Student Bios

About DOE Fellow Adamandios is a senior undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Florida International University.  His interests include communications, robotics, and embedded systems.  He is […]

Alejandro Garcia is a graduate student pursuing an M.S in geoscience with a focus on geophysics at Florida International University. Mr. Garcia plans to pursue a Ph.D. after graduating. He […]

Alejandro Hernandez is currently an undergraduate student at Florida International University (FIU) pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry. Mr. Hernandez is now in his senior year and has an […]

Alejandro Koszarycz is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in information technology at Florida International University. His professional interests include cybersecurity and economics. Alejandro anticipates graduating in […]

About DOE Fellow: Alessandra A. Monetti received her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Civil Engineering at Florida International University August 2012. Having completed a year of Architecture, it has inspired her […]

About DOE Fellow: Mr. Alexander Henao will obtain his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry by April 2010. His future plans are to to continue his work on the management aspect of […]

About DOE Fellow: Alex Lopez graduated from Florida International University in the Fall of 2010 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering. Alex previously participated in a summer […]

Alexander Piedra is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering with a professional certificate in robotics engineering at Florida International University. He expects to graduate in […]

About DOE Fellow Alexandra Fleitas is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering at Florida International University (FIU). Alexandra’s professional interests include manufacturing, applied mechanics, […]

Alexis Smoot is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Engineering at Florida International University (FIU). She has served on the executive board as president of the […]

About DOE Fellow Amaury Betancourt began his Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering at Florida International University (FIU) in Spring 2009. Amaury graduated from the University of Florida (UF) in Fall […]

About DOE Fellow Amy is a Biomedical Engineer graduated from Florida International University, in Summer 2008. During the Fall 2008 semester she worked on an internship at Oak Ridge National […]

Andres Cremisini is currently completing his undergraduate studies in computer science at Florida International University. His interests lie broadly in the field of machine intelligence, considering it a powerful tool […]

About DOE Fellow Andrew De La Rosa is a graduate student at Florida International University studying Computer Engineering with specialization in network and cybersecurity. He graduated in the Fall of […]

Anibal E. Morales is an undergraduate student at Florida International University, pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering. He is proud of being a Ronald E. McNair and […]

About DOE Fellow Anthony Fernandez is a junior undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Florida International University (FIU). He worked as a student employee at the […]

About DOE Fellow Aref Shehadeh received his Bachelor of Science degree in environmental engineering at Florida International University (FIU). His professional interests include bioremediation technology, green energy initiatives, and researching methods […]

Ms. Awmna Kalsoom Rana is currently pursuing dual Bachelor of Science degrees in chemistry and biological science at Florida International University (FIU). Her expected graduation date is May 2018. She […]

About DOE Fellow Brian Ivan Castillo is an undergraduate student at Florida International University currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical engineering and a minor in mechanical design. […]

About DOE Fellow Bryant Thompson graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering. Bryant is now a graduate research assistant at the University of Southern California Viterbi School […]

About DOE Fellow Carmela Vallalta is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering at Florida International University (FIU). Her expected graduation date is spring 2016. […]

About DOE Fellow Carol Moreno-Pastor received a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical engineering at Florida International University. Born and raised in Venezuela, Carol moved to the U.S in 2005. She […]

About DOE Fellow Charles Castello received his B.S. and Master’s degrees in Computer Engineering from Florida International University (FIU) in the Spring of 2007 and 2009 respectively. Currently, Charles is […]

About DOE Fellow Christian Pino is currently a senior undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry at Florida International University. He is interested in organic chemistry and […]

About DOE Fellow Christina Valls is currently finishing her Bachelor’s degree in Statistics with a minor in Mathematics from Florida International University.  Her interests include quality assurance and experimental design. […]

About DOE Fellow Ms. Christine Wipfli is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering at Florida International University (FIU). Her expected graduation date is December of 2016. Christine received […]

