2022 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Award of Excellence: Rachel Luu

Every year, six outstanding undergraduate students who made significant contributions to their academic department and the Jacobs School of Engineering community are celebrated with department Awards of Excellence at the Ring Ceremony event for graduating undergraduates.

The 2022 Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Award of Excellence was awarded to Rachel Luu. Learn more about her background and future plans in this Q&A.

What do you enjoy about mechanical and aerospace engineering, or why did you decide to pursue this field?

I initially was an Environmental Engineering major because I wanted to see if I could develop engineering solutions to combat current environmental issues in the world! However, at the end of my first year, I switched over to mechanical engineering (because of the MAE switch) but also because it allowed for such a broad introduction to many different engineering topics. And I’m so glad I did! Because I found a passion for materials within the mechanical engineering major and particularly so, an interest in the study of mechanics of materials! My interest in environmental engineering still lingers and actually shows its face again in my research interests which are in developing sustainable materials!

Were you involved in any activities/groups/clubs/research labs on campus that were impactful during your time at UC San Diego?

Research! The majority of my research took place in Professor Marc Meyers’ Group studying biological materials science though I was also a part of an environmental fluids lab and a robotics lab prior to joining the Meyers Group. In the Meyers Group, I studied an array of biological matter, including horse hooves, jackfruit, roly-polies, and arapaima fish scales all with the intention of understanding unique biological hierarchical microstructures and then implementing their ideas into novel bioinspired engineering materials. During my experience with the group, I was able to present my research at over 6 conferences and I’ve been able to be a part of multiple research programs such as McNair Scholars Program and TRELS. Shoutout to my PhD graduate student mentor, Ben Lazarus, who introduced me to this field of research -- this field of research which I have found such a sincere passion for! I seriously could not have achieved as much without his constant support, trust, and encouragement. 

IDEA Engineering Student Center! In the summer before my first year, I participated as an ACES Scholar at the Summer Engineering Institute 2018. This made a huge impact on my college experience since I was able to get a head start on getting acquainted with the university and it was also where I met some of my best friends! The next two years, I returned over the summers as a Peer Facilitator where I was able to help mentor incoming engineering students which I found to be extremely fulfilling. I also became an intern at the IDEA Center working with the ACES Scholars Program. Being able to help underserved communities in engineering became one of the best experiences I’ve had at UC San Diego.

Do you have any advice for current or future engineering students?

My advice to all engineering students is to not worry so much about what others are doing or what seems like the most “conventional” path for an engineer. Instead, know that you can pave your own path if need be. Not everyone's engineering journey is going to look the same or be perfect. Did I think I would have studied horse hooves when I first got into engineering? Haha, no! But, it sure turned out to be fantastic.

Any idea what you'll do next year, or what you hope to accomplish with your degree?

I applied to PhD programs this past cycle and I am over the moon to say that I was accepted in mechanical and materials engineering programs at Stanford, Berkeley, Caltech, and MIT -- all which certainly made for a tough decision! This coming fall, I will be pursuing my PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at MIT as a MIT Rosenblith Presidential Fellow and NSF Graduate Research Fellow! I look forward to continuing my research in the mechanics of biological materials with the goal of creating bioinspired sustainable materials! As a grad student at MIT, I hope to also continue my outreach efforts by reaching out and leading first generation and underrepresented engineering communities at MIT. In the future, I hope to become a professor that leads my own research group. *hint hint* Maybe, I’ll be back one day, UC San Diego :)

Anything else that's important to know about your time and experience at the Jacobs School?

I am a first-generation student at UC San Diego! I applied to engineering on a whim because I thought that’s what I was supposed to do to get a “successful” career as a child of immigrant parents. I feel very thankful to the Jacobs School and the IDEA Center for such an amazing and supportive experience in helping me realize my passion for engineering.