Two from MechSE named Clare Booth Luce Research Scholars

Two of the students selected as this year’s Grainger College of Engineering Clare Boothe Luce (CBL) Research Scholars are MechSE undergraduates Maya Grant and Charmaine Nieves.

The CBL Program announced its third cohort of recipients of the prestigious undergraduate research awards. The 2022-2023 CBL scholars are: Drshika Asher (Computer Science), Jasmine Dinari (Nuclear, Plasma, & Radiological Engineering), Maya Grant (Mechanical Engineering), Jiho Kahng (Engineering Physics), Victoria Kindratenko (Bioengineering), Alexa Mitka (Bioengineering), Varshini Murugesh (Bioengineering), and Charmaine Nieves (Mechanical Engineering).

The CBL award is given to women undergraduates in science, mathematics, and engineering who conduct research and intend to pursue graduate degrees in STEM. The CBL program, which leverages on the Illinois Scholars Undergraduate Research (ISUR) program infrastructure, has supported eight (8) undergraduate researchers each year since 2020. CBL scholars receive up to $12,000 to do research in the summer, fall, and spring semesters and conference travel support to present their research at conferences. They work closely with their research mentors who may be faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, and/or graduate students. CBL mentors also receive $600 per semester to help defray the cost of research project related expenses and for professional development.

The CBL Research Scholars Program is funded by The Grainger College of Engineering and the Henry Luce Foundation.

Maya Grant

Junior in Mechanical Engineering
Intends to pursue PhD in Robotics
James Scholar Honors, Lockheed Martin Scholar, Wentcher Scholar, Ron Brown Captain, Grainger Engineering First-Year Experience (GFX) Scholar

Since her junior year of high school, Maya has been involved in research. She chose UIUC to continue her research momentum and explore research opportunities on campus. Maya joined the Soft Robotics Research Group led by Prof. Holly Golecki to develop soft robotics actuators for unmanned aerial vehicles. She has represented their research group in the Stretch Robotic Pitch Competition hosted by Hello Robot, P&G, and TechSAge. Her outstanding work has been recognized in the media across university departments. From her research experience with Soft Robotics Lab and the Stretch competition, she is actively seeking opportunities for minority students to do research in engineering. She was the Tech Team Chair for the National Society of Black Engineers. In this capacity, Maya has helped her peers gain technical skills and discover engineering. Maya shows determination, commitment and brilliance in the field and engagement in multidisciplinary work she hopes to continue in the future.

Charmaine Nieves

Senior in Mechanical Engineering with a Minor in Electrical Engineering
Intends to pursue a graduate degree in Bioengineering/Electrical Engineering
Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) Scholar, Dean’s list, James Scholar

Charmaine has an outstanding academic record and is consistently on the Dean’s List since her first year at UIUC. She has done several research projects at this stage of her academic career. One of her first projects was GIBuddy through Illinois Medical Advancements through Design and Engineering (i-MADE). Charmaine assisted with the circuit design elements for a device that detects bacterial growth in the small intestine. She also worked on a project involving the assembly of 3D printed fingers for robotic hands for American Sign Language. As a member in the Golecki Research Group, Charmaine has designed a low-cost prosthetic hand using soft robotics, primarily focused on the circuit design for hand motors and EMG sensor. Charmaine acknowledges her need to be aware of changing needs as she develops as a researcher. She is excited to apply and learn more about designing circuits and devices. This fall, her project as a Clare Boothe Luce Research Scholar is on the development of a soft robotic cardiac pacing device.

Charmaine has a strong focus on community impact and takes time to take on leadership roles in the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers SHPE). She has led SHPE projects to showcase in Engineering Open House and served as the technical co-chair which included coordinating and supervising events such as the Midwestern Robotics Design Competition and the Python Coding Workshop.