UROP Leader Information Submission: Submission #248 | Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement

Submission information

Submission Number: 248

Submission ID: 19486

Submission UUID: 719fb8f7-e249-431d-8c54-af27b05c2b2f

Submission URI: /urop-leader-information-submission

Submission Update: /urop-leader-information-submission?token=D2P-RFYBr-dqtSF3PRYfjtJ0HePAbpLRUW0wH_fT38Y

Created: Wed, 04/23/2025 - 07:27 PM

Completed: Wed, 04/23/2025 - 07:28 PM

Changed: Wed, 04/23/2025 - 07:28 PM

Remote IP address: 73.42.40.154

Submitted by: Anonymous

Language: English

Is draft: No

Webform: UROP Leaders Information

Submitted to: UROP Leader Information Submission

First Name Matthew

Last Name Cabrera

Full name as you would like it to appear on the website Matthew Cabrera

Preferred Pronouns {Empty}

Hometown, State, and Country (ex: Tallahassee, FL, USA) Ocala, FL, USA

FSU email mc22dz@fsu.edu

Please check this box if you are willing to be contacted by students interested in UROP Yes

LinkedIn URL (optional) https://www.linkedin.com/in/mc2027/

Major(s) Mechanical Engineering

Minor(s) Computer Science, Physics, Astrophysics

Graduation Semester and Year (ex: Fall, 2022) Spring, 2027

What is your current research focus? I am a research assistant for Dr. Rebekah Downes at the High Performance Materials Institute (HPMI), working with Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and PEEK reinforced carbon fiber. PEEK is a high-performance thermoplastic that is used in aerospace and defense industries, which can withstand high temperatures and substantial mechanical stress. I am testing PEEK and PEEK reinforced carbon fiber under different environmental conditions, analyzing how their material properties change. This project is my main focus right now, but I also assist in other material science research throughout HPMI.

Are there any other research related activities you participate(d) in? {Empty}

Answer one of the following two questions about being a UROP Leader or your UROP background. How has UROP impacted your time at FSU?

Please answer the question you selected above in the area provided. Being in UROP started a domino chain in my life that I never would have expected. Thanks to UROP, I met my closest friend in college, I spent a year working on a NASA-related research project, and then I was able to move to HPMI. At HPMI, I have met some amazing people and countless opportunities have presented themselves, which I am extremely fortunate for. Without UROP, I have no idea what I would be doing right now in my undergraduate career. If taken advantage of correctly, UROP is an extremely beneficial program and one I am glad to be a part of. Being a UROP Leader lets me continue to spread the advantages of UROP to others, so maybe they too can receive the amazing benefits I have been lucky enough to receive.

Please list any other hobbies or interests you would like to share I have a passion for music, specifically Latin music, food, and video games. You get me started on any of those, and I might never stop talking.

Headshot

{Empty}

2025Year2025 2025

Approved No

Update URL UROP Leaders https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-leader-information-submission?element_parents=elements/headshot&ajax_form=1&_wrapper_format=drupal_ajax&token=D2P-RFYBr-dqtSF3PRYfjtJ0HePAbpLRUW0wH_fT38Y

Years as a UROP Leader 2025-2026