16 MOMENTUM • VIRGINIA TECH MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
CLASS OF 2022
Gwyneth Schloer tackles five degrees in five years
Gwyneth Schloer is going to have one of the busiest graduations imaginable : she ’ ll be receiving degrees at the ceremonies of three colleges . During the season of pomp and circumstance , she will participate in the formalities of the College of Engineering , the College of Science , and the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences .
Schloer is receiving undergraduate degrees in mechanical engineering , economics , and Spanish . She also has maintained a job with Northrop Grumman for two of her four years in college , so she has certainly spent her share of time in classrooms and on the clock . Even with that considerable workload , she has worked equally hard to keep herself grounded and take time with friends and family .
Laying the foundation
Before coming to Virginia Tech , Schloer participated in the science fair at her first alma mater ,
Rock Ridge High School . Her final project was creating a microgravity simulator made from off-the-shelf components and her own 3D-printed parts . This effort won her a spot in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair , which she attended in Pittsburgh in 2018 . The experience opened her eyes to the world of applications for science and engineering .
After this project , she more fully trusted her ability to apply the engineering principles and materials applications she was learning in the classroom , taking college-credit classes that brought to life a world of advanced principles . When she reached Virginia Tech , that confidence carried her straight into undergraduate research .
Her latest work has been creating liquid metal-embedded elastomers in the Soft Materials and Structures Lab of Michael Bartlett . In this research , Schloer has been honing the best methods for 3D printing metal into a form to make soft