Making Waves in Materials Science Engineering and Extracurricular Activities

“Illinois Tech is a place where you have the time to pursue extracurriculars while earning your degree. It is a school with opportunity for those who seek it.” 

As captain of the women’s swim team, Megan helps teammates who are having a difficult time at practice, reaches out to recruits, and coaches out-of-season workouts. Megan also recently broke the Scarlet Hawks school record in the 200-yard butterfly, finishing with a time of 2:08.48. In addition, she is treasurer of Material Advantage, Illinois Tech’s materials science student organization on campus. 

“I love the fact that I’m learning applicable skills and actively working toward my professional goals of a career in materials science engineering.” Megan shares that being able to gain hands-on experience through bladesmithing in her first semester of college gave her a jump start in materials science, and connected her to advanced undergraduates and graduate students. 

Her primary goal is to work in environmental-focused research within materials science engineering. She plans on working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which includes increasing our ability to recycle, or decreasing our reliance on fossil fuels and toxic materials. 

Megan adds, “I would like to make a contribution toward the protection of our planet; I want each day of my work to go toward making the world more livable for the plants, animals, and people.”