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Krystal York

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Finalist

General information

Hobbies & Interests

  • Sustainability
  • Gardening
  • Coding And Computer Science

Reading

  • Academic

I read books daily.

Bio

I am a current Ph.D. student at Western Michigan University studying electrical engineering. I am highly motivated with a passion for research and development in sustainability and cleantech fields. I am always looking for new ways to learn and apply my knowledge to better the planet and the people living on it. Driven by a growing interest in renewable energy, I joined the solar car team as an undergraduate student. At the time, there was only one other electrical engineer on the team, and he was graduating at the end of the semester. I challenged myself by avidly researching solar power and batteries. In my junior year, I was elected as the electrical lead, where I oversaw the designing and building of the electrical system of our 2016 car. I was subsequently elected to project manager my senior year, where in addition to leading the efforts to update the vehicle, I coordinated all volunteering activities for the team. By the latter half of my undergraduate studies, I knew I wanted a career in research and development in energy-efficient technologies. To achieve this goal, I decided to continue my academic career by pursuing a master’s degree. I enrolled in the accelerated MSEE program my senior year to begin taking graduate-level courses that would simultaneously count towards my undergraduate and master’s degrees. I reached out to a professor who was conducting research in earth-abundant element materials for solar cells. He offered me a research opportunity through an independent study class, which continued as the basis for my master’s thesis and Ph.D. dissertation.

Education

Western Michigan University

Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)

2018 – 2022

Majors:
  • Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering

Western Michigan University

Master's degree program

2016 – 2018

Majors:
  • Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering

Western Michigan University

Bachelor's degree program

2013 – 2017

Majors:
  • Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
Minors:
  • Mathematics

Miscellaneous

Medical school interest:
No

Career

  • Raspberry Pi Summer Camp Instructor

    Computer Software · Western Michigan University

    Jan 2018 – Jan 2018

  • Resident Assistant

    Higher Education · Western Michigan University

    Jan 2014 – Jan 2016

  • Teaching Assistant

    Higher Education · Western Michigan University

    Jan 2018 – Jan 2019

  • Energy Operations and Compliance Intern

    Public Safety · Consumers Energy

    Jan 2015 – Jan 2015

  • Electrical Engineering Co-op

    Industrial Automation · Eaton Corporation

    Jan 2016 – Jan 2017

  • Researcher of Semiconducting Devices

    Research · Western Michigan University

    Jan 2016 – Present

  • Project Coordinator

    Environmental Services · Western Michigan University's Office for Sustainability

    Jan 2018 – Present

  • Researcher

    Research · Pennsylvania State University

    Jan 2021 – Jan 2021

Miscellaneous

Dream career field:
Renewables & Environment
Dream career goals:
Researcher and Engineer
Has nursing license:
No

Future Interests

  • Advocacy
  • Volunteering
  • Philanthropy
Bold Climate Changemakers Scholarship
I believe that one of the best ways to have a substantial, positive impact on the environment is to unite with others in your community to achieve a larger goal. Because of this, I decided to join the Office for Sustainability at my university to find others that want to have a positive impact on the climate and to join impactful projects. Not only did I join impactful projects, but I also began to feel empowered enough to lead a project myself. I found out that there were no large-scale composting efforts being done at my university. I researched how to compost and how other universities conducted their composting programs. Finally, I submitted a grant proposal that was approved and gave our project enough money to construct a composting system that is now able to divert all of the pre-consumer food waste from our two dining centers. This proposal has benefited students on campus in several ways. Our final compost product is offered to students who can bring their own container to pick up as much as they would like. The compost is also used to grow food at the Office for Sustainability's garden. All of this food is donated to students through a free food pantry on campus. Furthermore, this composting project is used for educational purposes. We have a partnership with the biology department that has a class test our soil for nutrient content and microorganisms. We also have open volunteer hours for composting to allow students to have hands-on experience. I continue to lead the open volunteer hours every week. I manage the collection and the processing of the food waste into nutrient-rich compost. I then help distribute the compost to community members. I do this to have a positive impact on the climate and my community.
Krystal York Student Profile | Bold.org