Rice graduate students Astrid Campos, Michelle Durán-Chaves and Raul Garcia are dedicated researchers in their fields. They also carve out time for mentorship and service to STEM outreach programs to encourage underrepresented student groups to become future leaders in engineering and computing.
Astrid Campos
Campos, a fifth-year doctoral student in materials science and nanoengineering, researches in the development of innovative materials for electrocatalytic production of hydrogen. She is interested in finding solutions for sustainable, clean energy and works in Pulickel Ajayan’s nanomaterials lab.
As the former vice president and past president of the Latin American Graduate Student Association (LAGSA) at Rice, Campos led the organization of Fiesta Latina (now celebrated every year at the end of Hispanic Heritage Month) and launched LAGSA’s tradition of commemorating International Women’s Day in March.
She also serves as an ambassador for both the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies office and the Doerr Institute, where she has conducted outreach and mentored potential Rice graduate students. At the Doerr Institute, she participated in a women in leadership cohort, brainstorming challenges and solutions to combat gender and cultural bias.
Campos has a particular interest in STEM outreach to minority groups and led a summer workshop in her native Mexico to help high school and undergraduate students see STEM careers as a reality. “I feel like students may have the potential but not the [resources], and that shouldn’t stop them from pursuing the opportunity,” said Campos. “I feel grateful for the people who have helped me and given me advice in pursuing a career in STEM, and I would like to help others as well.”
Michelle Durán-Chaves
Durán-Chaves is a doctoral student in chemistry who works in Matteo Pasquali’s research group in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Her research focuses on the design of carbon nanotube fibers as an advanced material that can be applied in cabling, power transmission lines, and batteries, replacing incumbent energy intensive materials like metals.
Passionate about clean energy solutions and increasing diversity in STEM, Durán-Chaves hopes to continue her research career while creating more opportunities for women in science and engineering. “I want to help women believe they belong in STEM, and open doors for others to join careers like this,” said Durán-Chaves.
For two years, she has served as a mentor for the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, where she guided undergraduates in their first summer research experiences. She has also participated in the chemistry department’s Fun with Chemistry, an outreach organization that brings interactive chemistry shows to students from elementary through high school, including Spanish-speaking audiences.
Originally from Costa Rica, Durán-Chaves is especially drawn to Latine-focused student outreach. “Latin people may think [a STEM career] will be very hard to achieve,” said Durán-Chaves. “I feel fortunate for the opportunities I’ve been given and I want to help open those doors for others. I want to encourage Latin students to keep fighting for these opportunities, and my goal is to strengthen the Latin community at Rice each year.”
Raul Garcia
Garcia is a doctoral student in computational mathematics and operations research working in the lab of Andrew Schaefer. He focuses on operations research, developing mathematical frameworks for optimal decision making in healthcare.
Much of his research aims to improve personalized health screening for early cancer detection, and he has collaborated with Dr. Clifton David Fuller, professor in the division of radiation oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, on personalized radiotherapy treatment plans for patients with head and neck cancer.
At Rice, Garcia is a past treasurer and current member of LAGSA and participates in LatinX Grads. He has also served the Tapia STEM camps as an instructor, mentoring underrepresented high school students across Texas as they complete STEM projects and experience life on campus.
This year, Garcia is serving as a graduate student liaison for the STEM Muse mentorship program, which connects Rice engineering students to industry mentors. In this role, he helps STEM Muse understand the culture and infrastructure at Rice from a graduate student’s perspective.
“I decided to be a mentor because I have a lot of insight to offer first-year students, especially first generation graduate students,” said Garcia. “I thought it was a great opportunity to pay it forward to new students.”
In collaboration with the Center for Engineering Excellence Through Equity, this story is part of a series highlighting alumni, faculty, staff and students from the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing and their efforts to promote equity in engineering.