Rossin Junior Fellows are undergraduate students who serve as ambassadors for the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. These students help with recruiting efforts and peer mentoring. The most recent class of Rossin Junior Fellows includes the following students from Material Science and Engineering.
Casey Dolan
Name: Casey Dolan (she/her)
Education: Pursuing BS in MSE
Where are you from?
From Bloomfield, NJ
What is your favorite part about being a Lehigh Engineer?
My favorite part about being a Lehigh engineer is the community.
How did you first become interested in Materials Science?
I first became interested in MSE after seeing the SEM/TEM demonstration in ENGR 005 MSE lab.
What else are you involved with at Lehigh outside of course work?
I am involved in LU eNABLE, oSTEM, Women's Club Basketball, and TRAC Fellowship.
Tell us about any teachers or mentors who have inspired you to get to where you are?
My high school AP Physics teacher Mr. Di Domenico inspired me to pursue engineering in college.
What are your plans after graduation?
After graduation, I plan to either go to grad school or go into industry.
Isabelle Torrijos
Name: Isabelle Torrijos (she/her)
Education: BS in Materials Science and Engineering and BA in Product Design
Where are you from?
Powhatan, VA
What is your favorite part about being a Lehigh Engineer?
The strong reputation of Lehigh graduates, and the vast alumni network that make finding internships and careers very accessible.
How did you first become interested in Materials Science?
In middle school, I read an article about material science, and I thought it sounded interesting. When I came to Lehigh, I did the MSE Engineering 5 lab, and really enjoyed it, so I declared Materials Science as my major.
What else are you involved with at Lehigh outside of course work?
I am the president of a dance club, involved in Polynesian Student Alliance, and recently participated in an Iacocca International Internship.
Tell us about any teachers or mentors who have inspired you to get to where you are?
Two professors who inspired me to see every opportunity as a learning experience are Doctor Angelina Rodriguez and Professor Chris Kauzmann. Professor Rodriguez pushed me to also study design, and Professor Kauzmann inspired me to pursue my interests and recognize my strengths.
What are your plans after graduation?
Not sure yet. I would like to pursue a Master's degree, but I may want to work for a few years beforehand.
Kirsten Sjoberg
Name: Kirsten Sjoberg
Education:
Where are you from?
What is your favorite part about being a Lehigh Engineer?
How did you first become interested in Materials Science?
What else are you involved with at Lehigh outside of course work?
Tell us about any teachers or mentors who have inspired you to get to where you are?
What are your plans after graduation?
Metri Zughbi
Name: Metri Zughbi (he/him)
Education: Materials Science and Engineering (Bachelors)
Where are you from?
Coplay, PA
What is your favorite part about being a Lehigh Engineer?
The hands-on experience, the supportive community and the friends I've met in and out of classes.
How did you first become interested in Materials Science?
I became most interested in Materials Science after learning more about it in an freshman engineering seminar class, ENGR 005, where we conducted mechanical testing on fiberglass and carbon fiber beams we casted out of epoxy.
What else are you involved with at Lehigh outside of course work?
Undergraduate research, course grading, various committees and an assortment of hobbies, including music studies and botany.
Tell us about any teachers or mentors who have inspired you to get to where you are?
Many of the professors have had a profound effect on me and motivated me to push myself both academically and out of my comfort zone, especially Prof. Watanabe, Prof. Kundu, and Alexander Campos-Quiros. They have all inspired me to be more ambitious and work harder and I will forever be thankful for the opportunities they have given me.
What are your plans after graduation?
Graduate school
Morgan Pickett
Name: Morgan Pickett
Education:
Where are you from?
What is your favorite part about being a Lehigh Engineer?
How did you first become interested in Materials Science?
What else are you involved with at Lehigh outside of course work?
Tell us about any teachers or mentors who have inspired you to get to where you are?
What are your plans after graduation?
Sarah Gnall
Name: Sarah Gnall (she/her/hers)
Education: Bachelors of Science in Materials Science and Engineering, minoring in Psychology (concentration: Social and Personality Psychology)
Where are you from?
Ridgewood, New Jersey
What is your favorite part about being a Lehigh Engineer?
I love the endless opportunities presented to you that allows you to develop not only professionally and academically, but personally. One example is my capstone class where I'm able to work on real-world engineering problems that lets me develop technical skills as well as my communication, presentation, and personal skills.
How did you first become interested in Materials Science?
I originally thought Materials Science was Chemical Engineering and during my freshman year, I was deciding whether or not I was going to major in Chemical Engineering or Materials Science. I spoke with my faculty advisor, Dr. Lesley Chow who is a professor in the MSE department, and she explained to me how the opportunities are endless in MSE. She specifically spoke of a rocket, where the quintessential part of the rocket is the material selection to build the rocket, which immediately hooked me into MSE.
What else are you involved with at Lehigh outside of course work?
I'm a Clare Boothe Luce Research Scholar, the Student Materials Society President, a Rossin Junior Fellow, a member of Pi Beta Phi, and a grader for MAT 033.
Tell us about any teachers or mentors who have inspired you to get to where you are?
Dr. John DuPont, Dr. Laura Moyer, Dr. Christopher Farnin, Michael Annor, and Dr. Lesley Chow. All of these professors and mentors (and so many more) have allowed me to work towards reaching my potential and have given me opportunities to explore metallurgy and other areas of Materials Science and Engineering. These opportunities have really allowed me to fall in love with what I'm doing and work towards my goals in the future.
What are your plans after graduation?
I will be attending graduate school in hopes of obtaining my PhD in Materials Science and Engineering with a focus on metallurgy. I'm currently looking to pursue welding and additive manufacturing of metals and am hoping to work either for the Department of Defense or the automotive industry.
Thomas Theiner
Name: Thomas Theiner
Education:
Where are you from?
What is your favorite part about being a Lehigh Engineer?
How did you first become interested in Materials Science?
What else are you involved with at Lehigh outside of course work?
Tell us about any teachers or mentors who have inspired you to get to where you are?
What are your plans after graduation?
Tucker Knupp
Name: Tucker Knupp
Education: BS in MSE
Where are you from?
Latrobe, PA
What is your favorite part about being a Lehigh Engineer?
Strong relationships that I am able to form with my professors
How did you first become interested in Materials Science?
In high school I spoke with a Materials Engineer from my dad's work and it sounded very interesting
What else are you involved with at Lehigh outside of course work?
Member of the Lehigh Football team
Tell us about any teachers or mentors who have inspired you to get to where you are?
One of my HS football coaches was also my biology teacher and he encouraged me into doing football and also pursuing a difficult major like Materials Engineering.
What are your plans after graduation?
Hopefully work somewhere