NIZETTE EDWARDS

UNDERGRADUATE

ACADEMICS

“Some of the most interesting classes I’ve taken here have been in the chemistry department. I work as a chemistry peer tutor, helping those who are struggling in their freshman chemistry classes.” Earned a certificate in materials science and in engineering and sustainable energy.

WHY

“When I applied to Princeton University, I knew that I wanted to be a chemical engineer. It’s fast-paced and exciting, and I like that I can apply my knowledge of the physical sciences and mathematics to create practical solutions to real-world problems.”

EXTRACURRICULAR

Member of Expressions Dance Company and the TapCats dance troupe. “Though it does get crazy juggling homework and rehearsals, I’ve found that time spent exercising with some of my closest friends helps to keep me sane.”

Co-founder and co-president of the Independent Student Union, which hosts activities to foster social cohesion among those who are not in eating clubs.

INTERNSHIPS

Summer internship with Energy for Opportunity, installing solar panels in rural Sierra Leone.

JANE YANG

UNDERGRADUATE

ACADEMICS

Earned certificates in sustainable energy and engineering biology and pursued a thesis that combined both these areas with materials science. Her thesis investigated how the nanostructure of ocean microorganisms called diatoms contributes to their relatively high photosynthetic efficiency. The work could help design energy-harvesting devices based on examples from nature.

WHY

“I am incredibly interested in international development and how it relates to sustainability, energy, and water.”

EXTRACURRICULAR

Co-president of the Princeton chapter of Engineers Without Borders and co-founder (with Yin Liang) of the Princeton chapter of the International Association for Hydrogen Energy, which won an international competition for hydrogen energy production. Member of the executive board for Community House, where she volunteers with the after-school academy and Princeton Engineering Education for Kids. Involved in the Student Volunteers Council through the American Red Cross Club. Served as a head fellow at the Writing Center. Member of the President’s Steering Committee on Undergraduate Women’s Leadership and the Pace Center Student Steering Committee.

FOR FUN

“I enjoy cooking (as an independent student), knitting (with Hats for the Homeless on Friday nights at Murray-Dodge cafe), and rock climbing.”

YIN LIANG

UNDERGRADUATE

ACADEMICS

Interested in materials science and sustainable energy, in particular hydrogen energy, as well as the social impact of technology. Thesis titled “Carbon Dioxide Removal in PEM Hydrogen Purification from Coal Reformate.”

ADDITIONAL STUDIES

Earned certificates in materials science, sustainable energy, Woodrow Wilson School, and Japanese language and culture. (“I am a devoted fan of Japanese arts and culture.”)

EXTRACURRICULAR

Co-founded the Princeton Chapter of International Association for Hydrogen Energy (with Jane Yang) and led team that won an international competition for hydrogen energy production.

INTERNSHIPS

With support from the Siebel Energy Grand Challenge, interned at State Key Laboratory of Material Synthesis at Wuhan University of Technology in China, researching performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

STEPHANIE LEE

GRADUATE STUDENT

BEFORE PRINCETON

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

RESEARCH

Incorporating organic semiconductors as the active materials in low-cost, flexible electronic devices and solar cells. Controlling the morphology in these materials to influence device performance. Lee’s work in this area was featured in the journal Advanced Materials.

WHY

“I am interested in using technology to address problems of sustainability and quality of life in developing countries. I traveled to Haiti twice during college, and these experiences strongly influenced my career goals and aspirations. Organic electronics have the potential to be used in disposable bio-sensors for disease detection, as well as for water quality control. Additionally, organic solar cells have the potential to provide low-cost, renewable energy.”

YOOSIK KIM

GRADUATE STUDENT

BEFORE PRINCETON

Dartmouth College

RESEARCH

Discovered an unexpected mechanism by which cells regulate an enzyme, called MAPK, which is critical to early embryonic development in complex organisms, from yeast to humans. The work, published in Current Biology, has major implications for developmental biology and may inform new therapeutic strategies to fight cancer.

WHY

“Due to recent advances in molecular genetics and imagingtechniques, I believe that quantitative thinking in the field of developmental and systems biology is not only possible, but necessary. In the future, quantitative tools will become increasingly important for designs of man-made tissues and organs in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. As engineers in the field of developmental and systems biology, we have a unique set of diverse tools that enables interdisciplinary research focused on quantitative analysis of biological systems.”

HONORS

Wallace Memorial Honorific Fellowship as well as the Wu Prize for Excellence from the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

VARUN KUMAR

GRADUATE STUDENT

BEFORE PRINCETON

Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India

RESEARCH

Kumar’s thesis, titled “Polymeric and Lipid Nanoparticles for Therapeutics Delivery: Nano-structures Formation, Stability, and Evolution,” investigated new techniques for delivering medicines within the body and involved collaborations with the National Cancer Institute and the pharmaceutical company Merck.

HONORS

Wu Prize for Excellence, Hoffman Scholarship, Harold Dodds Fellowship, Schering-Plough Science and Innovation Award, Merck Graduate Fellowship, and William Schowalter Travel Award.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Three applications for U.S. patents for pharmaceutical nanoparticles.

EXTRACURRICULAR

Graduate Student Committee class representative, coordinator of 2009 Graduate Student Symposium, andsecretary of the International Council of Graduate Students at Princeton.