NHERI REU Summer Program
REU Alumni Spotlight: Where are they now?
The NHERI ECO, in collaboration with the eleven NHERI facilities, has hosted the NHERI Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Summer Program since 2017, excluding 2020 due to COVID. Eight cohorts and 225 unique participants later, we wanted to share where NHERI REU alumni are now. Below, we spotlight a selection of participants with whom we have had the privilege of working. We will continue to add alumni over the coming weeks. If you are an alumnus and would like to be featured, we invite you to reach out to the ECO at eco-feedback@designsafe-ci.org.
Carmen Andrade von Hillebrandt is a first-year PhD student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Stanford University, where she works with Professor Greg Deierlein. She completed her master’s degree at Stanford where she was teaching assistant for undergraduate classes and began research with Prof. Deierlein. She double majored in Civil Engineering and Engineering & Public Policy (EPP) at Carnegie Mellon University. Originally from Puerto Rico, she is interested in how natural hazards affect the built environment and how engineering decisions can improve community resilience.
After her junior year at CMU, she participated in the NHERI REU at the SimCenter working with Dr. Kuanshi Zhong and Dr. Sang-Ri Yi on comparing surrogate modeling methods for predicting seismic structural response. As her first research experience, it introduced a new way of thinking about engineering problems. Her current research broadly focuses on understanding regional risk to the built environment from natural hazards.
"The NHERI REU opened the door to research for me and connected me to a community and professional network that continues to shape my career."
Anna Babchanik is a master’s student in Mechanics and Computation at Stanford University. She holds bachelor’s degrees in Civil Engineering and Mathematics from California State University, Sacramento. Her academic and professional experiences span both the public and private sectors, including work in dam safety, geotechnical earthquake engineering, and numerical modeling. Through the NHERI REU at the UC Davis Center for Geotechnical Modeling, she worked on image analysis to investigate internal erosion in levees. Anna’s research interests lie at the intersection of geotechnical engineering, computational mechanics, and natural hazards, with a focus on developing simulation-based approaches to improve infrastructure safety and resilience. She is particularly interested in blending experimental insight with computational and data-driven methods to better understand the behavior of geomaterials. Her most recent research explores constitutive modeling and deep learning approaches for shale, investigating how physics-informed methods can enhance geomechanical simulations. Anna is also actively involved in engineering outreach and served as President of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) Stanford Student Chapter in 2025.
"The program gave me space to explore what I was curious about, helped define my interests in geotechnical engineering, and introduced me to a close-knit, supportive group of peers and mentors I’m still connected with today."
Alanna DaRin is a Ph.D. student in Coastal Engineering at Texas A&M, where she specializes in drone-based environmental monitoring. Her work focuses on an emerging technique that uses aerial footage of ocean waves to measure surface current speed and direction through analyzing wave patterns. This work has potential applications in tracking oil spills and other pollutants in Galveston Bay and improving response strategies in vulnerable coastal environments. Through innovative tools and methodology, Alanna seeks to enhance our understanding of coastal systems for environmental protection and resilience.
On a recent field survey Alanna traveled by boat to collect drone footage of waves across Galveston Bay. She helped capture aerial imagery of surface wave patterns and sediment movement in a new drone-based method to measure surface currents using mathematical analysis of wave behavior. Extracting data from videos is safer, faster, and more cost-effective than traditional methods. By combining aerial observations with in-situ measurements, Alanna contributes to research improving predictive models of contaminant transport.
“The NHERI REU sparked my interest in coastal engineering, giving me hands-on research experience focused on coastal resiliency. It showed me how engineering can be used to protect people and the environment, inspiring me to pursue graduate research utilizing innovative technologies to enhance the resiliency of coastal environments.”
Brenna Derby recently graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering. In 2023, she participated in the NHERI REU at Oregon State University, gaining experience in large-scale experimental research focused on coastal processes. She is a graduate student, pursuing a degree in Ocean Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey. In addition to her academic work, she is involved in the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association as a member of the Student & New Professionals group and a recipient of the Nicholas Kraus Coastal Scholar Award. She enjoys being a member of the NHERI Graduate Student Council and promoting the NHERI REU program to undergraduates.
"My summer at the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory with NHERI REU introduced me to the field of coastal engineering and mentors who motivated me to pursue graduate school. Because of my REU, I found a career path that combined my goals and talents."
Francisco Vidal Franceschi is a first-year PhD student in Sociology at the University of Delaware. As an alumnus of both the University of Puerto Rico and the NHERI REU program, Francisco’s research delves into interdisciplinary disaster studies. They are particularly focused on understanding how social vulnerability shapes disaster impacts, with a strong emphasis on community-centered methodologies and the experiences of individuals in disaster contexts. Francisco is committed to bridging academic research with ethical, community-driven engagement, particularly in Puerto Rican settings.
During the first semester at Delaware, Francisco explores how disasters uniquely impact communities in the United States. This work centers on using statistical data to highlight vulnerabilities to advocate for more nuanced, mixed method approaches to capture the full breadth of these experiences. Moving forward, Francisco plans to continue expanding this research and combining quantitative analysis with community narratives to inform disaster policy and planning.
