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Meet The Board.

2019 - 2020

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Alison Nunes

President

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My name is Ali Nunes and I am in my third year of coursework in the MatSE department, with a focus in biomaterials. I am currently the President of Material Advantage, although in the past I have also served as the freshman representative and social chair. Outside of MA I am an undergraduate research assistant in the Harley Lab where I work on developing non-static biomaterial systems for stem cell culture, with a focus on the effects of variance in mechanical properties on stem cell populations. Additionally, I am a member of the sorority Alpha Epsilon Phi, a mentor for the Women in Engineering fall orientation, and the Lead Engineering Learning Assistant for MatSE. Within the department I work as an undergraduate recruiter and also intern with the communications office. Upon graduating I hope to continue on to medical school , with the hopes of being able to use my engineering degree to find creative ways to improve upon and standardize global medical care. In my free time I love to participate in intramurals, read, and bake!

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Avery Maloto

Vice President

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Hey everyone! My name is Avery and I'm a currently a junior in Materials Science and Engineering with a concentration in polymers and a minor in Technology & Management! Right now, I have the pleasure of serving as the MA Vice President, strengthening the bond within the MatSE community through a mentorship program and other various events. With a strong passion for both environmental sustainability and entrepreneurship, a majority of my work reflects this. Outside of MA, I am currently the Founder and Team Leader of "Carabao", a start-up that is working on creating innovative water filtration solutions to provide easy access to clean water in rural areas. In addition, I am a Project Manager in an RSO called Enactus where I work on creating 100% post-consumer waste products! In the future, I hope to utilize my MatSE knowledge to improve the efficiency and environmental footprint of companies by altering the pre-existing processes they already implement.

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Jessica Lawson

Treasurer

Hey! My name is Jessica Lawson and I am a sophomore in MatSE and I am planning to focus on polymers with a minor in Chemistry.  I am currently the Treasurer for Material Advantage as well as a member of Keramos. Outside of Material advantage I participate in Illini Solar Car and have assisted in building and designing various aspects of the car. I was also a Mentor for Women in Engineering in the fall this semester. Over the summer I did research in Thermochemical energy storage through a Mechanical Engineering professor and got to apply a lot of my knowledge from my MatSE classes to studying this. I love cooking or baking and playing various intramural sports in my free time.

CONTACT

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Patrick McNutt

Service Chair

Hi everyone! My name is Patrick McNutt and I am a junior in MatSE planning to concentrate in metals and ceramics with a minor in computer science.  I am currently the Service Chair of Material Advantage and with that I hope to create ways for Material Advantage to leave a positive mark on the Champaign-Urbana community.  Outside of MA, I am also the programming chair of the Illini Mentor Program, an RSO on campus that works with elementary school students. In my free time, I enjoy playing pickup soccer, longboarding, and tinkering with 3D printers.

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Grace Levita

EOH Project Lead

My name is Grace Levita! I am a current Junior in MatSE concentrating in polymers. I am also obtaining a minor in technology & management as a member of Class XXVI of The Hoeft Technology & Management Program. Last summer I was an R&D packaging intern at Proctor & Gamble and will be going back next summer to work in Skin Care Packaging at P&G! Aside from being an EOH Project Lead for Material Advantage, on campus I am an ELA for ENG 100 and ENG 177 GXF Career Scholars, and a CA for the T&M Seminar (BADM 261).

CONTACT

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Ian Flueck

EOH Project Lead

I am a curious engineering student studying materials to understand how we interface with the world. In my professional career, I plan on focusing on solving problems related to environmental sustainability, creating disruptive technological innovations, and pursuing personal development opportunities. As an undergraduate research mentee, I have gained research experience and technical skills by working with Dr. Nancy R. Sottos and doctoral candidate Dhawal Thakare on self-healing polymers and microcapsule systems. This summer, I am excited to continue my development as a researcher by interning for 3M in their R&D groups. On campus, I am the Engineering Open House Director for Material Advantage and the President of ActGreen, an organization that connects environmental sustainability to students' business area of interest.

