Hi! I’m Gabi Fernandes, a rising junior in the Swanson School of Engineering. I am majoring in chemical engineering and computer science and I’m getting a minor in chemistry. I am from the Philadelphia area (the suburb of West Chester, to be specific) so my commute to Pitt is about 5 hours. As a chemical engineer, I am interested in pharmaceuticals, drug/vaccine development, and the interweaving of artificial intelligence and computer science in chemical processes. I am passionate about sustainability and making the world “greener,” so I hope to use technology and engineering to create innovations that champion a friendly planet.

This summer, I will be doing my first co-op rotation as a process development engineer with The Lubrizol Corporation in Wickliffe, Ohio. I’ve just completed my first week on co-op and it has been both an eye-opening and exciting experience. I’ve never seen the inside of a chemical plant before or worked hands-on with operators who are running reactors and batches right in front of me. So far, the co-op has been a great learning experience and I cannot wait to get my own project in a few weeks that will help me learn what a chemical engineer does in terms of optimizing and testing large batch reactions.

Outside of school, I am involved in the Phi Sigma Rho social stem sorority and I was also a teaching assistant for the engineering 11/12 freshman courses this past year. I love mentoring and networking with fellow engineers and other students, so I enjoyed being a TA and getting to know my sisters in Phi Rho. Additionally, I love to cook and bake, and I am really into exercise and the outdoors, whether that be hiking, swimming, biking, running, or lifting.

I also love to travel and experience new cultures, so this brings me to my study-abroad experience in Brazil! At the end of April, I was given the opportunity to study abroad in two Brazilian cities – Porto Alegre and Foz de Iguazu, where I learned about renewable energy and electrification. Brazil is one of the largest countries in the world that greatly relies on solar, wind, and hydropower to generate electricity. Our goal as engineering students was to learn about how Brazil uses renewable energy so we can incorporate such practices in the United States. I was excited to go on this trip because I am passionate about sustainable engineering and I wanted to learn more about how Brazil uses renewable energy on such a large scale. I also felt that this experience would help me decide how I can contribute to sustainable energy practices after I graduate.