Christopher Excellent is an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering at Florida International University. Aside from being a newly inducted member of the DOE Fellows, he is an […]

Christopher Strand is currently an undergraduate student at Florida International University pursuing his Bachelor of Science in civil engineering, along with a professional certificate in environmental and water resources. He […]

About DOE Fellow: Cindy Cerna graduated from Florida International University in the Spring of 2010 with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. After she left DOE, she was […]

Clarice Davila graduated from Miami Dade College in the spring of 2015 with an Associate in Arts degree in biology. After receiving her A.A., Clarice transferred to Florida International University […]

About DOE Fellow Claudia Cardona graduated from Florida International University (FIU) with a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering in the fall of 2003. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in […]

About DOE Fellow Mr. Cristian Acevedo is currently a senior pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering with a minor in Mathematics at Florida International University (FIU). Cristian is a […]

About DOE Fellow Dania Castillo graduated from Florida International University (FIU) with a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineeringy.  She is currently an active member of the student organization American Society […]

Daniel Khawand is an undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science with a minor in mathematics. Daniel is primarily interested in parallel computing and algorithm efficiency. He used […]

About DOE Fellow: Danny Brenner graduated from Florida International University in April of 2007 in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Chemistry, Computer Science, and English. He had a full time […]

About DOE Fellow Ms. Dasney Joseph is pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. She was the former student ABET Accreditation Assistant for the Mechanical Engineering Department. She was an […]

About DOE Fellow Dayron Chigin graduated in the fall of 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Florida International University (FIU) and is currently pursuing his Master […]

About DOE Fellow Deanna Moya is an undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a minor in business administration at Florida International University (FIU). She is a member […]

About DOE Fellow: Denisse Aranda obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in mathematics from Florida International University in April of 2010. After her graduation, […]

About DOE Fellow Denny Alejandro Carvajal graduated from Florida International University (F.I.U.) in the Summer of 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering. During his studies, he worked as […]

About DOE Fellow: Duriem Calderin graduated with a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida 2010. He also holds a Bachelors Degree in […]

About DOE Fellow: After the completion of his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Florida International University, Mr. Espinosa immediately continued to pursue his academic career in engineering particularly and […]

About DOE Fellow Mrs. Elicek Delgado-Cepero graduated with a Cum Distinction from University of South Florida in December 2009. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Her research […]

About DOE Fellow Elsa Cabrejo is completing her Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering at Florida International University. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Distrital in Bogota, […]

About DOE Fellow Emma Lopez left the program to focus on her studies full-time as an undergraduate student. She graduated from Florida International University in the Fall of 2010 with […]

About DOE Fellow Eric Inclan graduated from Florida International University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2006. Upon graduation, he worked as a project manager for Florida Power […]

Erim Gokce is currently an undergraduate student at Florida International University pursuing his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering, along with a professional certificate in HVAC design. He expects to […]

Frances Elisa Zengotita is currently an undergraduate student pursuing two degrees: a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and a Bachelor of Arts in English, along with a certificate in exile […]

About DOE Fellow Francisco Bolanos currently holds a Bachelor of Arts in business management economics from the University of California Santa Cruz.  He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science […]

About DOE Fellow Frank Silva received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Florida International University in December 2012. His interests include analog and digital design, power systems, communication systems and electromagnetic theory. Frank […]

About DOE Fellow Ms. Gabriela Vazquez graduated from her Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering at Florida International University (FIU) in December 2014. Ms. Vazquez received her first bachelor’s degree in […]

Gene Yllanes is an undergraduate student working on his B.S. in electrical engineering with a minor in humanities. His concentrations in the E.E. program include data system software, integrated nano-technology […]

About DOE Fellow: Giancarlo Pena obtained bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering at Florida International University where je also obtained his Master’s degree in the Fall of 2010 in Civil Engineering. […]

About DOE Fellow Givens Cherilus was inducted as a DOE fellow in 2010. He graduated from Florida International University with a bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering while in the Honors College. His […]

