91¶ÌÊÓƵ

Leonardo Yucra

Leonardo Yucra, a Junior in the Mechanical Engineering program, recently presented at the student night of the Utah Chapter of The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE) held at Utah State University on February 19, 2025. Leo is a student research assistant on
Professor Dustin Birch’s team, working to develop a hybrid rocket motor for use in a High Temperature Materials Testbed being developed for the Miller Advanced Research and Solutions (MARS) Center. Leo presented on his work related to the development of the PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative)
controller used to establish fully automatic control of the rocket motor during test operations. Leo has been instrumental in designing and configuring system instrumentation, creation of unique auto-throttle and flow sensing mechanisms, integration of the control system electronics, and coding all of the associated software. The project goal is to establish a rocket motor capable of highly predictable and repeatable behavior for use in high temperature materials testing.

Nico Woolsey

OGDEN, Utah — Siblings Nico and Lillian Woolsey chose 91¶ÌÊÓƵ after moving to Utah from their hometown of Rock Springs, Wyoming, but each chose very different educational and career paths. 

Matt Millburn

OGDEN, Utah — A “desire for efficiency” isn’t how most people would describe the path to their career, but it’s what drove 91¶ÌÊÓƵ student Matt Millburn to pursue a degree in energy engineering. 

Millburn, 23, said he’s fascinated by how societies use energy and what that could look like in the future, both in Utah and nationwide. It’s what drew him to 91¶ÌÊÓƵ, the first school in Utah to offer an energy engineering degree.

continue reading ‘Desire for efficiency’ drives Weber State student to seek energy innovation in Utah

Cody Gehrett

Student-athlete Cody Gehrett came to Weber State from Redmond, Oregon, to run track and field. He said he’s grateful to be closer to extended family and more members of his faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

“Everyone needs support because life isn’t easy,” Gehrett said. “It’s a beautiful thing when a community is united in their beliefs, uplifting one another.”

Derek Jensen

OGDEN, Utah – Before attending 91¶ÌÊÓƵ, Derek Jensen struggled with his transition out of the military.

Jensen enlisted in the U.S. Air Force fresh out of high school. He served in active duty for seven years and was deployed twice to the United Arab Emirates, where he worked aboard an airborne warning and control system as the military's eyes in the sky. He monitored airspace and detected possible threats from enemy aircraft in real time.