Kat Chen
Kat Chen is a rising freshman from Los Angeles, California and a new graduate of San Marino High School. As a student at Columbia Engineering, she hopes to pursue dual degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science. Kat has yet to figure out what exactly she wants to do with her life, but her bucketlist does include items such as becoming a rocket scientist at JPL, putting a man on Mars, curing cancer, and other similarly lofty goals.
While at San Marino High School, Kat was involved in a diverse array of activities including holding the position of caption of the cross country team and President of her school's Girls Who Code chapter. While visiting her sickly grandfather in a decrepit Beijing cancer ward, Kat was inspired to join the fight against the disease of the century. She began research under Dr. Pinghui Feng at the University of Southern California and with the help of a post-doctorate mentor, developed a novel tumor therapy that could target the same illness that had afflicted her grandfather: melanoma. Kat's work earned her co-authorship of a paper submitted for review and eventually published in a scientific journal.
Outside of the laboratory (whether it be a biology lab or a mechanical workshop), Kat loves to sing and play the guitar and the piano. You can often find her at her desk, watchfully guarding her bottles of artisanal soda as she simultaneously edits a paper and performs the most amazing guitar solo you have ever not heard.