Emma Aguilar

Hello! My name is Emma, and I’m a first-generation student from Cornelius, Oregon. While at OSU, I had a study abroad experience in Seville, Spain, and have benefited from being part of programs like DAM legends, TRIO, and STEM Leaders. I’m involved in Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and this will be my second year as an officer. I love to travel, and I’ve learned a lot about how to budget-travel as a college student. I’m also a really big foodie, I enjoy baking, and I love being at the beach.

I have a strong passion for being a lifelong learner, and I try to embody that in every way I can. It’s a privilege to be on this campus, have access to the amazing people and opportunities that we do, and I do my best to leverage that for the better. My best advice is to join a club, do research, and take advantage of the many resources you have on campus. Go do the thing, ask questions always, and apply for financial aid.

I’m a part of the MECOP program, and I’ve had my first 6-month internship experience at ATI. Through this experience, I’ve learned a lot about the chemical engineering behind high quality metals and gained a better understanding of what it can look like to be a chemical engineer in the field. I’m looking forward to my second MECOP internship in the coming summer, and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to keep expanding my perspective. There is always more to understand.

Research has also played a big role in my college career. At OSU, I’ve used machine learning algorithms to analyze infant-digested milk peptides and better understand current pasteurization methods. My first opportunity to do wet lab was in a botany lab here, where I learned biology lab techniques. Outside of OSU, I spent the Summer of 2025 developing a bench-top 3D tumor model at the Knight Cancer Institute, where I got to delve deeper into the engineering side of research. I was able to trial and optimize a new photocrosslinkable hydrogel model, assess viability, and successfully achieve transfection. Along the way I got to play with lasers, learn to maintain a cell line, and overall meet some amazing, good people.