Rebecca Hunt is a fifth-year undergraduate senior majoring in materials science and engineering from Greensboro, North Carolina. We sat down to learn about her path to NC State MSE.
Tell us what drew you to MSE. Did you initially have a different path in mind or was MSE your first pick?
Growing up, I thought I wanted to be a doctor like just my mom. But after seeing how a physician’s workload affected not only my mother but also my brother’s girlfriend, I began to look at engineering.
Before settling on MSE as my engineering major, I did shop around. First, I tried chemical engineering, but I found the classes on Chemical Processes just did not click for me. Next, I tried mechanical engineering but the Physics classes were also not a fit for me. I even tried electrical engineering, but I felt like I was the only female in that major.
I learned about MSE in my Engineering 102 course. I chose MSE because it was the most unique of all the engineering majors. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in my career as a freshman but I saw MSE as an opportunity to explore what I liked. I have had many unique and fortunate opportunities during my time with MSE.
Describe your time in MSE. Include favorite projects, classes, professors, and advisors.
I really enjoyed my time here. Since the department is one of the smaller engineering departments, there is really a sense of community within it. Someone of my closest friends is the people I met in my classes. I was previously a secretary for the MSE student organization, Materials Advantage.
I enjoyed the 2021 Research Experience for Undergraduates I participated in. I have been working in Dr. Veronica Augustyn’s lab part-time as an undergraduate research assistant on the same project I worked on during my REU! This is where I discovered my passion for energy storage and battery technology. The Augustyn Lab has given me many networking opportunities, and I wouldn’t have been able to do my internships without my experiences in MSE.
I feel very lucky that I was able to knock out not one, but two competitive internships as an MSE undergraduate. In 2022, I worked at Tesla in Palo Alto, California from January to June. I was a Cell Materials Engineering Intern, and I worked on battery cells for electric cars. Later that same year, I worked at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. from September to December. I was a Materials Engineer Student Trainee, and I worked on a project with the navy electrochemistry making seawater into drinking water.
For these special opportunities, I want to sincerely thank my professors and MSE Academic Advisor Hillary Stone for all of their support in my decision to co-op in my senior year. It has been a privilege to have this chance that comes only once in a lifetime. I am also fortunate to have a strong mentor in Dr. Jenelle Fortunato from the Augustyn Lab. She has been such a pivotal role model for me on what it takes to be a woman in science.
Describe how you anticipate incorporating MSE in your future.
I have officially accepted an offer with Northrop Grumman. I will be an Associate Lithium-Ion Battery Engineer in the Tactical Space Systems and Satellites Division.
Describe the accomplishment you are most proud of.
An accomplishment I am most proud of is learning to balance school and work. While working full-time at Tesla, I was also enrolled in two online classes at NC State, with a three-hour time difference! It was extremely challenging. But I learned a lot about the importance of time management and organization. An important life skill I learned while having a full-time job while juggling complex engineering coursework is that time management skills are not always taught. It is up to the student and future full-time employee to learn how to balance the demands of school, work, and personal time. Even now, I elected to take machine learning and data visualization courses in my final semester through the NC State Data Science Academy, which is outside of MSE but can be immediately applied to any job:
What is your favorite or the coolest thing about MSE?
I learned how to deal with stress and strain in my relationships.
Share a fun fact or your favorite memory at NC State.
My fun fact is that I almost didn’t graduate from NC State! I was going to complete my final classes at another university but luckily it didn’t work out.
Thanks so much for your time! If someone wants to stay in touch, how can they reach you?
You’re so welcome! Thank you for your time, and if anyone wants to reach me after graduation, they can find me on LinkedIn.