About DOE Fellow Hansell Gonzalez Raymat graduated from Florida International University in fall 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry. He started his PhD in chemistry in spring 2014. […]

About DOE Fellow Heidi Henderson is currently pursuing her master’s degree in environmental engineering at Florida International University, focusing on water resources. Heidi was born and raised in Tallahassee, FL, […]

About DOE Fellow: Henry Diaz graduated from Florida International University in the Summer of 2010 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering. He shortly left DOE and moved […]

Iti Mehta is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and a professional certificate in robotics at Florida International University. Previously, she worked as an […]

About DOE Fellow Jaime Mudrich graduated from Florida International University in August of 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a minor in chemistry. His research interests include […]

About DOE Fellow Janesler Gonzalez is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science (B.S) degree in mechanical engineering at Florida International University (FIU). Mr. Gonzalez’s engineering interests fall under […]

About DOE Fellow Janty Ghazi holds a bachelors degree in electrical engineering from Florida International University specializing in both power and communication. He is currently working towards his Masters degree […]

About DOE Fellow Jennifer Arniella received a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Florida International University in Fall of 2014. Her interests include engineering design, robotics, renewable energy and eco-friendly engineering. […]

About DOE Fellow: Jennifer Borges graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the Honors College at Florida International University in the Summer of 2009. Ms. Borges […]

About DOE Fellow Jesse Viera is a junior undergraduate student pursing a Bachelors of Science (B.S) degree in mechanical engineering at Florida International University (FIU), with an expected graduation date […]

About DOE Fellow Joel McGill graduated from Florida International University (FIU) in the spring of 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a specialty in remediation. He is […]

About DOE Fellow John Conley is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and a minor in physics at Florida International University (FIU), with his […]

About DOE Fellow Jorge Deshon is a junior undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering with a specialization in Data System Software, Computer Architecture and Microprocessor Design, […]

About DOE Fellow Jose Matos obtained his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. His interests include robotics, mechanical design, machining, and alternative energies. Jose is currently working as mechanical engineer I for Beckman Coulter. […]

About DOE Fellow: Jose Rivera graduated from Florida International University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. He has gained extensive research experience in the field […]

About DOE Fellow: Jose completed his Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Florida International University and his Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Centroamericana UCA in El Salvador. His […]

Joseph Coverston is a graduate student pursuing a Master of Engineering in the thermo/fluids track at Florida International University. He expects to graduate in fall of 2018, and then continue […]

About DOE Fellow Mr. Joshua E. Midence was inducted into the DOE Fellowship in 2011. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering with a specialization in transportation […]

Mr. Joshua Nuñez is currently pursuing a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in mechanical engineering at Florida International University, and he is expected to graduate in spring 2019. Joshua is […]

Juan Carlos Morales is a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in public health with a major in environmental and occupational health at Florida International University. He expects to graduate […]

About DOE Fellow Kanchana Iyer is was a Ph.D. Candidate in Biomedical Engineering. She has conducted her research under the support of the RISE Program, sponsored by the National Institutes of […]

Katherine Delarosa graduated from Miami Dade College with her A.A. in engineering science in the class of 2016 and then transferred to Florida International University. Katherine is an undergraduate student […]

About DOE Fellow Kiara Pazan received her Bachelor of Science degree in environmental engineering at Florida International University in the fall of 2015. Kiara’s personal interests include wastewater treatment and groundwater and […]

About Our DOE Fellow: Lee Brady earned his Bachelor’s in Mechanical engineering, graduating Cum Laude in 2010 from Florida International University. Lee is currently pursuing his master’s degree in Mechanical […]

About DOE Fellow: Leydi Velez graduated from Florida Internation University in 2009 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Industrial Engineering and in the Fall of 2010, she obtained a Master’s […]

About DOE Fellow Lilian graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor’s of Science in civil engineering in the spring of 2011.  As an undergraduate Research Assistant for NASA’s Water […]

