Erica Castillo, Goldwater Scholar
As UT Arlington鈥檚 first Goldwater Scholar, how do you plan to use the scholarship?
I鈥檇 like to continue doing research in biomechanics. In engineering we deal with stress and strain with metals, but our bodies feel stresses and strains, too. When I was introduced to this idea, I liked it because it combined engineering and nature. Little by little, we鈥檙e trying to understand ourselves. We are a complex machine.
What are some of your research projects?
My summer research project at Cornell (in 2011) was with the biomechanics group. We calculated the forces of cells on other cells. But biomaterials are soft and squishy, not hard like metal. The traditional ways of measuring properties are not very applicable to these materials. I was in charge of fabricating some of the materials. There are tools out there to measure this, but they are not accessible to all the labs around the country. We tried to do what the average biolab could聽do.
Aren鈥檛 you also researching sensors?
Last spring in Dr. (Haiying) Huang鈥檚 advanced sensor lab, I worked on a sensor for structural monitoring. We are trying to make a sensor to detect defects from a distance. We want to make it wireless with a photocell that can send a signal on measurements. It鈥檚 still in the developmental stages.
Double majoring in aerospace engineering and physics and minoring in mechanical engineering seems like a heavy聽load.
I thought I wanted to do engineering, then I took physics and really liked it. The first month I struggled, but with Dr. (Barry) Spurlock鈥檚 help and his motivation, I became confident that I could do it. I completed the minor and wanted to keep going. In today鈥檚 world, I think if you broaden your area and combine different perspectives, it can help solve complex problems.
What鈥檚 the secret to succeeding as a first-generation college student?
I鈥檝e been very lucky. Some parents push their kids to get a job after high school or after a bachelor鈥檚 degree. My parents are able to see the value in education. Through their support, I am motivated more. They鈥檝e never said 鈥測ou can鈥檛 do that.鈥� I also have a brother at UNT, another at North Lake College in Irving, and one in high school.
What do you want to do with all聽this?
I always wanted to be a teacher and an astronaut. Those are two of my greatest passions. I know one day I鈥檒l be a professor. I see graduate school and research in my future. How I get there, I don鈥檛 know. I like the journey. I also like looking into space and looking at airplanes and asking, 鈥淗ow can we fly?鈥� I鈥檓 a very curious person. This is our world, and I think we should explore it.