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CONTACT

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Doha Amer

EOH Project Lead

My name is Doha Amer and I am currently a sophomore in Materials Science and Engineering. This year, I am one of MA's five Engineering Open House project leads. Outside of MA, I am an undergraduate research assistant in Prof. Waltraud Kriven's research group, a learning assistant in a PHYS 211 lab section, a mentor in the Women in Engineering fall orientation, and a member of Engineering Council's Service and College Relations Committees. 

CONTACT

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Amit Niyogi

EOH Project Lead

Hi I'm Amit Niyogi and I'm from San Francisco. Not only is this my first year in Materials Advantage, it is also my first year as a material science and engineering major. Last year I was originally a mechanical engineering major. However, through may great realizations I found studying the materials science curriculum much more fascinating. This past summer I did an internship with a company called Wolk that creates social distancing solutions based on different weather APIs. I helped design simulations in MATLAB that would map the trajectory of aerosols and droplets based on different conditions like humidity, temperature, and air speed. Currently, I am a research assistant for Professor Gabriel Juarez in the mechanical engineering department. I help and assist him in trying to understand the fluid dynamics of coral larvae at various fluid mechanic conditions. I do not have any future career goals now, but I hope to work with electronic materials later. A lot of the work my father does involves superconductors, and I would like to learn more about this subject and make a career out of it.

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CONTACT

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Xiangrui Deng

EOH Project Lead

Hello, everyone! My name is Xiangrui Deng, one of the EOH Leads. I am a sophomore in MatSE and I am planning to focus on electronic materials. This is my first time on the executive board of MA and I can’t wait to work with my teammates to provide our guests an engaging
experience in next year’s EOH. Outside MA, I worked as an undergraduate research assistant in PURE program this spring, an orientation leader during the summer. I am also involved in a lot of extracurricular activities on campus. I have just finished a video project called ‘Champaign under the COVID-19 Crisis’ with 4 students who also share great interests in video making and editing.

CONTACT

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CONTACT

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Kacper Rebeszko

Professional and Alumni Relations Chair

Hey! I'm Kacper Rebeszko, the professional chair of Material's Advantage and Keramos. I'm a junior in MatSE and hopefully also minoring in ECE. I have a strong interest and passion for Nanotechnology, optical materials, and renewable energy. In my free time I like to 3d print, travel and hike. I'm also trying to get more involved in woodworking! Unfortunately, I'm very new to the executive board (started this semester) so I haven't been able to do too much, but I have big plans!

CONTACT

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Hannah Harris

Secretary & Social Media Chair

Hi all! My name is Hannah Harris and I am a senior in MatSE studying biomaterials on a pre-med track. I am currently the Secretary and Social Media Chair for MA. As Secretary and Social Media Chair, I send emails/newsletters, post on social media, and collaborate with the rest of the board to come up with creative ideas to increase MatSE student's involvement. Outside of MA, I am a member of a social sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta. In my free time, I like to play intramural volleyball and soccer, cook, and spend time with my friends. I love MatSE because it is so versatile: one summer, I worked as a civil design intern at a full-service civil engineering firm. However, I plan to go to grad school to pursue a career in medicine, focusing on prosthetics, orthotics, or biomedical devices. Feel free to reach out to me if you want to talk about MatSE, being a woman in engineering, greek life, pre-med tracks, or anything else!

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CONTACT

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Maddie Weller

Social Chair

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Dana Yun

EOH Director

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CONTACT

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Hi! My name is Maddie Weller and I am a junior in MatSE focusing on biomaterials. This year, I am the social chair which means I plan events roughly two to three times a week to bring together students in Material Advantage and Keramos. Some events we've held this year include online happy hours through zoom, virtual card games, powerpoint parties, and the price is right. Outside of Material Advantage, I am involved in the service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega where I volunteer in ways to help my community. In my free time, I enjoy working out, baking, and spend time with my friends and family!

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