Hope Quintana

Hope Quintana (Santa Fe, NM)
Chemical Engineering
New Mexico State University
Current Position: New Mexico State University

What are your research interest(s)?

Hybrid (organic/inorganic) materials for energetic and bio-sensor applications

What are your Interests outside of school and research?  What do you like to do for FUN? 

Mostly spend time with my family, but I do Spanish dancing with a group in my hometown. I perform all over the state of NM at different events.

How did you hear about the ACCESS program? Why did you apply? 

A classmate encouraged me to apply since I was unsure if grad school was right for me.

What were some interesting/fun things you did at ACCESS and/or people you met?

I enjoyed visiting the MIT campus and Boston, MA. I met some awesome people and still keep in touch with many of them. It was great to hear about other ChE student experiences and their research interests within different fields.

What was your favorite part of the weekend and why?

The duck tour!!! Getting to see the city and learn about the history was amazing! Seeing the city from the water was unbelievable!

Do you think you benefitted from the program – did it help you in any way? Why or why not? 

Absolutely! I was on the fence about grad school and immediately after the first day of talks, I knew I wanted to go to grad school.

Prior to attending ACCESS, did you have plans to apply for Graduate School? How did ACCESS impact your decision?

I was unsure at the time of applying to ACCESS if grad school was right for me. I had interviewed with several companies and received some job offers prior to attending ACCESS, upon my return I knew what I wanted to do.

Are you planning on applying to/attending Graduate School now?  If so where? 

I currently attend New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM in a Ph.D. program in the Chemical Engineering Department

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?  10 years?

Hopefully graduated with a Ph.D. and a career in soft matter at a national lab.

What’s new with you?

Graduated with a B.S. in ChE, selected as the outstanding senior of the College of Engineering, completed my first year of grad school and now am working on dissertation material as the NMSU/Sandia National Laboratory Research Fellow in Albuquerque NM.

What area of research are you working on? 

ChE, with an emphasis on soft matter, hybrid materials

What are the three things you like most about graduate school? 

Learning more in-depth concepts about topics covered as an undergrad and the application that goes along with it is probably the best thing about grad school. I also enjoy getting a glimpse into other areas of research that chemical engineers have impacted. Lastly, I think grad school has taught me a lot about myself and that if I got this far without quitting, surely I can do anything I have ever wanted to with my degree!