Class of 2024: Brandon Tapia is engineering a greener future
Hometown: Herndon, Virginia
College: College of Engineering
Major/ minor: Chemical engineering major, with minors in green engineering and chemistry
Favorite Hokie memory: “I have to say my first Virginia Tech football game. My freshman year was during the pandemic, so we couldn’t go to games then, but during sophomore year the first game was against UNC and we won. I’ll never forget it.”
Plans after graduation: Attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to pursue his Ph.D. in chemical engineering
Up for the challenge
Whether he’s tackling chemical engineering classes or big climate change issues happening in the world today, Brandon Tapia enjoys a challenge. He was drawn to chemical engineering for that exact reason; the promise that he would be challenged to solve big problems that have global impact.
Coming from a small high school, Tapia chose Virginia Tech because of the top ranked programs and endless opportunities available to students.
“I had a fantastic high school experience, but I found myself wishing I had access to a more STEM-focused curriculum,” Tapia said. “I love that I had this opportunity during my four years at Virginia Tech, and my interdisciplinary work has flourished because of it.”
For Tapia, being a chemical engineer runs in the family. His dad is a chemical engineer, so he was exposed to the field at a young age. This early knowledge fueled his desire to learn more about environmental impacts and acknowledge opportunities to develop green transitions.
Researching green energy
Tapia came to Virginia Tech knowing that he wanted to specialize in green energy. His research focuses on improving environmental separations, particularly direct air carbon capture to remove atmospheric CO₂.
He credits his interest in environmental separations to Stephen Martin, associate professor in chemical engineering and the W.S. Pete White Chair for Innovation in Engineering Education.
"He has a natural aptitude for research, demonstrating both the creativity and tenacity needed to be successful in the lab," said Martin.
Tapia has spent the last few years working in Martin’s lab as an undergraduate research assistant, researching advanced materials for energy-efficient separations.
“Dr. Martin was the professor of Mass and Energy Balances, my first chemical engineering course, and I really enjoyed his teaching style,” Tapia said. “I felt he had a good understanding of the students and how to promote our thinking, so I wanted to join his lab and work with him on environmental separations. Working in his lab really solidified my research focus and he’s been one of my biggest mentors throughout the course of my college career.”
With carbon dioxide emissions being the largest contributor to climate change, Tapia knew he wanted to get involved in the significant efforts that are being made to capture carbon before it can escape into the atmosphere.
“Unfortunately, the amount of CO₂ we have in the atmosphere is already too high,” Tapia said. “My research focuses on developing novel materials that capture CO₂ directly from the air we are breathing right now.”
Guiding the next generation
Tapia and Martin have also gotten the opportunity to work together outside of the lab.
Tapia has been a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AICHE) Student Chapter at Virginia Tech for several years, and Martin is the faculty advisor. Most recently, Tapia has taken on the role of AICHE tutoring chair. He oversees the entire program, which helps tutor over 200 students per year, while also tutoring around 10 students himself every week.
"It has been a pleasure to interact with him during his undergraduate chemical engineering career," Martin said. "He is an outstanding teacher and mentor, both in the lab, and as the leader of the AICHE tutoring program."
Tapia’s goal is to help chemical engineering students address some of the potential stressors they may face in an environment where they can feel comfortable getting help from peers.
“These tutoring sessions were created to help students progress academically,” Tapia said. “But they have developed into judgment-free, multi-participant discussions that foster an environment where students feel comfortable not only working with others to answer homework questions, but also to find guidance.”
Tapia knows a thing or two about the importance of mentors while navigating college. In addition to Martin being a significant mentor throughout his time at Virginia Tech, Tapia also credits his resident advisor (RA) from freshman year for his desire to be a positive influence in other students’ lives. He went on to serve as an RA in Hoge Hall for two years, where he made a conscious effort to create a positive environment for all students.
“I had such a great experience as a freshman living in a Living-Learning Community (LLC),” Tapia said. “I wanted to provide the same support to other students that my RA gave me.”
Peer mentors have also been very influential in Tapia’s college experience. He has thrived on the support from not only faculty, but other students in chemical engineering.
“I came into the department thinking that it was going to be competitive, but I found it to be very family-oriented,” Tapia said. “I have really bonded with the students and faculty.”
Continuing his impact
The next stop for Tapia is MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering as a Ph.D. student in the fall. He spent last summer working as a visiting researcher at MIT, where he developed computational methods for predicting material properties.
“I’m excited for this next step in my education because Virginia Tech has provided me with the skills to succeed in research and in my interpersonal relationships,” said Tapia. “The past four years, I have been dedicated to enhancing Virginia Tech's mission of supporting diversity and inclusivity and I plan to continue this work while addressing the challenges of global warming that so predominantly affect marginalized groups.”
As Tapia joins MIT, he is excited to continue exploring problems in ways that people haven’t looked at before.
“A lot of important science goes unnoticed because it's not reaching the correct people, or many people at all,” said Tapia. “I'm passionate about making research available and accessible, whether that be through open source programming or open access journals, to benefit society by raising awareness about the innovations that solve global challenges.”
