Lance Kim
Nuclear policy fun
The summer of 2003 has broadened Lance Kim's experience with government agencies on the other side of the pond. After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley in May with bachelor's degrees in mechanical and nuclear engineering, he went to Vienna in July to help the International Atomic Energy Agency of the United Nations safeguard nuclear materials from weapon uses.
Before his U.N. experience, Kim was interning with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on nuclear risk analysis. He says his exposure to nuclear fusion, then fission, then nuclear risk analysis and safeguarding has been interesting, especially in terms of policy-making input. He is now back at Berkeley for a master's degree in nuclear engineering, and upon graduation, he says he would like to work in an environment where he is given a lot of freedom, whether it is a university laboratory, national research lab, or a government agency.
When asked if his experience at various government offices has made him tired of bureaucracy, Kim asserts that the technical bureaucracy is not at all bad when all aspects are considered. "The worst part of dealing with bureaucracy is offices such as the human resources department," he adds.
E-mail Kim at lancekim@nuc.berkeley.edu
Brittany Montgomery
Into a new frontier
The past summer internship in Araxa, Brazil, where she studied various concrete applications has reaffirmed Brittany Montgomery's interest in material science, says the civil and environmental engineering sophomore at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Civil engineers must learn how different materials behave," Montgomery explains, "and how materials affect the entire [building] structure if something moves at a nano scale." So since her return to MIT, Montgomery has been working closely with her advisor on creating a new materials track in the civil engineering department.
Meanwhile, Montgomery is also heading up the outreach program by the Society of Women Engineers at MIT to encourage girls as young as elementary school age to pursue an engineering career.
When it comes to her own career goals, Montgomery says she is considering returning to Latin America after she has earned either a master's degree in engineering or an MBA. "I think some people might enjoy going to Europe where there're beautiful buildings, advanced technology, everything on par with those in the U.S.," she says. "But I want to explore a new frontier where so much can happen and so many opportunities are offered."
E-mail Montgomery at bnmont@mit.edu
Miklos Raibon
Medical products for the poor
Even early into high school, Miklos Raibon already knew his career goal. "All I want to do is develop advanced mechanical devices for medical uses," says the graduate of Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions in Houston and now a biomechanical engineering sophomore at Stanford University. "I just always liked biology and physics and I think in the coming years those fields will become very important in our culture and society. I want to be in the front way with that." Ultimately, Raibon adds, he would want to own a medical products company and expand its business to developing regions such as West Africa, where even clean water is a luxury.
For now, Raibon is polishing up his leadership skills through his work as the Pre-College Initiative Chair of the National Society of Black Engineers, Stanford chapter. Every week he meets with high school students who are interested in pursuing an engineering career as well as the 7th-grade and 10th-grade students he mentors.
"I have a passion for working with the youth," Raibon explains. "Working with people and working as a team, and learning to cooperate are crucial [experience] to starting my own business."
E-mail Raibon at miklos@stanford.edu
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