Meet Our Students
Cecilia Abella
Participating in MRE-C: since 2022
Hometown: Menifee, CA
Major: Mechanical Engineering
What lab(s) or faculty member(s) are you working with?
Boron Compounds: Dr. Severa (UH) and Dr. Pozzo (UW)
How or why did you become part of this research opportunity?
I was introduced to our lab through the ME 331 Material Science class I was enrolled in and became interested in joining the research group after talking to Dr. Severa and learning more about the work his group conducted. As I am planning on continuing to graduate school after completing my bachelor's degree, I was looking for an opportunity to get involved with undergraduate research and was excited when I learned about this lab and all the interesting projects being done.
What is the focus of the research you're doing?
The focus of my research is the modification of metal borides through ultrasonication techniques for hydrogen storage application. My modification of metal borides, such as calcium hexaboride, with additives could potentially lead to the lowering of the hydrogenation temperatures and pressures to fuel cell relevant conditions.
When thinking about the work you're doing or will be doing, what are you most excited about?
I am most excited to be collecting new data and expanding the knowledge on metal borides and their hydrogen storage capabilities for fuel cell technologies. I am motivated to continue my experiments which could lead to new results and provide me with the information to publish a paper within the upcoming year. I am passionate about clean energy and sustainability, so being a part of research that could lead to commercial use of hydrogen as a clean energy source is exciting to me.
What are your future visions/goals?
Within our MRE-C program, a goal of mine is to broaden my experience with the different instruments and equipment in our UH and UW labs. We have a variety of different instruments within our labs and, as a mechanical engineering major, I would like to be familiar with all of them. In the future, I would love to work in the clean energy industry and continue making strides towards a more eco-friendly world. My current goal is finishing my undergraduate degree next Spring and continuing on to achieve my Master's degree in mechanical engineering.
What would you say to someone who's interested in joining this program?
I would strongly encourage anyone who is interested in joining the UH/UW collaborative program to do it! I was initially hesitant to join our program because I had no prior lab experience but decided to dive into the research. Our lab is a great learning environment and all the faculty and students are friendly and willing to help out if you have any questions or concerns. I would highly recommend to any student who is interested in getting more involved on campus to consider joining our program!