Samantha Mendez, a Ph.D. student in materials science and engineering at Ohio State University, was honored with the Women of Color -National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science (GEM) Student Leadership Award at a recent WOC STEM DTX Conference.
This award recognizes students with outstanding academic records who have made a positive impact on other students and society.
Despite being undecided about pursuing a career in industry or academia after completing her Ph.D., Mendez is committed to using her education and experiences to encourage underrepresented students to pursue further education in STEM fields.
She credits her mother and grandmother for instilling in her the values of hard work and resilience, as they had to give up their education to support their families.
Mendez aims to pave the way for others, inspired by the sacrifices made by women of color that enabled her to pursue a Ph.D. in STEM.
Mendez is a College of Engineering Discovery Scholar Fellow and is actively involved in organizations such as the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS).
She also volunteers at a local food market and participates in community outreach through the Graduate Wellness Committee in the Center for Electron Microscopy and Analysis, SHPE, and SACNAS, encouraging minority students to consider careers in STEM.
Originally from El Paso, Texas, Mendez pursued her Ph.D. at Ohio State University after studying mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.
She received the GEM Fellowship in her first year at Ohio State and has been actively involved in the consortium's conferences and events.
Mendez's research focuses on nanomaterials for high-energy-density batteries.
She works with Materials Science and Engineering Assistant Professor Vicky Doan-Nguyen and utilizes the advanced capabilities available at the Center for Electron Microscopy and Analysis (CEMAS) for imaging and analysis.
Mendez employs x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods to synthesize and test nanomaterial additives in batteries.
