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How Hermann Klein-Hessling Barrientos built opportunity from adversity

Susan Glairon — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 11:30:05 +0000

How Hermann Klein-Hessling Barrientos built opportunity from adversity Susan Glairon Wed, 04/30/2025 - 05:30

Susan Glairon

Photo caption: Hermann Klein-Hessling Barrientos (right), Summit Shreshta (center) and Owen Sabolcik (left) make the sign of Ralphie's horns after taking the engineer’s oath at the College of Engineering 2025 Ring & Pin Graduation Ceremony.

Hermann Klein-Hessling Barrientos arrived at ��ɫ��Ƶ alone in the summer of 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, not knowing anyone or what to expect in the U.S. Though born in Minnesota to a Mexican mother and German father, his parents left the country when he was just a toddler, and he grew up across Europe and graduated from high school in Singapore.

His ��ɫ��Ƶ story is defined by his resilience— struggling with housing, medical and food insecurity while maintaining a rigorous course load and strong work ethic.

This spring, Barrientos will graduate with a BS in chemical engineering, and he received the College of Engineering and Applied Science’s Perseverance Award. But despite his hardships, he is also being recognized as the Outstanding Undergraduate of the College for his exceptional accomplishments in research, academia, community and global engagement.

"I succeeded despite my circumstances, not because of them,” Barrientos said. “I primarily attribute my accomplishments not to hard work or talent but luck, although I believe that luck is when preparation meets opportunity."

Hermann Klein-Hessling Barrientos stands by a Yosemite National Park sign during a weekend camping trip while participating in the Caltech Resnick Undergraduate Research Fellowship in summer 2023.

Barrientos’ six-page CV reads more like that of someone with a PhD than an undergraduate student. He has authored two journal papers, presented research at seven national conferences and symposiums and has been a researcher in the Weimer Research Group since he was a freshman.

His list of extracurricular activities is extensive, including a study abroad experience in Ireland and membership in ��ɫ��Ƶ’s Engineering Honors Program. He has won three consecutive American Institute of Chemical Engineers poster competitions and earned numerous honors, including a Caltech Resnick Undergraduate Research Fellowship, a Discovery Learning Apprenticeship Undergraduate Research Fellowship and an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Summer Grant. He is the professional development coordinator of the Chemical Engineering Honor Society Omega Chi Epsilon and has been recognized as a BOLD Leadership Scholar.

“There’s always a way to figure out how to make it work, but you have to be comfortable putting yourself out there and asking for help,” Barrientos said. “It can be very hard.”

Laying the groundwork

After graduating from high school in Singapore, Barrientos spent a gap year in South Africa —first as an aerospace engineering intern, then in a materials science internship.

With strict pandemic restrictions in Asia, returning to his family in Singapore wasn’t an option, so his parents encouraged him to begin his college education immediately. ��ɫ��Ƶ’s scholarships and the opportunity to engage in undergraduate research ultimately tipped the scale in CU’s favor for Barrientos.

Barrientos operates a glovebox in the Weimer Lab during his freshman year.

“I heard good things about ��ɫ��Ƶ’s engineering program from my high school counselor in Singapore, especially about undergraduate research,” he said. “In other countries, you have to wait till you are a PhD student to get involved in research. I didn’t want to wait. Research teaches you more than learning from a textbook.”

That same sense of urgency extended to his classes. In 2020, during the university’s COVID-19 shutdown when everything was online, Hermann reached out to Teaching Associate Professor Paul Diduch to learn more about the Herbst Program for Engineering, Ethics & Society, and the two connected over Zoom.

“He was clearly interested,” Diduch said. “I was impressed with how much research Hermann had done in advance of our meeting, how keen his questions were and how serious and self-directed his intentions were.”

Two months before arriving in Boulder, Barrientos also contacted Teaching Professor Emeritus Leland Giovannelli to discuss course content, review materials and get a head start on the readings for Giovannelli’s upcoming class, “A Global State of Mind for Effective Engineering Practice.”

“He did not want to waste a moment in his education,” she said.

Barrientos also reached out early to Teaching Professor Angela Thieman-Dino of the Engineering Leadership Program, expressing anxiety about traveling to the U.S. alone, completing orientation and moving into his dorm without either parent present—while facing the difficult reality that he likely wouldn’t see them again for a long time due to COVID-19 restrictions. Thieman-Dino also said that Barrientos was eager for guidance around engaging in research. He joined her upper-division Engineering Leadership class as a first-year student to learn about conducting inquiry about complex leadership challenges while focusing his own project on engineering, sustainability and agriculture.

“I'm delighted to see how he has continued to engage in meaningful research throughout his time at CU,” Thieman-Dino said.

Navigating alone

Barrientos flew from Cape Town to Detroit—a less expensive destination than Denver — with little money and no idea how he’d get to Boulder. Undeterred, Barrientos drew on his creative resourcefulness, the support of the ��ɫ��Ƶ community and the kindness of strangers.

Barrientos and two other students hold awards at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers 2023 National Conference in Orlando, Florida.

He couch-surfed with people he met along the way, eventually flying to Denver using funds from a Go Fund Me campaign a friend from Singapore launched on his behalf.

