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A UC engineering education propels student into a career in the space and technology hub of Southern California
Daniela Marques, BS Materials Science & Engineering
Expected graduation: 2019
When Daniela Marques visited the UC campus, she knew she wanted to do engineering. That feeling was amplified by all the smiling faces she saw on campus.
Once she was accepted, Marques found a family through the Center for Excellence in Engineering and Diversity (CEED) before she even started freshman year.
CEED acquainted Marques with the university, including the labs. As a freshman, Marques met Erin, a graduate student in the materials science department who would later become her graduate student advisor. Marques pointed out that there weren’t many schools that would give freshmen a chance to work in a lab. However, Erin helped Marques get a Research Intensive Series in Engineering for Underrepresented Populations (RISE-UP) paid internship through CEED—a major position in a UC lab.
Marques found her love for materials research in the artificial muscle group on campus, where she worked on synthesizing and testing polymers with ultraviolet responsive changes in stiffness. These polymers would be used as a grasping mechanism for delicate objects—letting humanoid robots pick up soft objects like a strawberry.
As a result of Marques’ research experience in the lab, she was referred for an internship at Aerospace Corporation in the Space Materials Laboratory. Marques came in fresh out of the gate, not knowing what to expect.
Through the internship, she worked on characterizing the effects of radiation on foam core composite structures for use on satellites. Marques became the project lead as a sophomore.
Marques feels that the environment in engineering is conducive to both individual excellence and friendly collaboration. “People actually talk to each other. They communicate. The best part is all the connections I’ve made and the people I’ve met.”