I am a first-year PhD student in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences at the University of Michigan. I received my bachelor’s degree in Engineering Science with a minor in Chemistry from Smith College in 2024. My first few years at Smith I conducted research focused on exploring the impact of microplastics on silver nanoparticle uptake in filter feeders. I then completed an exchange program at Princeton where I utilized AM technologies to incorporate super absorbent polymers into concrete to develop infrastructure for flood mitigation. I interned at the US Naval Research Laboratory in the summers of 2023 and 2024 and worked on RF cathode development and materials for hypersonic applications. After my PhD, I hope to work at either a National Lab or with NASA to develop better materials for fission-based propulsion and power systems.