Bora Haller is a Thermal Engineer with SpaceX's Starlink program. He comes from a thermo-fluid science background, with his REU having been at the University of Florida's Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Experimental Facility and having developed numerical models for compressible fluids in liquid-liquid rotating detonation engines prior to coming to SpaceX. At SpaceX, Bora's work is mostly focused on designing Starlink's next generation broadband telecommunication satellites, owning thermal design of components of the satellite's propulsion and ADCS systems, including the Hall Effect Thruster, its corresponding avionics module, and the reaction wheels. His passion for thermo-fluid science stems from his parents' work in nearshore oceanography and coastal engineering.
A rising Environmental Engineering graduate at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo, Lucy Hegendorfer is and avid researcher passionate about coastal engineering and understanding human-coastal interactions.
Lucy's introduction to the field of coastal engineering began during her time as an NSF NHERI REU student at NHERI's O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory at Oregon State University. Her work with Dr. Pedro Lomonaco explored the free surface of tsunami-like waves interaction with a square concrete structural column, as well as wave reflection, using surface-piercing resistance-type wave gauges. She led instrumentation frame builds and published her research findings with DesignSafe.
Since her time as an REU, she has continued to be an active member of the NHERI network, most recently presenting “Exploring Global Research Experiences - “2025 NSF NHERI GSC hosts Ella Landau and Lucy Hegenderfer" as an undergraduate panelist, speaking on her Sustainable AI research in collaboration with California Polytechnic State University and Hochschule München, Munich Center for Digital Sciences and AI.
Back at her home university, she combines what she has learned across the globe to Cal Poly's ‘Learn By Doing’ mantra, gaining hands-on experience in Water Energy Sustainability Training Laboratories across campus. Through exploring the conversion of algae to sustainable biofuels, she guides undergraduate students across The College of Engineering through flow way harvests, microscopy assessments, and reclaimed wastewater assessments to monitor algal stability.
She will pursue her master's thesis at the University of Washington - Seattle in Civil & Environmental Engineering with a focus in Hydrology & Hydrodynamics, where she will study and model fluid structure interactions in relation to debris transport and collision. To support her research efforts, Lucy has been awarded the Department of Defense Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship-for-Service program. She looks forward to making a meaningful impact in the field of coastal engineering while fulfilling her service requirement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - San Francisco District.
"Without my REU I would never have found my niche in coastal engineering. I am so grateful for the continued support I found in my mentors - and friends - within the NHERI community who have made this shift to graduate education the easiest decision yet."
Parker Huggins graduated from the University of South Carolina in May 2025 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a Minor in Mathematics. In 2023, he participated in the NHERI REU summer program at Lehigh University’s ATLSS Engineering Research Center, where he performed physics-based modeling of a semi-active friction damper. Parker’s recent internship experience includes a summer researching SAR interferometry with the German Aerospace Center, and a summer on receiver modeling with the Telecommunications Signal Processing group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He is a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at New York University.
Ella Landau attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a degree in Environmental Engineering, minored in Sustainable Energy Engineering, and participated in research in environmental fluid mechanics. Her additional experience includes research at the Oregon State University O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory and a coastal engineering internship with Moffatt & Nichol. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree through the Coastal Engineering and Management (CoMEM+) program, a collaborative international program involving five universities across Europe.
Emmie Liauw is a first-year dual major graduate student in Civil (Structural) Engineering and Wood Science at Oregon State University. She previously completed her Civil B.S. in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, at Cleveland State University. She was a participant in the 2024 NHERI REU cohort, working at the UCSD LHPOST6 site. During Emmie’s first year here at Oregon State, she had the opportunity to serve as a graduate teaching assistant for a steel design course, gaining experience in running a recitation and mentoring undergraduate students.
Working with an interdisciplinary team, she is investigating the seismic behavior of mass timber braced frame systems with the goal of developing the seismic design factors for timber braced frames. Through the use of computational modeling and structural analysis, Emmie will work to better understand how building configurations, connection designs, and dynamic loading can influence structural behavior.
“My experience in the NHERI REU program gave me the opportunity to explore research in a supportive environment and community of mentors and peers. I will always credit this program for guiding my career path and helping me discover ways to pursue my academic and professional interests.”
Nick Mesa grew up in Miami, Florida, and his passion for natural hazards research was ignited with various experiences with landfalling hurricanes. These experiences motivated his eventual pursuit of a B.S. in Civil Engineering at the University of Florida, along with a certificate in Meteorology and Climatology, which he obtained in 2023. Nick's interest in natural hazards research was complemented by various undergraduate research experiences, which include working with the NHERI O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory at Oregon State University as part of the 2022 NHERI REU Summer Program. Additional experiences with the NOAA Hurricane Research Division, UF Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel, and the NSF NHERI NICHE project solidified Nick's interest in natural hazards research, with a particular interest in tropical cyclones.
Amina Meselhe is a PhD student and graduate fellow at Oregon State University in the School of Civil and Construction Engineering with a concentration in Coastal and Ocean Engineering. Before receiving her MS at Oregon State University, she attended Louisiana State University where she got her BS in Civil Engineering. In 2021, she participated in the NHERI REU with CONVERGE and the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder. During this REU and until today, her research has focused on coastal hazards such as hurricanes and tsunamis and their impacts on structures and communities at large.
