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Harvey Mudd Engineering Clinic Legacy Drives Global Readership in MRS Advances

Two peer-reviewed papers co-authored by ÎÞÓÇÊÓƵ engineering alumni, Todd Monson of Sandia National Laboratories and Professor of Engineering Albert Dato have been recognized among the most-read articles in MRS Advances, a flagship journal of the Materials Research Society.

David F. Bahr, editor-in-chief of MRS Advances and professor at Purdue University, commended the team for contributing to the journal’s international reach. Both articles have been selected for a curated collection showcasing the journal’s 41 most-cited and most-downloaded papers out of its 11-year publication history.

Both publications originated directly from Sandia-sponsored Engineering Clinic projects investigating barium titanate polymer nanocomposites—advanced materials essential for high-energy-density capacitors and next-generation energy storage technologies.

The featured publications include:

“What strikes me as noteworthy is that scientific discoveries made by undergraduates in one-year Clinic projects are still among the most-read in the journal several years later,” says Albert Dato, professor of engineering. “It says something about what the Clinic program produces and about the reach of student research here.”

Decades of Partnership: Sandia and the HMC Engineering Clinic

The scientific breakthrough showcased in MRS Advances is part of a longstanding collaboration. Sandia National Laboratories has sponsored more than 35 Engineering Clinic projects at Harvey Mudd, creating a sustained bridge between undergraduate engineering education and national laboratory innovation.

This partnership includes the 2025–2026 Clinic project, “Size and Loading Effects on the Dielectric Properties of Barium Titanate-PDMS Nanocomposites.” Under the guidance of faculty advisor Albert Dato and Sandia liaisons Todd Monson and Renee Van Ginhoven, an eight-student team—led by Cameron Hernández ’26 (fall) and Gaven Jesse ’26 (spring), alongside team members Roman De Santos ’26, Eduardo Hernández ’27, Berkeley Harsch ’27, Joshua Ikehara ’27, Evan Siegel ’27 and Hua Yuan ’27 —carried the research forward. By shedding light on how nanoparticle dimensions and surface chemistry impact dielectric performance, the team’s findings will help guide the development of next-generation energy storage platforms.

Lasting Impact Beyond Campus

The reach of Harvey Mudd’s Engineering Clinic extends deep into industry and entrepreneurship. Alumni from previous Clinic teams have transitioned into key roles across engineering and technology. Notably, Sandia Clinic alum Akshay Trikha ’21 and Erik Meike ’21 (Clinic alum for sponsors Doosan Bobcat and Meggitt) co-founded Madrone, which builds cooling systems that reduce data centers’ power and water usage.

With Sandia renewing the Engineering Clinic project for the 2026–2027 academic year and a new manuscript in preparation, the collaboration continues to prove that undergraduate researchers at Harvey Mudd are actively shaping the future of materials science.