Amberly Guerrero, a senior at Montana State University who is pursuing a dual degree in chemical and biological engineering, earned a prestigious award from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation this spring.
Guerrero was one of 74 undergraduate students from 51 institutions across the country to receive the award. The scholarship is offered to college juniors and seniors pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and math.
In addition to the monetary award, recipients receive mentorship and networking opportunities with astronauts and industry leaders, as well as funding to attend a conference where Astronaut Scholars showcase their research.
Guerrero’s research experience at MSU helped her stand out as a candidate for the award. Paul Gannon, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and also the principal investigator for Guerrero’s research, nominated her.
Guerrero joined Gannon’s lab her freshman year and researched how different stainless steels and ceramic insulations impact the presence of hexavalent chromium, a toxic form of elemental chromium that occurs at high temperatures. Ideally, a better understanding of how the chemical compound proliferates could reduce health impacts to workers in industrial applications, such as refineries. Guerrero said the research is also applicable to technology used in space travel, and she highlighted in her scholarship application how the work could benefit astronauts.
From the outset, Guerrero worked to master the lab equipment, and she eventually helped train visiting researchers and co-authored a research paper published in the Journal of Power Sources, Gannon said.
“Amberly is extraordinarily mature and articulate, demonstrating an inherent blend of humility and confidence,” Gannon said. “Uniquely talented, hardworking and truly deserving, Amberly is an ideal candidate for the prestigious ASF Scholarship.”
Guerrero’s award joins a growing list of other impressive accolades. She is an MSU Presidential Scholar, Goldwater Scholar and a residential adviser on campus. With much of the cost of her education already covered, she said she likely won’t receive much funding from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, which awards up to $15,000 per individual.
“No matter what I get, even if it’s just a few hundred dollars, I am super grateful,” Guerrero said. “For me, it wasn’t the monetary value that I was looking for, but more so the connections and networking opportunities available with this scholarship.”
For Guerrero, a first-generation college student, the scholarship will help her make professional connections as she explores what’s next for her career. Ultimately, she hopes to end up on the West Coast near family with a job in the energy sector.
“I think the Astronaut Scholarship will help open my eyes, broaden my horizons and help expose me to different opportunities that I wouldn’t ever have considered before,” Guerrero said. “In the past two years at MSU, I’ve been in the mindset of working in a refinery, working in oil and gas – but it will be really beneficial for me to network and be exposed to different opportunities through ASF.”
This summer, Guerrero is a process engineering intern for British Petroleum at the Cherry Point Refinery in Blaine, Washington. The internship led her back to her home state – she’s from a small town called Chelan – and also connects her to MSU, where many alumni work for the company. She first learned of the opportunity at the MSU Career Fair.
Guerrero has excelled in other summertime extracurriculars too. In summer 2023, she helped Gannon mentor two elementary school teachers from Native reservations who were participating in a National Science Foundation-funded Research Experience for Teachers program, creating customized laboratory experiences for the teachers. She also helped the teachers develop culturally relevant engineering education materials for the young students to help accelerate their interest in STEM.
“It is an especially rare individual that can gracefully navigate this opportunity with teachers who have more years of classroom experience than they have years in their life,” Gannon said. “Amberly exceeded all expectations. She is clearly a changemaker, and I am personally excited to watch her future unfold.”
In addition to Gannon, Guerrero also commended the support of Abigail Richards, professor and head of the biological and chemical engineering department, engineering professor Kate Morrissey, and Travis Van Leewuen, a former graduate research assistant at MSU.
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