“My REU helped me connect my engineering foundations with applied, relevant, and impactful outcomes. The research was grounding and my fellow REU participants have become classmates, co-workers, and lifelong friends.”
Emily Mongold was a NHERI REU in 2019 at the RAPID facility at University of Washington. She grew up in Maryland and attended the University of Delaware for undergrad, studying Civil Engineering. She went to Stanford University for her Masters in Structural Engineering and PhD. At Stanford, Emily was a leader in the Stanford Urban Resilience Initiative, expanding student programming and facilitating seminars and journal clubs. After finishing her PhD, Emily thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada, just over 4 months of backpacking! Emily is now a Resilience Management Engineer at Carollo Engineers, a water-focused environmental engineering firm. Her work includes preparing climate adaptation plans for water infrastructure, assessing climate risks to wastewater treatment plants, and integrating natural hazard risk assessment into traditional water engineering projects. In her free time, Emily loves to run, hike, and rock climb!
Anthony Reynaga is a Civil Engineering student at California State Polytechnic University Pomona, with an interest in construction. As a 2022 NHERI REU participant at Florida International University's Wall of Wind Facility, he studied wind engineering and contributed research on hurricane mitigation. His research focused on Aerodynamics Mitigation and Power System (AMPS)- a patented concept designed to reduce wind damage while simultaneously providing power to buildings. Anthony worked on a patented system designed to reduce wind damage while generating power for buildings. He gained industry experience at Anning-Johnson, supporting estimating and project management in the metal decking department, and as a Project Engineer for PNG Builders' Cedars-Sinai Hospital project.
Zane Schemmer was a member of the NHERI REU cohort in 2021 at the Large High Performance Outdoor Shake Table at University of California, San Diego. He grew up in the mountains of Park City, Utah and received his BS and MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from University of California, Berkeley. Zane is currently a PhD candidate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology working with Professor Josephine Carstnesen. His research focuses on topology optimization and sustainable design in structural engineering.
"Participating in the NHERI REU program greatly increased my confidence in my research abilities. It provided me with an opportunity to investigate a topic I was passionate about while receiving mentorship and guidance from some of the top scholars in the field. The connections I formed with the peers in my cohort provided me with a deep sense of belonging, and I still keep in touch with some of them to this day. I cannot express how grateful I am for this program and its impact on my life!"
Dana Smith is a Goldwater Scholar studying Civil Engineering at Florida Atlantic University. Since beginning her research journey in the NSF-funded Freshman Learning Environment and Academic Research Network (F-LEARN) program, Dana has become a key undergraduate researcher at the Center for Smart Streetscapes (CS3), where she works under the mentorship of Dr. Jinwoo Jang. Her current research focuses on utilizing wind simulations and digital twin technology to enhance urban resilience. A former NHERI REU participant at Florida International University's Wall of Wind (WOW), Dana has successfully bridged the gap between physical experimentation and advanced digital modeling simulation. Her work has been presented at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) and the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC) in 2025. Upon graduation, Dana intends to pursue a master's degree in Smart Cities with a specialized focus on the intersection of resilient transportation and urban infrastructure.
Daleen Torres-Burgos is a civil engineering PhD student from Puerto Rico. Experiencing Hurricane María as an undergraduate freshman sparked a deep curiosity in how communities can be better prepared and protected. As a result, she participated in the NHERI REU program in both 2021 and 2022, studying earthquakes at Lehigh University and hurricanes at the University of Florida, respectively. In 2023, Daleen completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez and joined the University of Florida as an NSF GRFP fellow.
Today, her research explores how wind behavior influences structural response, with a particular focus on how statistical wind properties drive peak pressure loads on structures. Alongside her research, she enjoys connecting with students and aspiring engineers, and is always happy to share her experience and offer guidance to anyone who reaches out.
“The NHERI REU program prepared me for a research career in ways I didn’t expect. I left knowing that a PhD in structural wind engineering was the right path for me. I am particularly grateful for the connections I made along the way: the mentors, peers, and researchers who generously shared their time and knowledge.”
Will Zakka is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in geotechnical earthquake engineering with minors in seismology and structural mechanics. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 2022 and his master’s degree from UC Berkeley in 2023. His research focuses on investigating soil liquefaction, seismic performance of shallow and deep foundations, and site response analyses using advanced numerical methods. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, the James H. Kleinfelder Fellowship, and the Canning Award.
In 2021, He participated in the NHERI REU program at the SimCenter at UC Berkeley. His project consisted of developing a probabilistic model of near-surface soil conditions for site response analysis in Alameda, CA to better characterize both the ground shaking and liquefaction risks in the region. This experience encouraged Will to pursue graduate school at UC Berkeley in geotechnical earthquake engineering. His long-term goal is to become a professor and contribute to research, teaching, and mentorship in the field.
“This experience encouraged me to pursue graduate school at UC Berkeley in geotechnical earthquake engineering.”