About DOE Fellow Lucas Nascimento received a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering with concentrations in both integrated nano-technology and communication systems at Florida International University in the Fall of 2013. Previously, […]

About DOE Fellow Maite graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering with Concentration in Environmental Engineering. At FIU, she was also serving as the FIU Chapter […]

Manuel Losada is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering at Florida International University. He is an executive board member of the Institute of Electrical […]

About DOE Fellow Maria Diaz is a senior undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental engineering at Florida International University. Her expected graduation date is Fall 2014. […]

About DOE Fellow Mariana Evora graduated August 2014 from Florida International University with Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. Focused on structural engineering, her main interests are building design and refurbishment; she is […]

About DOE Fellow Mrs. Mariela Silva graduated from Universidad Central de Venezuela with a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering (2001) and finished a certification in operations research by 2006. Her […]

About DOE Fellow Mario Vargas completed his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at Florida International University and will begin pursuing a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in the Spring 2010 […]

About DOE Fellow Maximiliano Edrei is a Senior undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical engineering at Florida International University (FIU). His expected graduation is set for […]

About DOE Fellow Meilyn Planas is an undergraduate student at Florida International University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering with an expected graduation date of April 2016. Focused on […]

About DOE Fellow: Melina Idarraga graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering in 2008. She is currently finishing her Master’s degree in Environmental […]

About DOE Fellow Melissa Sanchez received a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering at Florida International University. After completing her Bachelor’s degree in December of 2010, she plans to continue her current […]

About DOE Fellow: Mr. Merlin Ngachin, a Cameroonian native, graduated from the University of Yaoundé in Cameroon with a Master’s degree in Materials Science and a Diploma of High Studies […]

About DOE Fellow Michael Abbott is currently attending Florida International University to obtain a degree in mechanical engineering.  Michael’s professional interests include computational modeling and materials engineering, with an emphasis […]

Michael DiBono is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering at Florida International University (FIU), with his expected graduation date being fall of 2018. His […]

About DOE Fellow Michelle Embon graduated with honors from Georgetown University with a B.A. in economics and a physics minor. She is currently pursuing a second bachelor’s in civil engineering […]

Mohammed Albassam is currently an undergraduate student at Florida International University (FIU) pursuing his Bachelor of Science in environmental engineering. He expects to graduate in December 2016 and will then […]

About DOE Fellow Nadia Lima received her Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering at Florida International University. Nadia is a McNair Scholar and is also a member of Tau Beta Pi and […]

About DOE Fellow Natalia Duque is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in the track of environmental engineering at Florida International University. Her expected graduation date is […]

About DOE Fellow Nel Ciurdar received a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering at Florida International University in the Fall of 2013. Previously, he has worked as a mathematics learning assistant in the […]

Orlando Olivas-Gomez is a graduate student at Florida International University pursuing his Ph.D. in physics with a specialization in nuclear physics. He graduated in the spring of 2015 with a […]

About DOE Fellow Paola Sepulveda was a graduate student in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Florida International University. During the summer of 2010, she interned at the Micro and Nanomechanics Lab […]

About DOE Fellow Pedro Cordon is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering at Florida International University (FIU). His expected graduation date is fall 2014. […]

About DOE Fellow: Ramon is currently working towards completing a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with the intention of continuing his studies to obtain a Master’s degree. He is highly […]

About DOE Fellow: Raul is a first generation college student that graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. He has begun preparing for the FE, and plans to obtain a PE […]

About DOE Fellow Raul Ordonez received a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering with a minor in mathematics at Florida International University in the Spring of 2013. Raul’s professional interests include power systems, […]

About DOE Fellow Mr. Reinier Hernandez entered Florida International University in 2009 as a transfer student from a Radiochemistry Bachelor’s degree program from Havana, Cuba. Reinier received a Bachelor of Science […]

About DOE Fellow Revathy Venkataraman is currently pursuing her master’s degree in information technology at Florida International University. Her expected graduation date is Fall of 2013. Previously, she worked as […]

