Introducing the New MEGA Leadership

Feb 04 2022

The Columbia Department of Mechanical Engineering is pleased to introduce the new leadership for the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Association (MEGA), a student organization that enriches the graduate student experience through academic, social, and professional development activities and programming. 

MEGA was established by Mechanical Engineering graduate students to foster a greater sense of community among their peers, a goal that has proved challenging over the past two years of the COVID pandemic.

I know we’re not finished with COVID, but I hope students are beginning to feel that socializing is an important aspect of their graduate career, because it really is,” said Joe Lee, Vice President of MEGA. “We are here not only to do research and take classes, but to also take advantage of Columbia University’s ability to attract bright minds and natural leaders. This is an important year for MEGA and for Columbia in general, because the events we organize will likely set the tone for maintaining a social atmosphere in the next few years.”

“After a difficult couple of years, this year we are planning more in-person social and career events to help restore a sense of community among our students,” said Kim Kroupa, President of MEGA.  “Also, unlike previous years, this year we have two Career Chairs, one focusing on Master’s students and one focusing on Doctoral students, so we can offer a wider range of professional development resources that fit the various career goals of our students.”

This year, the new MEGA leadership team is working to build a stronger online presence by updating the group’s website, expanding its social media platforms, and hosting online professional and social events when in-person gatherings are not feasible.

“Look out for MEGA emails for events coming up in February,” said Kim. “We look forward to seeing you!” 

For more information about MEGA, visit: https://mega.studentgroups.columbia.edu/content/about

 

MEGA Leadership 2021-2022

Kim Kroupa, President

email: [email protected]

Kim Kroupa, MEGA President, is a third-year PhD student studying the mechanical properties of cartilage tissue and how those properties change with pathology.  In Professor Gerard Ateshian’s Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Lab, Kim is working on methods of quantifying and restoring collagen crosslinks to improve the mechanical integrity of cartilage tissue, and is using computational modeling and experimental techniques to study the mechanical stresses experienced by cartilage cells.

“When I arrived here at Columbia, MEGA events were a great place for me to meet other students in the program and ask questions,” said Kim. “Building community is important, and helps everyone get the most out of their experience here. I want to help other students have that same positive experience, and reintroduce some of the activities that were around before the pandemic.”

As MEGA President, Kim plans to help familiarize students with all of the resources and events the Mechanical Engineering Department and Columbia University has to offer. She also plans to expand MEGA’s professional development resources to appeal to a broader range of interests.

 

Joe Lee, Vice President

email: [email protected]

Joe Lee, Vice President of MEGA, is a second-year PhD student studying combustion in Professor Michael Burke’s lab. In the lab, Joe is currently focusing on uncertainty quantification of nitrogen kinetics.

As MEGA Vice President, Joe hopes to build a stronger sense of community through in-person social and career events. “I also would like to be involved in the PhD recruitment process this year in order to help incoming students feel welcome at this institution,” he said. “MEGA played a key role in my enjoyment of the PhD visit weekend, and it was surely one of the factors that led me to ultimately choosing Columbia University. I want to make sure students who are interested in this school get the best treatment that we can offer.”

 

Prince Bhamra, Social Chair

email: [email protected]

Prince Bhamra, MEGA Social Chair, is a first-year Mechanical Engineering graduate student focusing on rehabilitation robotics. Prince recently joined Professor Sunil Agrawal’s Robotics And Rehabilitation (RoAR) Lab, where will be building an exoskeletal body with a robotic arm to provide stability and aim assistance to individuals practicing archery.

For Prince, MEGA was a great way to broaden his involvement in activities during his graduate school years. “I learned during my undergraduate years that focusing strictly on academics is not ideal for my growth and progress,” he said. “I believe in taking a holistic approach to improve oneself, and MEGA is the best place for me to do so while being part of something greater than myself.”

As MEGA Social Chair, Prince hopes to build student camaraderie and community among Mechanical Engineering graduate students. “It is my firm belief that the next generation of world leaders and innovators will be from our cohort,” said Prince. “I want every one of us to have a supportive network that encourages us to do our very best.”

