As a Colorado native, I feel fortunate to have been able to pursue so many educational opportunities in my home state. I first attended Colorado School of Mines in 2003 as a freshman in the Engineering Department. In May of 2007, I graduated with a degree in Engineering with a Mechanical Specialty.

After graduation, I worked at Lockheed Martin for a year, where I was a propulsion engineer for the Atlas V rocket. In this time I realized that I was not done with my formal education. In 2008, I returned to my alma mater to pursue my Ph. D. in engineering.

My current research in the Colorado Fuel Cell Center involves the development of mixed perovskite novel fuel cells. Responsibilities include:

• Materials Analysis: Investigation of properties of mixed materials using techniques such as X-Ray Diffraction and various scanning electron microscopes

• Fuel Cell Fabrication: Development of processes for fabrication of tubular and planar fuel cells using multiple phase anodes

• Fuel Cell Testing: Evaluation of performance of novel fuel cells, including performance comparison to more common fuel cell systems

In my free time, I immensely enjoy music, most notably playing the guitar. The pursuit of technical proficiency and musical merit consume nearly all of my free time. I also play for the Denver metal band and will be recording my first full length album in September of 2009.

Sean Babiniec