How would this research experience help you to meet your educational goals?

I have always been dreaming to be an engineer since I was 6 years old.

Gaining the necessary knowledge and experience that empower my ability to
help the society has been my motivation. I believe there is no better place to
gain that experience other than a great institution that has been conducting
research since 1869 like UNL. This research experience will be a major step
in achieving my educational goal because it will give me the benefit of
having hands-on experience working in a non-class based research lab with
experienced professors and graduate students. Research plays an important
role in the chemical engineering field and I am looking to experience as
much research opportunities as I can in my undergraduate education. This
will help me explore my options for graduate schools and learn about which
research field that I would like to go in. One of the main researches that I am
interested in is Swallowable Microrobotic Capsule for Smart Connected
Health and that just reminds me of the magic school bus animated TV
series that I used to watch when I was a little kid. In one of the episodes the
characters took the bus and went on an exploration trip inside the human
body and it is amazing how this is not magic anymore but its real science
that is able to send microrobotics inside the human body for scientific
reasons. This research will help me establish a connection between chemical,
biomedical, and mechanical engineering fields which is part of what I am
planning to do for my graduate school. I believe that this REU wont only add
to my research experience but Ill definitely gain more technical knowledge.
Technical communication and writing skills are very important in writing
technical reports and present research information in both professional and
scientific techniques.

Please describe your previous research experiences and personal strengths that
would benefit a research team.

One of my major research experiences was in my chemistry advanced

laboratory when I and a group of 2 members had the opportunity to work on
a group research of our choice as a final project for the laboratory. We had
the option of choosing one of suggested projects in the lab but we decided to
conduct our own research and make a dye synthetized solar cell from
scratch. The experiment took 4 weeks including multiple phases and a
comparison to other solar cells that are used commercially. I was responsible
for conducting an online research using scholarly resources and recording
accurate data throughout the experiment. I was also responsible for making
conductive transparent glass using Tin Chloride SnCl2 and dye from organic
fruits like blueberries. I have gained a lot of experience throughout the
project including how to fill a material request form to my professor, how to

record different phases of the experiment and present data in appropriate

tables and figures, and how to create a formal report and video presentation
that includes a simplified procedure and an explanation of different methods
used and which one works best.
One of my personal strengths is actually a weakness point that is this
is my first research experience. I believe that this is a personal strength
because itll serve as a motivation for me to put the best of my effort and inclass knowledge in conducting the research. I am always looking to learn
from others which will include both students in my team as well as the
research staff because I believe that learning is an exchange process and
everyone has something to share. Learning how to work in teams is an
essential skill for an engineer and thats why I have been always working to
master that skill whether working on a service project at church or on my
engineering group projects. I have learned multiple skills while studying
engineering and they have turned into personal strengths through critical
thinking, multitasking, organizing and dividing workload between group
members, providing motivation and support my team, and making sure the
team is meeting specified due dates.

Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about yourself or your interests?

I am originally from Egypt and have been through many challenges to

be where I am today. Providing support for my family to start from scratch
when we all came to the USA seven years ago while going to school to
pursue my dream to be an engineer has been both a challenge and a
blessing in my life. I would have never learned how to be successful in school
if I havent worked in many jobs like a restaurant and learned how to be
determined and deal with frustrating situations. Engineering for me is more
than just a job or a major, its a way of thinking and a lifestyle that I have
chosen to live my life in this world. Having the ability to innovate, create, and
invent powerful and amazing scientific technologies to make the world a
better place to live in, is my passion. I have been part of the STEM
community at Howard community college and the recipient of the NSF
scholarship for two years. I have also been involved in both scientific and
social clubs on campus like AICHE and Coptic club. I am a certified SCUBA
diver and I also love flying. Finally I would like to thank you for taking the
time to read over my application and I am looking forward to hearing from
you.