Amanda Loutris

Amanda Loutris

Materials Science and Engineering, 2022

This scholarship allows me to reduce the amount of loans that I have to take out for college, worry less about finances, and helps me focus more on school, despite everything else happening in the world.

Although I still work part-time, I was able to reduce hours and participate in additional research opportunities during this school year which has been a very big part of my Grainger Engineering experience. This scholarship inspires me to pay it forward by one day also becoming a donor to University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering undergraduate students.

I wanted to become an engineer to help develop solutions to our climate crisis. I chose materials science so that I can be at the forefront of research pertaining to advanced energy technology such as hybrid and organic solar cells. After I graduate, I hope to continue my education in graduate school and eventually receive a doctoral degree. Then, I would like to work as a staff researcher in a national lab such as Argonne National Laboratory.