Written by: Angeline Pham
This fall, Vincent Laroche will be earning a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of California Berkeley, with a core focus area of Fluid Mechanics & Ocean Engineering. His research will be looking at the mixing of fluid layers in the ocean to explore topics such as carbon content, oil spills, etc. “I want to research this topic because the environment has always interested me”, says Vincent, “and now I get to study it through the lens of mechanical engineering.”
Bonner has helped in more ways in more than one. Through the student-led organization, Vincent has been able to balance his dedication to community service with his academic interests. “Bonner also focuses on professional development of its members,” says Vincent, “Mentorship, goal-setting, and workshops at rallies/huddles were all ways that Bonner helped me succeed.”
Through the Food Insecurity Team (FIT), Vincent has been able to get hands-on experience with what he is interested in academically. With a mission of reducing food waste and increasing sustainability in the campus dining halls, Vincent accredits his work with FIT to what got him into research. “Because of my experiences in FIT, I wanted to learn how I could apply my studies in mechanical engineering to something related to sustainability and the environment, so my first undergraduate research project was on solar energy,” recalls Vincent.
As for his research experience, Vincent participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) in the summer before his junior year where he was able to craft a research experience that dealt with renewable energy. Vincent presented his project recently for Texas Undergraduate Research Day. SURF eventually helped him with his Senior Thesis as well. “My professor for both SURF and Senior Thesis has also been an amazing mentor and helped me a lot as I was applying for graduate school,” says Vincent.
For Bonners, and other undergraduate students, thinking of going into graduate school, Vincent offers some valuable words of advice:
Get involved in undergraduate research. It's a great way to get mentorship from a professor and current grad students. Working through a research project will also help you figure out what you're good at and what you're really interested in.
Don't be afraid to ask people for help/information. Talk to alumni, professors, current grad students and ask about their experiences.
Make sure grad school is something you want to do. It's a big commitment and it's not for everyone.
Be proactive! Especially in research, you will often have to create opportunities for yourself. Most of my research experiences started off with me just emailing professors out of nowhere asking if I could come chat to them about their projects.
Vincent thanks the numerous faculty that have helped him thus far in his undergraduate career, but he would like to specifically thank Dr. Claydon, Dr. Yang, Dr. Metcalf from the engineering college, and Dr. Rayder from the Honors College.