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Krystal York

5,485

Bold Points

8x

Nominee

2x

Finalist

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
  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Renewables & Environment

    • Dream career goals:

      Researcher and Engineer

    • Raspberry Pi Summer Camp Instructor

      Western Michigan University
      2018 – 2018
    • Resident Assistant

      Western Michigan University
      2014 – 20162 years
    • Teaching Assistant

      Western Michigan University
      2018 – 20191 year
    • Energy Operations and Compliance Intern

      Consumers Energy
      2015 – 2015
    • Electrical Engineering Co-op

      Eaton Corporation
      2016 – 20171 year
    • Researcher of Semiconducting Devices

      Western Michigan University
      2016 – Present8 years
    • Project Coordinator

      Western Michigan University's Office for Sustainability
      2018 – Present6 years
    • Researcher

      Pennsylvania State University
      2021 – 2021

    Sports

    Soccer

    Varsity
    2009 – 20134 years

    Cross-Country Running

    Varsity
    2010 – 20133 years

    Awards

    • States competitor

    Research

    • Environmental Science

      Office for Sustainability — Adding sensors to gather data from the composting piles. Building the composting piles. Researching about composting.
      2018 – Present
    • Medical technology

      Western Michigan University — Implement sensory interfaces to better tell practicing surgeons how they are preforming at laparoscopic surgery
      2016 – 2017
    • Quantum System Experiments

      Western Michigan University — Conducting oil droplet experiments and analyzing data
      2017 – 2019
    • Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering

      Western Michigan University's Solar Car Team — Electrical Lead and then the Project Lead
      2015 – 2017
    • Materials Sciences

      Pennsylvania State University — Researching two-dimensional materials and analyzing them using various characterization techniques.
      2021 – 2021
    • Materials Sciences

      Western Michigan University — Researching semiconducting materials and analyzing them using various characterization techniques.
      2016 – Present

    Arts

    • High school band

      Music
      2009 – 2013

    Public services

    • Volunteering

      Alternative Winter Break – Western Michigan University — Volunteer helping animals and the environment
      2014 – 2014
    • Volunteering

      Tau Beta Pi — Middle schooler's educator
      2018 – 2018
    • Volunteering

      Western Michigan University — Eco-thon coordinator and participant
      2014 – 2016
    • Volunteering

      Society of Women Engineers — Treasurer and helped coordinate Rent-a-pup
      2014 – 2016
    • Volunteering

      Western Michigan University — Student volunteer for Relay for Life
      2014 – 2016

    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.