DaRin Butz Foundation Research Scholars 2024-2025

Elena Granzeier

Junior in Materials Science and Engineering

Elena is a junior in Materials Science and Engineering from Rockford, Illinois. She chose to attend UIUC after hearing about the resources available for women in STEM. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school and work either in academia or as a researcher at a national lab.

As a Herald and Secretary of UIUC’s chapter of Keramos, a national ceramics honors society, Elena leads Play with Clay sessions for members. She is also a member of Material Advantage and an EOH chair for SWE, where she is responsible for designing SWE’s exhibits for EOH 2025. In her free time, she enjoys drawing and painting.

As a DaRin Butz Foundation Research Scholar, Elena enjoys her research, as it allows her to apply theory from her coures to real engineering projects. She also looks forward to presenting and speaking at research symposiums, as well as further developing her technical writing abilities for her future career.

Mia Mikolajczak

Junior in Materials Science and Engineering

Mia is a junior in Materials Science and Engineering who has been involved in research for most of her time as a student. She chose to attend Illinois because of the amount of research opportunities and scholarships available to her. After she graduates, she plans to attend graduate school before continuing into industry, where she hopes to find a job leading a team of inspired engineers and thinkers.

Outside of coursework, Mia enjoys her role as the Composites team lead for Illini Solar Car, where she devotes much of her free time to manufacturing for the team. When not in the garage, she enjoys swimming, mountain biking, and trips to local preserves.

Mia began research early in her academic career, and she currently performs research into alloy development and additive manufacturing. As a DaRin Butz Foundation Research Scholar, she is excited to enrich her research experience by attending more research conferences, giving her more opportunities to share her work.

Navya Nair

Sophomore in Physics

Navya is a sophomore from Kerala, India in the Department of Physics in the Grainger College of Engineering. She is currently completing a degree in Physics. While she is currently unsure about her path after graduation, she is eager to pursue graduate studies and continue to grow in the field of physics.

In addition to being a James Scholar, Navya recently made the Dean’s List, and she currently serves as the Membership Chair in the Society of Physics Students.

Navya began her research career when she joined the Selvin Lab during her freshman year. There, she researched structural differences in dendritic spines between healthy and Alzheimer’s-affected mice to shed light on the causes of neurodegenerative diseases. As a DaRin Butz Foundation Research Scholar, Navya looks forward to immersing herself further into biophysics research and building her future as an experimental scientist.

Nivedha Vasanth

Junior in Physics

Nivedha is a junior in Physics from Lincolnshire, Illinois. Her future plans include detector testing at CERN next summer and graduate school. She hopes that after graduate school, she can work at a national lab like NIST or ANSTO, where she can engage in hands-on experimental work.

In her free time, Nivedha enjoys reading, baking, and playing the trombone. She is a member of the trombone section in the Marching Illini and Hoops Band, where she likes the opportunity to play music while spending time outdoors with friends.

As a DaRin Butz Foundation Research Scholar, Nivedha is extremely grateful for the opportunities and support she’s received at UIUC. She is excited for the opportunity to continue her research through the program.

Gloria Wang

Junior in Computer Science

Gloria is a junior in Computer Science from the Chicago suburbs. She chose Illinois because it offered an incredible CS program close to home. After college, she hopes to find an exciting and impactful job in the field of robotics, VR, or generative AI.

Gloria is a James Scholar and has received the Illinois Engineering Enhanced Scholarship. Outside of school, she previously served as the Autonomous Team Lead for Illinois Robotics in Space (IRIS), and she is the founder of SIGRobotics under UIUC’s ACM chapter. In her free time, she also enjoys photography, traveling, and eating good food.

As a DaRin Butz Foundation Research Scholar, Gloria is excited to be a part of a broader research community and meet new friends, and she is thankful for the support that the program is providing her research.

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