Research on the road: A conversation with REU student Chloe Mondido

Chloe Mondido stands beside her research poster, “Soft Thermoelectric Sensors Utilizing Seebeck-Induced Voltage for Human-like Touch Sensitivity,” during a poster presentation.

UTC student researcher Chloe Mondido presented her work on soft thermoelectric sensors at a research poster session. Photo courtesy of Chloe Mondido.

Every summer, many undergraduate students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga have the opportunity to dive deeper into research and explore new learning experiences.

Think about hands-on research, faculty mentorship, lab experience, connecting with peers and exploring new places.

The National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program makes some of these opportunities possible by funding students to spend the summer collaborating on research projects at institutions across the country.

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Click here to read other UTC REU stories.

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UTC junior Chloe Mondido is majoring in mechatronics and is a Brock Scholar in the UTC Honors College. The Flintstone, Georgia, native spent 10 weeks participating in an REU program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she worked on developing flexible temperature sensors.

Can you tell me about your REU?

“The REU was about experimental and computational materials, but my project was specifically on flexible temperature sensors for robotics applications.

“We went through the whole process of making the sensors, then the testing process, and finally we would analyze the data that we received every week on Thursdays. We would have a lab meeting and present our findings to each other.

“I was there from May 17 to July 24. My day was a typical nine-to-five. Monday through Friday we were in the lab with weekly lab meetings on Tuesdays.”

How did you find out about the REU?

“I initially heard about an REU program through my sister, who applied to a ton and got in one at UT Knoxville. She worked on microcontrollers during her program.

“I was really unsure that I would get into one of the programs. I only applied to three and most people apply to at least 10 or more.”

How did you feel going into this experience?

“Because I commute to UTC, this was the first time I had been really far from home and living by myself. It was a new responsibility and nerve-racking at first, but I adjusted more quickly than I thought I would. It was nice to have that sort of independence for the first time.”

How did the experience shape your academic goals?

“I think honestly that it solidified what I already had and then just added research into that mix. So it definitely gave me a lot of perspective on real-world applications of what you learn in the classroom. Up to that point, I hadn’t really seen what industry does or how research contributes to the greater scientific field.

“It made me want to support research in general because a lot of what engineers do is based on what researchers do. It’s definitely grown my own curiosity about what’s going on in research right now and what’s being developed and how can we contribute to that.”

Do you have any advice for undergraduate students who want to participate in an REU program?

“My advice is just go for it, because you never know what might happen. Even if you aren’t sure about a lot of things, I was really scared before I did.

“Don’t be afraid of connecting with the other REUs. I ended up talking to every single person in my REU, and I still keep in contact with the friends that I made there. It was a lot of help having those people to talk to, because even if you were struggling somewhere in your research, these people were also running into the same problems as you.”