Anna Weiss — Outstanding Undergraduate

Anna Weiss

Anna Weiss
B.S.E. in Materials Science and Engineering
Graduated from McClintock High School in Tempe, Arizona

Anna Weiss can’t imagine life without materials science.

“Materials science and engineering is changing the world every day,” Weiss says. “Everything you can think of is made of materials, and for each new idea — from smartphones to solar fuels — we’re developing the materials to make that happen.”

Since she began studying and researching materials science her freshman year she loved everything about it.

“I never chose a double major or a minor because there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing,” Weiss says.

The Tempe, Arizona native wanted to become an engineer since she was 12 years old, when Intel engineers gave a presentation in her science class. She chose ASU because of its focus on innovation and undergraduate research opportunities.

During her freshman year she participated in the Fulton Undergraduate Research Initiative (FURI) where she studied indium gallium nitride (InGaN) nanorings. Since then, she’s also researched corrosion in magnesium alloys in Professor Karl Sieradzki’s lab.

Her research in Sieradzki’s lab turned into her honors thesis for Barrett, the Honors College. Barrett was also a big draw for her to attend the university. She says the sense of community Barrett and in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering has been one of her most rewarding experiences.

“Even though ASU is such a huge school, I’ve been able to find close-knit communities of really incredible people,” Weiss says.

As part of the Flinn Scholarship Program she studied sustainability in China, and she spent a semester taking engineering classes at the National University of Singapore.

Along with earning the Flinn Scholarship, she also earned ASU’s New American University national merit scholarship and a national merit scholarship sponsored by the ASM Materials Education Foundation.

To make the most of her engineering education she joined and subsequently became an officer of Material Advantage, a student organization that gives members an opportunity to connect with industry professionals in materials-related fields.

When she’s not in class, studying or researching materials science, she plays violin in a chamber music group called “String Theory.” After she gets her doctorate in materials science and engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and starts her career in materials research, she still wants to keep her life balanced between engineering and other activities.

“My dream is to someday achieve that mythical work-life balance,” Weiss says. “As much as I love engineering, there are so many other aspects of life that can’t be experienced in a lab or an office.”