I see all these things as learning experiences that make me not just a stronger computer scientist, but a stronger person to. As every challenge and every struggle, no matter how small, is a chance to grow.
Prof. Chandrasekhar taught my algorithms class, and despite it being a very dense course, he was able to put effort into engaging with the students in his class. I performed well in this class largely because of that, and it led him recommending to my other mentor Prof. Andresen Eguiluz, as he accepted me onto his team for computational biology research and I've continued with him since. Under his guidance I've developed data analysis tools, published papers, and decided to apply for grad school. Both of these professors were also incredibly supportive when I had a serious accident shattering my ankle January 2023, requiring me to spend 3 months of last semester at home recovering from ankle reconstructive surgery. My other three professors that semester had no sympathy and I was forced to drop their classes, but these two accommodated me working remotely during this time, and were both incredibly supportive. This past semester while continuing work with Prof. Andresen Eguiluz, I also began a quite hefty project with Prof. Chandrasekhar, and it has been a wonderful opportunity to learn and also show what I am capable of. I also need to thank Prof. Su for recognizing my capabilities in his OOP class, and being the first to broach the subject of this award. It truly heightened my confidence as a student and a programmer, and allowed me to set my goals even higher. Thank you to my mentors the last several years, I don't know how I would've gotten where I am without you all!
As mentioned earlier, I suffered a traumatic injury last semester, turning most of my ankle into a crushed bag of chips. It was just 2 weeks into the semester, so I could have easily just taken a sabbatical and returned for Fall semester, but I was committed to what I had signed up for. The next few months were hard, but I was able to effectively lead my capstone team to develop an image classification pipeline, and continue work adding models and visualization capabilities to a biophysics experimental data analysis software, that I would eventually present at the CCBM undergraduate fellowship research symposium when Ireturned to campus the last few weeks of the semester as I relearned to walk.
Short term, I will be continuing research with the threeprojects I have currently until publications can be made, and I will be looking for internships or part time work as I graduate this semester. I am also currently finishing graduate school applications for U Berkeley, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Davis to do either machine learning of computational biology research, as these are passions I was able to find for myself the last couple of years here.
I chose UC Merced for its vibrant community of Latinx and diverse students, reflecting my background as a former undocumented Latino immigrant from Brazil and a first-generation college student, creating a supportive environment for my academic journey.
Environmental engineering was my chosen path to engage in a career centered on sustainable problem-solving, addressing current environmental challenges, and minimizing our impact on the planet.
Dr. Fortier has played a pivotal role in deepening my passion for sustainability; Dr. Yarra, has shared valuable insights from his career path, guiding me toward my career goals. The support from university staff, particularly from ACCESS and Liz Atilano has been immense, fueling my perseverance.
Learning the critical role of snowfall in the Sierra Mountains for the Central Valley's agriculture and overall well-being in Snow Hydrology, then experiencing 40-year record snowfall was incredible. This unique circumstance provided an extraordinary opportunity to translate our theoretical knowledge into practical application. We gathered data for water flow prediction models in the field, turning classroom learning into hands-on experience.
My next plan involves making a positive impact on both the environment and my community by translating my gained knowledge into tangible contributions that align with sustainable practices with energy efficiency green building or water quality/conservation.
I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to my significant other, Monica, for her unwavering love, inspiration, and support throughout my academic journey. I hope that my efforts serve as an inspiration to our two beautiful children.
I want to also acknowledge the important role of my two younger sisters, my parents, and my aunt and uncle, Elizete and Uriel.
UC Merced's small and growing campus was a big reason why I chose to attend. Rather than feeling just like a number, UC Merced made me feel welcomed and valued. The faculty and classes offered made me feel excited to learn and helped me become more confident in my major. Watching how much UC Merced has transformed in my short 4 1/2 years has made me feel proud to have been apart of an unstoppable force of the Bobcats.
I took a leap of faith when I chose the major as I knew I wanted a career that allowed my creativity and innovative ideas come to life. I heard about nanotechnology from my International Baccalaureate Environmental Systems & Societies (IB ESS) class I took my senior year in high school. At the time, I was unsure if i should go into Environmental or Mechanical Engineering when I decided to do some research into what is nanotechnology later that day. After watching videos and reading some articles I was led to Materials Science and Engineering. Equipped with the fruits of my research, I took a chance on this major and it was the best decision in my life. I've been able to teach my family and friends something new from all the knowledge I've learned and have made unforgettable experiences.
My biggest inspiration comes from the conversations I have with my parents when talking about my classes or about general topics. They are my #1 fans and always support my decisions. I want to thank Dr. Viney who has been a mentor and someone I look up to as how to be a professor when I become one. I would also like to thank Dr. Lu who has equipped me with vital lessons as a researcher and student with unconditional support. They've inspire me to always seek more knowledge and never stop thinking of crazy ideas.
In spring 2023 I took the Polymeric Materials graduate class with Dr. Viney. At first it was a bit intimidating being with graduate students as they are older but I got acclimated to the class and enjoyed being able to talk with the graduate students about lectures where sometimes the understanding level was pretty similar all-around. One lecture I'll never forget is when Dr. Viney explained why rubber is the way it is using first principles which was impressive as rubber is found in many applications. With learning rubber's properties using first principles maybe many of our problems lie with in looking carefully at fundamental equations to find the answers.
