Teaching, Outreach, and Mentorship

A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle, but the world will forever gain its light . It is our duty to teach, guide, mentor, and inspire future generations of scientists, engineers, innovators, thinkers, dreamers, and creators. In my academic career, I found many ways to participate in STEM outreach, I have held a number of teaching positions, mentored some of the brightest and capable minds at UCSD, and I've had the opportunity to create, fund, and manage an outreach organization. This opportunity was one of my favorite parts of my graduate career. I hope it inspires others to know that they can and should do the same. Investing time and guidance in future generations is not only altruistic, but it is essential. They are our legacy. 

3 years of teaching experience

Outreach: USA Science and Engineering Festival

In April of 2014, our team of four graduate nanoengineers had the honor of inspiring thousands of future scientists and engineers by bringing nanoengineering outreach to the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington D.C. The USASEF is the largest celebration of science in the nation, with over 300,000 attendees over the course of the weekend. We designed our own demos, making them exciting and accessible to all audiences, from K-12 students and their families, college undergrads, or university professors. 

Role: Project founder, fundraiser, developer, and manager

• Secured $5,000 corporate sponsorship
• Recruiting and organizing the outreach team
• Developing demos (quantum dot rainbows, hydrophobic t-shirts, chromatic metal nanoparticle films, conductive concrete, hidden messages in hydrophobic-patterned surfaces)
• Establishing and managing partnership with a local San Diego non-profit (NanoTecNexus USASEF press release)
• Managing the exhibition booth at the event, and most importantly, teaching and inspiring the attendees of the event!

A huge thanks to Chandler Miller, Tarah Sullivan, and Matthew Rosin, for being the best teammates I could have asked for, and to Thor Labs, Applied Motion Products, and especially to Perkin Elmer for their sponsorship of this program! Not only do these companies enable high tech research innovation, but their sponsorship made this outreach effort possible! 

Mentees