Christian Cupo, PhD Career Chair

email: [email protected]

Christian Cupo, MEGA PhD Career Chair, is a third-year PhD student focusing on mechanobiology and micro/nano fabrication and devices. Co-advised by Professor Karen Kasza and Professor Jim Hone in developmental biology and nanotechnology labs, respectively, Christian is conducting novel research that involves optogenetically modified cells and nanodevices to study unique approaches to synthetic organ fabrication and accelerating wound healing.

As MEGA PhD Career Chair, Christian is developing strategies to help graduating PhD students through the degree completion process.  “PhD students are all graduating at different times, and in many instances their graduation schedules are not synchronized to MEGA career events,” he said. “I want to develop comprehensive 6-month and 12-month plans to help guide PhD students through the process, to help them know ahead of time what MEGA events to look for, when to update their resume/portfolio, and when to reach out to their department career advisors.”

 Christian is also planning separate career path events for each of the post-doc career routes: post-doc to academics, post-doc to industry, and post-doc to start-up companies. 

 

Veronica H. M. Over, Student Advocacy Chair

email: [email protected]

Veronica H. M. Over, MEGA Student Advocacy Chair, is a third-year PhD student focusing on advanced manufacturing involving lasers. In Professor Y. Lawrence Yao’s Advanced Manufacturing Lab, Veronica is investigating the effects of a type of laser post-processing approach called laser shock peening (LSP) on 3D-printed metal parts.

Since her undergraduate years as a Mechanical Engineering major at Columbia University, Veronica has seen how the department positively responds to student voices and enacts small but meaningful changes. “Given that most graduate students have not been here as long as I have, I believe I am able to contribute a singular and useful voice,” she said.

As MEGA Student Advocacy Chair, Veronica hopes to facilitate a more comfortable faculty-student discourse and create opportunities for students to be heard. “Especially during the online pandemic era, it can be easy for both parties to check out of this relationship until a decision or event piques their interest,” she said. “I hope that by hosting discussions, gathering input and personally voicing this input, I can help students and faculty get ahead of these concerns.”

 

Fitsum Ermias Petros, Treasurer

email: [email protected]

Fitsum Ermias Petros, MEGA Treasurer, is a third-year PhD student in Professor Agrawal’s ROAR (Rehabilitation and Robotics) lab. Her research focuses on understanding how humans combine sensory information (such as visual, vestibular, hearing, orientation and touch) to interact with the world. “My work strives to understand how one can compensate for missing sensory information or erroneous inputs by introducing disturbances and measuring the outcomes of each sensory system under controlled conditions,” she said. “The goal of this exploration is to develop preventative rehabilitation interventions,” she said. “Further, I would like to make these contributions more accessible so that people, in general, could greatly benefit from early detection and rehabilitation.”

“As MEGA Treasurer, I plan to use MEGA’s resources to provide my fellow students with a welcoming and supportive environment, much like MEGA has provided to me for the past 3 years,” said Fitsum.

 

Rakesh Ranganathan, MS Career Development Chair

email: [email protected]

Rakesh Ranganathan is a first-year Mechanical Engineering graduate student. Having previously worked in the automotive industry, Rakesh is interested in learning more about data-driven engineering, adaptive structures, and machine learning-driven CAD at Columbia. “I plan to get back into industry, where my prime focus would be to improve vehicle safety,” said Rakesh.

Rakesh joined MEGA because he was inspired by the organization’s goal of fostering community among graduate students. As MEGA’s MS Career Development Chair, Rakesh plans to coordinate networking and career placement events, organize coffee chats with alumni and industry professionals, and document the long-term career paths of alumni. “Representing the graduate students in a unified voice is truly an honor,” said Rakesh.

 

Serena Russell, Communications Chair

email: [email protected]

Serena Russell is a first-year PhD student with a strong interest in women’s reproductive health and environmental health.  In Professor Kristin Myers’ lab, Serena will be conducting classic mechanical materials testing on reproductive tissue.

As MEGA’s Communications Chair, Serena plans to develop MEGA's Instagram presence to share events and student achievements within the department. Additionally, she plans to break MEGA into the academic twitter space. “I was inspired to approach and subsequently join MEGA when I saw a need for an increased social media presence,” said Serena. “MEGA's online presence in the past has been minimal, and in order to communicate with students effectively and share news of events, social media could be a great tool to use.”

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