John and Marcia Price College of Engineering
13 Research Reflection by Joseph Lee
Joseph Lee
Faculty Mentor: Alex Novoselov (Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah)
I can say with confidence that my undergraduate research experience with Dr. Novoselov has been quite transformative. I went from someone just trying to pass their classes and get my mechanical engineering degree to being genuinely passionate about what I do. Working with Dr. Novoselov has made me realize that my specialty, as well as interest, in engineering lies in physics and simulations of complicated real-world physics problems like combustion and flow. While working with Dr. Novoselov, I had realized that my goals really were to continue on to graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. and conduct research at the forefront of science, charting unknown territory. Dr. Novoselov has been incredibly supportive of my work from the very beginning, which has enabled me to succeed where I otherwise would not. He has continuously provided me with guidance and expertise while leaving me room to solve problems and reach conclusions on my own. Due to his leadership, I have a significant personal and academic growth in the two years I have worked with him.
On a more personal note, Dr. Novoselov actually picked me up as an undergraduate researcher back when I was just coming out of a low in my academic career; I had just been diagnosed with ADHD and had started treatment at the time. The confidence he placed in me was integral to believing in myself again, giving me the drive to not just pass but to succeed where I did not before. Without this experience, I can say with confidence that I would not be the same person that I am today; I attribute a lot of my success to Dr. Novoselov’s support. I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment in my undergraduate research career, and hope to continue forward in academic research as my lifelong path!