Cora Becker
Major
Chemical Engineering
Awards
College of Engineering and Applied Science Research Award
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Outstanding Course Assistant Award (CHEN )
Post-graduation plans
Work at Veolia as a Manufacturing Quality Engineer (after backpacking across Europe for six weeks).
Associated Lab
Professor Ankur Gupta
Laboratory of Interfaces, Flow and Electrokinetics
Tell me about your research
I study the motion of small-scale particles—which experience movement differently than larger scale objects—under applied gradients in concentration. I used a combination of physical experiments and computation modeling to approximate the motion.
How might your research make a difference in everyday life?
This research will help provide a better scientific understanding of the motion of objects at the small scale, contributing to applications in drug delivery, energy harvesting and storage, and environmental monitoring.
What keeps you busy outside of research?
During my time at ֱ Boulder, I was involved with all ֱ had to offer. I was a course assistant for Fluids and Kinetics and was a teaching assistant for General Chemistry Lab for Engineers. I was the president of Omega Chi Epsilon, a member of and a member of the ֱ ! Through these organizations, I had a lot of opportunities to volunteer, such as cleaning up Boulder Creek or donating items to local animal shelters. Outside of school, I worked at Veolia as a quality engineering intern, where I had the opportunity to test and report failures on returned components of their products. I also love to ski and hike, which is something I did nearly every weekend while at ֱ!
What is your favorite ֱ Boulder memory?
My favorite memory is making lifelong friends through all-nighters studying together, skiing together or other shared experiences.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Academically, I am most proud of being published as a co-author on research I contributed to! Personally, one of my biggest accomplishments has been summiting multiple 14ers in ֱ.
Tell us about a moment when you felt like you were “officially” an engineer.
I felt like I was "officially" an engineer when I designed a reactor from scratch for my senior design project. It took extensive research— digging into kinetics, selecting materials of construction and aligning theoretical models with experimental results. Getting the reactor to finally work felt great!
What will you carry forth?
My time at ֱ has taught me the importance of integrity, perseverance and making lasting connections with both peers and faculty. I could not have accomplished my goals without the support of my friends, family and faculty in the ChBE department, and I will carry forward what I have learned past my four years here.
What is your biggest piece of advice for future engineering buffs?
Take advantage of the many resources and connections available to you as a ֱ student. There’s so much to gain—both in and beyond the classroom!