Fall 2022 Undergraduate Research Scholars COHORT
Bora Basyildiz
B.S. in Applied Mathematics, B.S. in Computer Science, Minor in McBride Honors Program
Bora Basyildiz graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.S. in Applied Mathematics with a Minor in public affairs with the McBride Honors program. He has done research in the following fields: Mathematical Modeling with Professor Scott Strong in the Applied Mathematics and Statistics Department, Quantum Computing with Professor Zhexuan Gong in the Physics Department, and Machine Learning with Ph.D. Candidate Hoon Seo in Computer Science Department with the Hidden Talents Program. He has earned two co-author contributions, is the Professor Willy Hereman Endowed Scholarship Recipient, and won the IBM International Quantum Hackathon. He is currently earning his M.S. in Quantum Engineering at Colorado School of Mines and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in the future.
Addison Berrier
B.S. in Chemical Engineering , Biology Track
Addison Berrier graduate from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. She received the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in 2022, and conducted research within the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department under Dr. Anuj Chauhan. Her projects focused on the tunability of porosity in HEMA hydrogels for applications in ophthalmic drug delivery through contact lenses. After graduation Addison will be pursuing a career in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry.
Jens Carter
B.S. in Chemical Engineering
My undergraduate major at the Colorado School of Mines was Chemical engineering. Additionally, I am in the BS/MS program for Chemical Engineering, I am hoping to finish my non-thesis graduate degree by 2024/25. As an undergraduate researcher on campus, I worked in the Morrison lab in the Chemistry department from 2019 to 2021. Four semesters of that time were spent as a Mines Undergraduate Research Fellow (MURF). While conducting research on campus I was also a member of the first cohort of Undergraduate Research Ambassadors (URA) on campus, working to connect students who wanted to conduct research with opportunities on campus. Additionally, while conducting research on campus I was awarded with the Achievement Reward for Collegiate Scientists (ARCS) three years in a row. Working on CO2 recapture and recycling on campus at the Colorado School of Mines was incredibly impactful on my development as a young scientist/engineer. My time on campus conducting undergraduate research opened so many doors for me. It allowed me to obtain a job working in private research and development in Colorado which has been a goal of mine for a long time. Moving forward, my goal is to complete my graduate degree in chemical engineering. My long-term professional goal is to be the platform leader for a research and development department at a company in Colorado. Additionally, my life-goal is to stay curious, learn every day, and remain passionate about the scientific endeavor.
Roswell DeMott
B.S. in Engineering Physics
Ross DeMott is currently a master’s student in the physics department at the Colorado School of Mines. He is currently studying the behavior of black holes in environments with realistic distributions of matter and energy. In the future, he is hoping to pursue a math or math physics Ph.D., continuing to study the mathematics of black holes and their interaction matter and energy. He is a National Merit Scholar and a Mines President’s Scholar.
Cash Koning
B.S. in Geophysics
Cash Koning graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Geophysics. He completed 5 semesters of undergraduate research between the Mines Glaciology Lab and the Mines Surface Hydrodynamics Lab. He spent summer 2021 completing research with Autonomous Phase Sensitive Radar on the Juneau Icefield in Alaska. He will continue on his path as a life long learner, and seek out mentors and mentees to guide him along his path.
Gabriella Moreno
B.S. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
Gabriella Moreno graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. Her research in the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering department centered around engineering microstructural features in a brass material system through localized deformation to produce an artistic design in the microstructure. The designs achieved included grain size gradients through sequential patterned microindentation steps and controlled annealing regimes for targeted recrystallization and grain growth within the brass matrix. During her time at Mines, she has been awarded two department scholarships and plans to translate the valuable skills learned in her research and academic career at Mines to engineering projects integral to the community in an effort to provide positive contributions to the world around her.
Amiya Prasad
B.S. in Computer Engineering
Amiya Prasad graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Computer Science with a focus in Computer Engineering. She conducted research with the Computer Science department in the Cyber Security and Privacy Research Group, where she worked on analyzing the perspectives of bystanders and owners in a smart home. Amiya works as a security analyst at Accenture and hopes to delve deeper into the different areas of cybersecurity.
Elias Roll
B.S. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
Eli Roll graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. He worked with Dr. Gerald Bourne in the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department to develop processes for the generation of artistic micrographs and was part of the team that won a second-place award at the 2022 International Metallographic Contest. Previously, Eli worked in the ADAPT lab where he assisted with the characterization of additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V weld beads and investigated the impact of laser powder bed fusion processing parameters on porosity in 316L stainless steel. He hopes to continue work in materials development and characterization after graduation.
Sierra Schlussel
B.S. in Chemical Engineering
Sierra Schlussel graduated Summa Cum Laude from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. She participated in Dr. Stephanie Kwon’s Lab of Catalysis & Applied Technology in Surface Science. She worked to develop and understand the kinetics of formic acid dehydrogenation using a Pd catalyst on a silica support. She will be continuing at Mines to pursue her thesis-based masters in Chemical Engineering. Her future goals are to help develop cleaner and reusable energy sources to combat current and future environmental challenges.
Joseph Spielman
B.S. in Computer Science
Joseph Spielman graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Computer Science. During his time at Mines, Joseph acted as a Research Assistant for the Computer Science department and worked in the field of Information Security and User Privacy. After graduation, Joseph is planning on continuing to work in the field of Computer Science in industry.