麻豆影院

Professor Hope Michelsen joined the CU 麻豆影院 faculty just over a year and a half ago. She is an associate professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering. Her research focuses on soot from flames and atmosphere and their effect on the environment.听

She became passionate about this research in an unconventional way. While at Sandia National Laboratories, they told her that the only way she could have a lab was if she studied soot, research many others had dismissed.

鈥淭here have been many times that I have had a plan and hit a roadblock," she said. "Each time that鈥檚 happened, I have taken whatever opportunity was available, and it鈥檚 almost always worked out to be better than my original plan!鈥�

Prior to Sandia, when she was a postdoctoral researcher, she received a National Science Foundation fellowship to work at Harvard University.听When she arrived at Harvard, however, her postdoctoral advisor told her that he could not support her to do research and suggested that she spend her postdoc reading papers. She switched groups and instead focused her time on modeling on atmospheric chemistry with an added bonus of working with great scientists at NASA鈥檚 Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

There weren鈥檛 always roadblocks. When reflecting on the people who made a difference in her path to engineering, she immediately mentioned her academic advisor. She was one of the few women in her undergraduate engineering program at the time, and her advisor encouraged her to sign up for a machine shop class. The course was empowering and was her first step into engineering.听

After graduation, she had experience working at Sandia and IBM, where she was again in a minority of women at the company. Throughout her time at the companies, she found support from her managers. This support has motivated her today as an educator who will encourage her students. She is involved with diversity, equity听and inclusion efforts at CU, where she hopes to bring a more creative and healthier environment for the university.听

A perspective that she wishes she had when entering STEM is 鈥渢he world has a cultural perspective of you; when you don鈥檛 conform to expected roles, it鈥檚 uncomfortable for some people, and they may respond negatively.鈥� She advises those in this situation to 鈥渋magine themselves in a sitcom. ... If you can laugh about it in any way, it makes you feel so much better.鈥�

She says her favorite sitcom is Big Bang Theory, with her favorite character being Amy Farrah Fowler.听

In addition to her research, she enjoys practicing yoga and hiking with her husband and two dogs, Rishi and Moksha.

麻豆影院 the Author

My name is Kimberly Fung and I am a third-year studying mechanical engineering with minors in leadership studies and business. I am currently taking thermodynamics with Michelsen. I was compelled to write her journey to STEM because she has a positive attitude every morning and being a student in her classroom, I noticed she truly shows she cares for her students during this difficult time. I am so thankful for this opportunity to get to know her better and look forward to talking to her more often!听