Material Advantage Student Group

The Material Advantage chapter at UVA promotes and enriches the Materials Science & Engineering program at the University by fostering a community of future industry leaders.
The MA Executive Board 2024-2025

MATERIAL ADVANTAGE (MA) Chapters give you a much-needed edge in the global job market and the knowledge, experience and networking you need to begin your career successfully. You’ll find Material Advantage Chapters at more than 75 top schools of materials science and engineering throughout the world. Through the Material Advantage Program, you can learn and sharpen the skills you need to become a successful engineering professional and a future leader of your society.” Material Advantage benefits include networking, financial support including access to scholarships, chapter travel grants for conferences, leadership development, ACerS-AIST-ASM-TMS updates, awards and recognition.

Professional Development: Research fairs, factory tours, NASA tours, and speaker series
Academics: Study groups, resources for classes and course material, scholarship opportunities and research support
Social: Semi-formal, Carter’s Mountain Sunset Series, game nights and lunches 

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  • UVA Engineering students at a picnic

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    Sunset concerts, pumpkin carving contests, our semi-formal - see what we're up to!

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    Learn about Material Advantage

    Our student UVA MA chapter is a part of the national Material Advantage group which offers students many professional opportunities, travel grants, awards and leadership development - learn more about national MA!

    Material Advantage Program

See what we are up to!

students at picnic
student group
student mixer
students at capitol
major night
students fixing coffee machine
recycling plant
carving pumpkins
students at sunset series
students at recycling plant

Meet the 2024-2025 MA Executive Board:

Lara Ojha - Chair, Hometown: Bethesda, MD
Materials Science & Engineering Major, Business Minor, Year: 4th
Research Field: Corrosion & Environmentally Assisted Cracking - Burns Lab UVA

Joey Giordano - Vice Chair, Hometown: Bethesda, MD
MSE Major, Politics and Physics Minors, Year: 3rd
Research Field: Semiconductors - McDonnell Lab

Christopher Recupero - Secretary, Hometown: North Easton, MA
MSE and Aerospace Engineering Double Major; Year: 4th
Research Field: Oxidation of materials traveling in hypersonic environments - Opila Group

Alice Pandaleon - Treasurer, Hometown: Millbrook, NY
Materials Science and Engineering Major, Applied Math Minor, Year: 4th
Research Field: Localized Corrosion in Aluminum for Aerospace Applications - Kelly Group

Astrid Kaczmarzewski - External Relations, Hometown: Strasburg, VA
Materials Science & Engineering Major, Year: 2nd
Research Field: Electronics - BEAM Lab at UVA