About DOE Fellow Rinaldo Gonzalez Galdamez received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at Florida International University. Born and raised in El Salvador, Rinaldo moved to the U.S in 2008. […]

Ripley Raubenolt is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental engineering at Florida International University. She is an executive board member for the Society of Women […]

About DOE Fellow Robert Lapierre graduated from Florida International University in spring of 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry. Before graduating, he spent 2-3 years of his undergraduate […]

Ron Hariprashad is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in environmental engineering at Florida International University (FIU). He expects to graduate in December 2016 and then pursue his master’s degree […]

About DOE Fellow: Rosa Ramirez graduated with a Bachelors degree in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Mechanical Engineering Design from Florida International University in 2009. After her graduation she […]

About DOE Fellow: Rubymir Romero graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in April of 2009. In 2006, Rubymir became a McNair fellow […]

Ryan Cruz is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in information technology with a minor in social media & e-marketing analytics at Florida International University. He is […]

About DOE Fellow Ryan Sheffield is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and a professional certificate in robotics at Florida International University (FIU), with […]

Sarah Bird is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental engineering at Florida International University (FIU). She is a member of the FIU Honors College and […]

Sarah Solomon is an undergraduate student pursing a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental engineering at Florida International University. She is a member of the Honors College and Event Coordinator […]

About DOE Fellow Sasha Philius graduated from Florida International University (FIU) with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering. Sasha’s professional interests include robotics, computational modeling, and design optimization. He […]

Sebastian Zanlongo is a graduate student at Florida International University studying computer science with a specialization in motion planning and machine learning. He graduated in Spring 2013 with his bachelor’s […]

About DOE Fellow Mr. Sergiu Fiodorov completed a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at FIU in the Fall of 2009. His plan for the future is to continue his education […]

About DOE Fellow: Serkan Akar graduated from Florida International University in the Summer of 2008 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and in the Spring of 2010 […]

About DOE Fellow Sheidyn Ng is currently a Senior Undergraduate student in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Florida International University. Previously, she has worked on nanotechnology projects as a Laboratory […]

About DOE Fellow Shina Rana is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering with Concentration in Communications from Florida International University. She is also a member of IEEE. Following graduation, […]

Silvia Garcia is an undergraduate student pursing a Bachelor of Science degree in biological sciences with a minor in chemistry at Florida International University. She is also part of the […]

Silvina A. Di Pietro graduated from Florida International University in the fall of 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry. After working as a middle school science teacher and […]

About Our DOE Fellow: Stephen Wood is dedicated to advancing the models and techniques of multi-disciplinary design and optimization. Stephen also participates in research at the Multidisciplinary Analysis, Inverse Design, […]

About DOE Fellow Steve Noel graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science Department at Florida International University. His interests include parallel computing, computer graphics, database management […]

Tristan Simoes-Ponce is a senior undergraduate student at Florida International University and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science (B.S) degree in mechanical engineering. Tristan expects to graduate in May 2018 […]

About DOE Fellow Valentina Padilla obtained her bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering in the spring 2013 with a GPA of 3.77; making her a magna cum laude recipient, and the […]

About DOE Fellow: Victor Uriarte graduated from Florida International University in the Spring of 2010 with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering with a robotics certificate and a […]

About DOE Fellow: Mr. William Mendez graduated Magna Cum Laude from Florida International University obtaining his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and receiving the Honor Prize of Best in Class […]

Ximena Lugo is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental engineering at Florida International University. She is a member of the Honors College and an executive […]

About DOE Fellow Ximena Prugue graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. She was the founder and President of Giving the Green Light, a non-profit organization that […]

About DOE Fellow Yoel Rotterman is an undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Florida International University (FIU). His expected graduation year is spring 2017. Yoel’s professional […]

About DOE Fellow Yulyan Arias received her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering at Florida International University. She was a transfer student from Miami Dade College from where she graduated with […]