Cooper Chiarino started working as a lab assistant at ACMAL in the Spring of 2024. He is graduating with a degree in Applied Physics and a minor in nanoscience. As he prepares to graduate and say goodbye to ACMAL and Michigan Tech, we got an interview about his future plans, past experiences, and advice.
What was your favorite part about working at ACMAL?
Cooper’s favorite part about working at ACMAL was teaching others and sharing information. Teaching is something he enjoys, as seen with his other job as a learning center coach. Other things he liked about ACMAL are being exposed to other departments and looking at unique samples.
What did you think was challenging about working at ACMAL?
The hardest part about working for ACMAL for him was learning how to use the microscopes because they can get complicated. Other parts of the job could get overwhelming at times because there is a lot of information to remember.
How do you feel about graduating and what are your post-grad plans?
Cooper is excited to graduate and move on, but will miss the beauty of Houghton. He enjoyed the variety and freedom that college gave, and some things he will miss the most are snowboarding, biking, and the people. His post-grad plans include doing a physics PhD at Michigan State. For his PhD, he will be developing time-resolved electron microscopy.
How did you decide on those plans?
He thought about going straight into industry, but is passionate about teaching and developing new tools. A PhD gives the opportunity for both.
What other on-campus jobs have you had?
He worked janitorial at Douglas Houghton Hall for a semester in Fall 2022, worked as a learning center coach starting Spring 2023, and did undergrad research with Dr. Jae Yong Suh.