Outstanding Senior Spotlight: Sydney Griffin

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has recognized Sydney Griffin as an outstanding senior for the class of 2025 at the University of California, Davis.

We spoke with the environmental engineering major and environmental policy analysis and planning minor to learn more about how her dad's background in electrical engineering sparked her interest in engineering, the value of independent research as an undergraduate and where she sees herself after graduation.

What inspired you to pursue engineering, and how has that inspiration evolved throughout your time at UC Davis?

When I was younger, I was inspired to do engineering because my dad works as an electrical engineer, and I loved seeing the cool projects and problem-solving his job requires. In college, I was able to develop my own love for engineering as I went through my classes and engaged in research.  

Studying environmental engineering has educated me on so many environmental problems that impact people's lives and the complicated processes that go into solving them. I'm excited to keep learning about the potential solutions to these problems for the rest of my life, and I feel like being in this major has really given me the tools to help make a meaningful impact.

Who is one of your favorite engineering professors and why?

One of my favorite professors is Associate Professor Veronica Morales, whose research lab I work in. I'm grateful to her for allowing me to join her lab, because when I first approached her with interest in her research, I had no prior experience working in a lab like hers. I really admire how she wants students to enjoy learning and tries her best to help all of us in her lab live up to our full potential.

Can you share a project, research experience or memory that you found particularly rewarding or impactful during your studies?

My experience working in Professor Morales' lab during my senior year has been the most rewarding project for me. Professor Morales tries to have each of the undergraduates working under her lead their own project so the topic can be one they're interested in and can develop with limited supervision.  

The project I worked on was designing 3D printed models that enable investigations of mixing dynamics in porous media, like soil or sand. These models will allow us to run many different types of experiments on how the porous media behaves under different circumstances and how different contaminants might move through groundwater.  

It was a great experience to learn how to operate independently because a lot of whether or not my project succeeded was up to me and the effort I put into it. This also made the successes that have come at each step of my project more rewarding, since I was very aware of how much went into every little step.

What advice would you give to your first-year self, or to incoming students, about making the most of their time in the College of Engineering?

I think it's really important to make friends with your classmates. I loved the small cohort in environmental engineering, and forming bonds with most of my classmates made me excited both to go to classes with them and to make plans outside of an academic setting. We're surrounded by so many amazing people at Davis, and some of the relationships that are most important to me are the people I met through my classes.

What's next for you after graduation?

I am planning to move back to my hometown of San Diego, where I've signed an offer with Craftwater Engineering as a water resources intern. I hope to have the time to stay involved as a field hockey coach in my area and to spend more time with my family.