Navigating New Roads

Second-year undergraduate student Arden Stratton applied to the University of California, Davis, as a chemistry major. But after she was accepted, she learned about materials science and engineering, which seemed like a better fit. Curious about switching majors, she cold-emailed Mingwei Zhang, an assistant professor in the department, after seeing him in an article on the UC Davis College of Engineering's website.  

"I thought, 'I bet he could answer some of my questions about the major, what it does and what you're learning about,'" said Stratton.  

Zhang spoke to her about materials science and showed her around the lab. Given her interest, Zhang invited her to shadow in the lab during her first year. So she did.  

The Avenue to Alloys

As an official undergraduate researcher, Stratton is working with multiple principal element alloys, specifically titanium, tantalum, niobium and vanadium, which perform well at extremely high temperatures. She and her lab mates combine different percentages of each of these alloys to improve the creep quality, or the deformation of metal after a dramatic temperature change.  

"We're trying to make these metals more ductile so that we can then use them at high temperatures where they are the best material," said Stratton. "A good example is a spacecraft engine because it'll get so hot, but then once it cools down, it basically won't be able to function anymore." 

Along with becoming a full-fledged lab member, Stratton hit another milestone this year: taking her first materials science and engineering class. Her first year shadowing in the lab has laid a foundation of applied knowledge directly related to what she is learning in class.  

"One of the things I've really loved about my lab is slowly learning by just watching, listening and taking notes," said Stratton. "When I finally started my class this quarter, I was able to start piecing together the things they said and see what we do in research talked about in an academic setting. There were so many things I thought 'I know that already.'"  

Aggie at Work

Stratton has seen her n-class and in-lab learning influence her daily life from a new perspective. For instance, when working as a Unitrans bus driver, she sees things along her route in a new way. 

"I look at things and can identify what type of material it is and how it behaves," said Stratton. "I absolutely love seeing materials science everywhere around me." 

Stratton knew that driving the big, red, double-decker buses around the UC Davis campus was what she wanted to do the first time her campus tour guide pointed out that all the Unitrans bus drivers were students.  

She joined the fleet in the winter quarter of 2024. In the past year, she has figured out her favorite line (the Z Line), stops (the Silo), the tough parts (backing up) and the small joys of driving a Unitrans bus (seeing her friends on the bus).  

"I like the Silo routes because the Silo feels student optimized," said Stratton. "It's super easy to grab food in between shifts, and I get to see all my friends when I work." 

Many students take the Z Line, which Stratton often drives, because it goes to Target, so Stratton sees classmates there, too. While Stratton enjoys driving at all different times of day, she has a special place in her heart for the early morning crowd.  

"I really love the early hours when the sun comes up and there are just a couple students on the bus because that's when it feels special to share that view with the early commuters," said Stratton. "Once it hits 8 a.m., that's when everything changes!" 

Crossing Paths

Even though driving the bus has little to do with her engineering discipline, it has helped Stratton learn life skills and even get her an internship position with Marquest Scientific, where she completed an engineering internship this past summer.   

"[Being a driver] was one of the things that they thought was so neat," said Stratton. "I think that it will [weigh] in ways that I don't expect."  

Driving the bus has had moments that were stressful and scary but she quickly learned that she should feel comfortable advocating for herself because her Unitrans supervisors were there to support her.  

That lesson, as well as perseverance, are skills that Stratton says cross over with her academic career. In the Zhang Lab, she has persevered through difficult tasks and times of confusion and isn't afraid to ask for help.  

Stratton is just beginning to brush the surface of material science and engineering and is so glad she listened to her heart and took a chance on this journey.  

"I'm just glad to be where I am, truthfully," said Stratton. "I love the classes. I love what I'm studying, that was the intention all along with materials science and engineering. I just didn't know it."