Lydia Trevino '03 came to UCLA in search of undergraduate research opportunities in mechanical engineering. A few key university-supported programs and a dedicated faculty mentor helped her find what she was looking for. Here is her story.

Back in the summer of 2000, Lydia Trevino needed a plan. A sophomore who had just been accepted into the mechanical engineering program, Trevino knew she wanted research experience, but wasn't sure how to get it.

Lydia Trevino '03

"My lack of engineering experience prevented me from getting an internship right away. Then a friend suggested I apply to the CARE program," said Trevino.

The Center for Academic and Research Excellence (CARE) is specifically aimed at science and engineering majors who are serious about a career in scientific research. Supported by government agencies and industry, as well as the university, the program is one of several at UCLA that provide research opportunities for students from educationally or socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Trevino, an only child raised predominantly by her mother and grandmother in a one-bedroom apartment in South Gate, had already shown potential as a student. She was accepted into UCLA in 1999 as a Bruin Gold Scholar, which provided her with a four-year scholarship. Though she arrived with an undeclared major, it was the engineering program that drew her to UCLA.

"I wanted to come to UCLA because of its high caliber engineering program," said Trevino. "The diverse campus, the generous financial aid package, and its location in a beautiful and relatively safe area
also influenced my decision."

On the same day that she filled out the CARE application, Trevino applied to another program; UC LEADS - University of California Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees. UC LEADS offers lab placements to undergraduate students who have shown a potential to succeed by overcoming situations that could adversely impact their academic advancement.

She was accepted into both programs.

Through UC LEADS, Trevino was invited into the lab of Ann Karagozian, a mechanical and aerospace engineering professor in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science since 1982. Karagozian, who heads the UCLA Combustion Research Program and is currently a member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, is a recognized authority on aeronautical and space propulsion.

"Ann Karagozian is a role model to me," said Trevino, who remained in the professor's lab for three years. "She offered me advice to prepare for graduate school, and my overall positive experience as an undergraduate researcher was highly influenced by her."

Trevino's entry into the Combustion Research Lab turned out to be a gateway to several other research opportunities, beginning with a summer internship at Capstone Turbine Corporation during her junior year. "Her work at Capstone in designing and testing a heat exchanger was very positively received by Capstone engineers," said Karagozian, who arranged the internship.

"It was an unforgettable experience," said Trevino. "I realized during that internship where my interests lay - fluids and thermal sciences."

It's this kind of realization that makes programs like CARE and UC LEADS so valuable. Once students get an opportunity to actually experience a field of study, they can make important academic and career choices with more confidence.

"In my opinion, conducting research early on is so important," said Trevino. "It was very rewarding."

"Programs such as UC LEADS and CARE are critical in enabling our undergraduates to pursue research projects in cutting edge fields," said Karagozian. "The hands-on experience is invaluable for undergraduates, whether they go on to graduate school or work in industry."

UC LEADS is a two-year program, but by the time Trevino's participation ended in June 2002, Karagozian knew Trevino was too valuable to let go. "We were able to obtain an NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates grant, as well as support from Boeing to fund Lydia's work in our group," said Karagozian.

That same summer, Trevino began an internship at Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power, a subsidiary of Boeing. There, she developed a tutorial for the analysis of test data of the low-pressure fuel turbo-pump on the Space Shuttle's Main Engine.

The combination of hands-on university lab research and "real-world" experience in one of the country's biggest aerospace companies gave Trevino her first taste of what cutting-edge industrial research is all about. Undergraduate research programs like those offered by UCLA are an important starting point for gaining access to university and industry research labs.

"Programs like these are what truly distinguish an undergraduate education at a research university from that at a four-year college," said Karagozian. "Yet today's economic pressures make it difficult for a student to work as an unpaid lab assistant and still make ends meet. As an alternative to pursuing non-technical jobs that won't help further their careers, our group, and I'm sure many others, offer talented undergraduate lab assistants financial compensation."

In June 2003, Trevino earned her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA. This summer, she is conducting research at Aerospace Corporation before enrolling at Caltech in the fall to pursue her Ph.D. under a full graduate fellowship.

-Christopher Sutton
08/13/03