I am currently applying to PhD. programs for Fall 2024 in Polymeric Materials where I wish to explore the synthesis and surface chemistry of nanoscale materials. I hope to also conduct research dealing with brain trauma and develop non-invasive materials that can provide instant relief and accurate readings concerning the health. For the time being I will take a much needed sleeping break with my cat, Eos.
It is bittersweet to be leaving when so many changes and exciting things are coming to UC Merced, but I look forward to seeing how UC Merced will grow and change in the upcoming years while I'm in my PhD. program. I enjoyed looking up at the starry night sky along the lake and watching the sunsets from the 4th floor of the library and recommend everyone to spend time on campus.
The reason I chose UC Merced was the opportunities that were provided and the student population. As a first-generation student, I felt I could identify with the UC Merced student population with similar backgrounds and experiences. Since UC Merced is a fast-growing campus, I saw it as a chance to take advantage of the growing programs and research opportunities that were constantly provided to undergraduate students and help the campus grow itself.
Throughout my time in high school, I never enjoyed subjects such as History, English, and Writing. I was more intrigued by the STEM field subjects such as Math and Physics. I was also in the TRIO program in high school called: Upward Bound Math & Science. This program helped significantly grow my interest in the engineering field.
Throughout my time at UC Merced, I had many people who kept me motivated as an undergraduate student. My biggest supporters were my family who have always been there for me and made sure they had my back no matter what. I also had supportive friends and brothers that I made along the way who always encouraged me to take on new opportunities and exceed the limits. I would also like to thank my professors and faculty as without them, I would not be where I am today.
A memorable academic experience would be the semester of Fall 2021 when I took Thermodynamics. I was already intimidated by the class since it was my first engineering upper-division course and it was the first semester back in person after the pandemic year.
I initially struggled with the class grasping concepts and solving problem sets. As the semester went by, I had to dedicate extra time to this class by
reading, attending office hours, and studying. But with my hard work, it was slowly paying off. This class was also what formed a supportive friend group that I had in the following years. After completing the course, I was able to receive an offer for a research lab assistant position working for Dr. Palko.
After I graduate, I plan to enter the job industry as an entry-level Mechanical Engineer. My short-term goal is to work as a Manufacturing Engineer in the automotive industry and pass the FE exams as soon as possible. While I am still indecisive about obtaining a PE license, I do plan on returning back to school to pursue a higher education.
After my successful transition from the U.S. Marine Corps, choosing UC Merced for my mechanical engineering program was a thoughtful decision. The campus' commitment to innovation and cutting-edge research aligns with my passion for staying at the forefront of technology. The classes here provided a more personalized learning experience, allowing for meaningful interactions with professors and fellow students. As long as you’re committed to the academic goals you set for yourself, the faculty here will go above and beyond to make sure you get to where you want to be. Additionally, the university's location in Merced offers a very affordable cost of living and short commute to and from campus, it is often something many people tend to overlook, but it makes up a significant part of having a good quality of life and a smooth academic experience.
To me, mechanical engineering is a vibrant and continually evolving discipline that allows me to blend creativity with technical expertise. Growing up, I was a tinkerer who always tried to take things apart simply out of curiosity. It used to get me into a lot of trouble because breaking things beyond repair was also a significant part of learning how things don’t work. This passion of mine was further enriched during my last years in the U.S. military, where I gained valuable experience in drone building and prototyping through 3D printing technology. It was my first exposure to this type of work that awakened the inner child in me and solidified my decision to pursue higher education in mechanical engineering. My enduring passion for this technical field has its roots in a fascination with unraveling the inner workings of various systems and a desire to foster innovation.
Enlisting in the U.S. Marines right out of high school presented one of the most challenging transitions into civilian life after years of honorable service. The inspiration to succeed stemmed from the men and women who had gone through the exact same path and undergone the same strenuous transition to become successful in the world outside the military. I would like to dedicate this success to my wife, Amara, who stuck by my side through all the uncertain times we have faced and for being the loving, caring life partner through our journey together.
One standout academic experience was a hands-on project where I collaborated with a team to design and build a prototype olive harvester for an agricultural research project at UC Merced. Seeing those ideas and designs from a computer software model slowly come to life is one of the most gratifying experiences as an aspiring engineer. This project not only honed my technical skills but also emphasized the importance of teamwork and problem-solving. It was a defining moment that solidified my love for the practical application of engineering concepts.
I’m currently on the lookout for a rewarding position in the mechanical engineering field, with the goal of actively contributing to innovative projects. I am exploring opportunities in San Diego, where I plan to relocate after completing my program at UC Merced. The prospect of applying my skills in a real-world setting is genuinely exciting.
On a personal note, I'm eagerly looking forward to achieving stability in my career, alongside my wife, Amara, who showcases her talents at LinkedIn. As we work towards building a foundation for our future, the prospect of starting a family is a cherished goal for both of us.
Balancing professional growth with personal milestones is a journey I'm prepared to embrace with enthusiasm. In this moment, we are expecting our first child and joyfully await their arrival.
