James Carpenter is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in thermal sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). His research focuses on the rational design of functionalized, micro/nanostructured surfaces and understanding how such surfaces influence phase-change processes. In addition to being an Alfred P. Sloan 2018-2019 Scholar, he has been awarded an Illinois Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellowship, a PPG-MRL Graduate Research Fellowship, and a Support for Underrepresented Groups in Engineering (SURGE) Fellowship. He has been recognized twice for research excellence by the UIUC Graduate College and has appeared twice on the list of “Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students.” As the treasurer of Engineers Volunteering in STEM Education (ENVISION), and as an instructor in the Principle’s Scholars Program, he is heavily involved in STEM outreach and teaching, especially of students historically underrepresented in STEM fields. James hopes that through these activities he can continue to expose, encourage and engage the future generations of STEM scholars. James received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in Saint Louis.