Involvement in college is how a student makes the most out of their time and can provide them with experiences that they can't get in a classroom. For Cassidy Brozovich, a senior in the Ohio State University Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering (FABE), her experiences were shaped by her involvement, and have inspired her to continue her career with the department after graduation.
Cassidy is majoring in FABE with a specialization in Ecological Engineering, and she found that the interdisciplinary nature of the major was the best place for her.
"I wanted to experience both environmental sciences and engineering and this was the perfect fit to do both," said Cassidy.
Cassidy is from Warren, Ohio, and once she found her home in the department, she didn't hesitate to join several clubs and student organizations throughout her time at Ohio State. During her undergraduate career, she was a part of Buckeye Precious Plastic, the Ohio State chapter of The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), the Ecological Engineering Society, and founded the Diamond Grove Scholars Group, a student research group for space-related research.
When asked which experience was the most formative, she said that her involvement in Buckeye Precious Plastic, an international organization dedicated to solving “the plastic problem,” which is the exponential generation of plastic waste. The outreach team educates Ohio State students and the Columbus community and the design team creates machines to shred plastic waste, then mold it into new products.
"Getting to be the first female president of the club was really exciting, having done something all four years of college has helped me get different kinds of skills," said Cassidy. "I started as a freshman and had no idea what I was doing on campus, and it helped me find my place and figure out what college was about and what clubs in college looked like. It also gave me engineering experience that I wouldn't have gotten in my classes."
Although she jokes that, "I feel like all I do is school," in her free time Cassidy enjoys learning about 3D printing, going on hikes, spending time in parks, cooking, and baking. A fun fact about her is that she was once an avid percussionist, playing the drums until the end of high school!
Cassidy credits some amazing teachers and courses throughout her time at Ohio State with inspiring her to pursue grad school, such as Dr. Mike Rowan and his Phytotechnology and Phytoremediation course, Chris Tkach and his knowledge of space research and 3D-printed substrates, and several more across the university.
Her advice to underclassmen is, "Get involved in undergraduate research, most departments have a lot of positions available, especially ours, if you can get involved in any capacity it's a great experience," said Cassidy. "It's probably the best thing I've done as an undergrad and it has been very eye-opening with what I want to do with my career and it helped me formulate what I'm actually interested in."
After graduation, Cassidy will be pursuing her Ph.D. at Ohio State in FABE researching the design of 3D-printed substrates for hydroponics in space with Dr. Peter Ling.
Congratulations to Cassidy on an incredible undergraduate career, and we can't wait to see what you do next in grad school!