Sarah Cole is graduating from BSU this week with her B.S. in Materials Science & Engineering. Sarah started in the Advanced Materials Laboratory in high school, and continued working in the lab through her undergraduate studies.
Sarah chose materials science & engineering while completing a high school internship in the Advanced Materials Laboratory, which introduced her to materials science for the first time and connected me with influential graduate student mentors like Kaelee, Tim, Scott, and Sam. Over the course of that year, she was inspired to enroll at Boise State as an undergrad and pursue studies in MSE. She says she is, “So glad I made that decision!”
Sarah is a big advocate for undergraduate research. She says, “Undergraduate research has given me the opportunity to gain hands-on experience working with materials for extreme environments, including nuclear fuels and sensors for the nuclear reactor core. Studying these materials has nurtured my passion for nuclear technology, inspiring me to pursue graduate education at the intersection of nuclear engineering and materials science.” Sarah presented her undergraduate research at eight conferences throughout her years in the AML.
While completing her undergrad studies, Sarah also had the chance to serve as a Delegate on the 2024 Nuclear Engineering Student Delegation in Washington, D.C. and is now serving as Vice Chair for the 2025 delegation. She was awarded over 40 different scholarships, and served as president of the American Nuclear Society student section at BSU. She is also graduating as a Boise State Top 10 Scholar, a prestigious title awarded to only ten undergraduate students each year.
Next fall, Sarah is headed to MIT for a PhD in Nuclear Science and Engineering to research nuclear fuel synthesis and synchrotron characterization for ceramic and metallic fuels.
Congratulations Sarah!