Barrientos had reached out to Jennifer Williams, executive director of Take Action Global (TAG)—a nonprofit organization focused on empowering students to take action for a cleaner environment— where he had previously volunteered. In response, Williams contacted Noah Geisel, micro-credentials program manager at ��ɫ��Ƶ’s Office of the Registrar, to request assistance for Barrientos, who would be arriving in Boulder alone before the campus dormitories opened.

“I was happy to host him in my home as he began his ��ɫ��Ƶ journey,” Geisel said. “I am now proud to see him demonstrating the results of what is possible when combining passion and talent with a world-class college education.”

After staying with Geisel, Barrientos joined a Stampede Leadership Camp for three days before his first semester started, which allowed him a place to sleep and three meals a day.

Barrientos experienced an unexpected obstacle his second semester, as a surge in COVID-19 cases and the Marshall Fire—which destroyed approximately 1,000 structures on Dec. 30, 2021—delayed move-in for the campus dormitories. With nowhere to live, Barrientos petitioned to serve as a resident assistant (RA) in Williams Village, where the university was housing those affected by the fire. His application was accepted, and he was able to RA for two weeks there before starting his official RA position in Andrews Hall the spring semester of his freshman year. But he soon faced the 25-hour weekly work limit for students and had to choose between being an RA or pursuing research. He chose research.

After his first year in the ��ɫ��Ƶ dormitories, Barrientos tried to find a place to rent to lower expenses; finding housing was a challenge. Landlords refused to rent to him because his parents, who weren’t U.S. citizens, couldn’t cosign his lease. Without a credit score tied to his parents and with no Social Security history, he was often mistaken for—or profiled as—undocumented even though he was an American citizen, he said.

Barrientos and another student stand in front of a poster at the Caltech Final Summer Research Symposium in 2023.

In order to rent, Barrientos generally needed a one-month security deposit plus the first month's rent. CU staff were limited in how they could help, and local organizations that help low-income individuals told him he was a low priority as they prioritized families with small children.

He eventually found someone willing to rent an apartment to him the summer after his freshman year.

Throughout his undergraduate career, Barrientos consistently held at least one job, he said. At his busiest, he juggled four simultaneously. Each summer he secured internships to earn enough to cover his fall tuition and rent. He established a high credit score and by legally declaring his scholarships as income, qualified for leases without needing a co-signer.

Diduch said that when Barrientos was in his class, he frequently checked in with him.

“In addition to a high course load, he was also working,” Diduch said. “He was sleep deprived and stressed out. Despite it all, he always managed to get his work done, perform to a high level, and most importantly, have something thoughtful to say in class.

“I've always known Hermann to be remarkably driven and self-directed. He constantly makes things happen for himself and is incredibly resourceful. I'm not sure I've encountered a harder working student, at least in terms of sheer ability to open doors, manufacture opportunities and produce results.”

New challenges

Barrientos faced continued financial issues. Not graduating from a U.S. highschool automatically disqualified him from roughly 50 percent of available scholarships, he said. He was also unable to petition for in-state tuition.

His sophomore year was especially difficult. After losing several close friends and facing other personal challenges, he began to struggle with mental health issues and considered taking an extended leave of absence from ��ɫ��Ƶ or transferring to a university in the Netherlands.

“A lot of bad things happened all at once, and I had to work really hard to get out of that rut, which I did, he said. “I wanted my family to know that I tried my best.

“My struggles highlighted the importance of men's mental health to me, and I decided to be open about my struggles with suicide ideation,” he said. “I'd like to extend my gratitude to Assistant Teaching Professors Jonathan Kish and Osita Onyejekwe and to Laura Thompson, a licensed professional counselor, for being there when I needed someone to talk to.”

Barrientos stands in front of the Dow Chemical Complex in Freeport, Texas, during his summer 2024 internship with Dow.

He’s grateful to ��ɫ��Ƶ’s Buff Pantry at the Basic Needs Center for providing food when he couldn’t afford groceries or access banking services—even before his first semester began. He’s also thankful to Giovannelli, who noticed during a Zoom call that he needed basic necessities, and along with Rebecca Komarek, assistant director of Idea Forge, brought him sheets, blankets and other essentials. He’s especially appreciative of Professor Alan Weimer, who welcomed him as a freshman undergraduate researcher and supported him throughout all four years. And finally, he’s grateful for all the donors “who took the risk of investing in my success.”

“If I had financial security from the get-go, it would have been different,” Barrientos said. “Not having it tainted a lot of my experiences. I always worried about money. Several times I thought I would have to drop out because I couldn’t pay tuition, or I worried I would lose all my scholarships and then get kicked out of the college.”

But that never happened.

As his education progressed, Barrientos’ financial pressure eased. He received a combination of private scholarships and support from donors who invested in his success, and by his junior year, his tuition was fully covered. The summer after his junior year he paid down nearly $20,000 in student loans by interning at Dow Chemical in Freeport, Texas.

