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February 21, 2005 Vol. 76,
no. 6S
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| AS&T
FOR ME: A few of the Applied Science and Technology
doctorate students pose in lower Bechtel. They are (from left) Greg
Bogin Jr., Brenda Haendler (M.S. '03 ME), Andy Aquila (B.S.
'04 Eng. Phys.), Diana Yi, Michael Lam (M.S. '03 AS&T),
and Corin Greaves.
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Applied
Science & Technology program offers graduate students freedom and
choice
Last year, one of the College's
newest graduate offerings, Applied Science and Technology (AS&T),
celebrated its eleventh anniversary. AS&T focuses on studies involving
the application of physical and mathematical techniques to fundamental
investigations and emerging areas within the physical and life sciences.
AS&T offers students the option of crossing disciplinary lines to
create an individual graduate degree program.
Last fall, 10 new students entered the program, compared to two when
the program first started back in 1993. To mark the occasion, Engineering
News sat down with AS&T doctorate students Andy Aquila (B.S. '04
Eng. Phys.), Greg Bogin Jr., Corin Greaves, Brenda Haendler (M.S. '03
ME), Michael Lam (M.S. '03 AS&T), and Diana Yi to learn more.
Why did you choose AS&T?
Michael Lam: The big appeal of AS&T is its answer to the
classic problem: You know you want to go to graduate school, but you
don't know in what specifically. AS&T lets you experience lots of
different areas and take classes in different fields.
Greg Bogin: I was looking for a something where I could do a
variety of things, where I could build a program with all the things
I like to do. And I'm trying to become more marketable. That's a huge
benefit with AS&T.
Andy Aquila: For me, it was the professors who are doing research
across the board. That was suited to how I wanted to do research, across
disciplines.
What's your research and what do you want to do when you graduate?
Andy Aquila: I'm doing X-ray optics for plasma sources. I really
enjoy research and hope to become a professional researcher.
Diana Yi: I'm modeling nucleation and the growth of semiconductor
nanocrystals and hope to do computational modeling when I'm done.
Brenda Haendler: I'm investigating how fuel boils in microchannels
in the fuel intake system of a microengine. However, I'd also like to
look at the big picture of alternative energy.
What should prospective students know about this program?
Corin Greaves: Be prepared to do a lot of legwork on your own.
The program isn't structured for you, so you need to make your own plan
cogent. But if you're the kind of person who wants to pick up the highlights
of different things, this is the program for you.
To learn more about AS&T,
go to http://www.coe.berkeley.edu/AST/.
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