His current research, part of an interdisciplinary NASA project, focuses on enhancing metals with atomic layer deposition to improve properties like strength and the ability to withstand higher temperatures—both crucial for manufacturing spacecraft components. The improvements also make it easier to produce customized parts with complex geometries at lower costs and on a larger scale, he said.

After graduation, Barrientos plans to relocate to Ohio to begin a refining engineering role within the operations research department in a Fortune 25 company.

Barrientos says his immediate goal is to support his parents' retirement. Once they are financially secure, he intends to return to academia to pursue a graduate degree in engineering.

“He is eager to make his mark on the world,” Giovannelli said. “With his tremendous creativity, intelligence and appetite for hard work, he will surely do so.”

Hermann Klein-Hessling Barrientos faced challenges with housing, medical and food insecurity, yet overcame them to earn the College of Engineering and Applied Science Perseverance Award as well as the college’s Outstanding Undergraduate Award.

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Congratulations to our 2025 college undergraduate awardees!

Susan Glairon — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 18:46:22 +0000

Congratulations to our 2025 college undergraduate awardees! Susan Glairon Fri, 04/25/2025 - 12:46

Congratulations to our eight chemical and biological engineering undergraduate students who won 12 awards from the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

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Meet Colorado Engineering Council Silver Medal awardee Claire Ely

Susan Glairon — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 13:50:35 +0000

Meet Colorado Engineering Council Silver Medal awardee Claire Ely Susan Glairon Thu, 04/24/2025 - 07:50

Ely, a chemical engineering major, was awarded the Colorado Engineering Council Silver Medal Award, the College of Engineering and Applied Science Research Award and the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Outstanding Senior Award.

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��ɫ��Ƶ's Chem-E-Car team takes home first place

Susan Glairon — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 01:54:13 +0000

��ɫ��Ƶ's Chem-E-Car team takes home first place Susan Glairon Mon, 04/21/2025 - 19:54

Susan Glairon

In an impressive comeback, ��ɫ��Ƶ students won the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Chem-E-Car competition at the Rocky Mountain regional. The event was held in Bozeman, Montana from April 11-12.

��ɫ��Ƶ's Chem-E-Club club dissolved during the COVID-19 pandemic but was revived in 2021 by five students, said Claire Ely, a senior majoring in chemical engineering and one of the students who helped bring it back. Since then, it has grown to a team of about 20 members.

"This year's success is unbelievably exciting," Ely said. "The four seniors in the club feel like proud parents."

One of their cars, "Don't Zinc and Drive," took first place in both the car competition and the poster presentation; the team's second car, "Ralphie," placed third in the car competition. The first-place win secured ��ɫ��Ƶ a spot at the national AIChE competition in Boston this November.

The competition's goal is to design a shoebox-sized car powered by chemical reactions— such as a battery or an internal combustion engine — that

stops at a specified distance using a time-dependent chemical reaction. The target distance is revealed just before the competition, and the team whose car stops closest to that distance wins.

Throughout the year, ��ɫ��Ƶ students designed, built and tested their car ideas in the chemical engineering undergraduate teaching lab, supported by Assistant Teaching Professor Ehsan Keyvani.

"Don't Zinc and Drive" is powered by zinc-air batteries and stopped using an acid-base neutralization. "Ralphie," is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and stopped using an enzyme-catalyzed digestion.

"The club is a fun and low-stakes way to reinforce engineering principles hands-on, regardless of experience," Ely said. "Students, not just chemical engineering majors, develop a ton of skills, including electronics, mechanical design CAD prototyping, reaction engineering and experimental design.”

"We look forward to what Chem-E-Car brings next!," she said.

The club is supported by funding from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and has received Engineering Excellence Fund support in the past.

Students interested in joining ��ɫ��Ƶ's Chem-E-Club can send an email to chemecar@colorado.edu. The club can also be followed on Instagram at @boulderchemecar.

��ɫ��Ƶ took home first place in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Chem-E-Car competition, securing ��ɫ��Ƶ a spot at the national AIChE competition in Boston this November.

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The winning team holding their Don't Zinc and Drive car.

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Arianna McCarty lands prestigious Goldwater Scholarship

Susan Glairon — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 20:24:05 +0000

Arianna McCarty lands prestigious Goldwater Scholarship Susan Glairon Thu, 04/17/2025 - 14:24

Arianna McCarty, a chemical and biological engineering student, received a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship for her research on how Prevotella bacteria may help reduce infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, a major cause of pneumonia.

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Chemical engineering PhD student earns major NSF fellowship

Susan Glairon — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 23:33:07 +0000

Chemical engineering PhD student earns major NSF fellowship Susan Glairon Wed, 04/16/2025 - 17:33

Susan Glairon

Annette Thompson, a chemical engineering PhD student, has received a 2025 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, a prestigious award that recognizes and supports outstanding students in a wide variety of science-related disciplines. Thompson is co-advised by Associate Professor Jerome Fox and Professor Michael Shirts.

This year, the National Science Foundation awarded Graduate Research Fellowships to 12 ��ɫ��Ƶ students, including five from the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Due to federal budget cuts, the program was reduced by 50 percent, with only 1,000 fellowships awarded nationwide compared to 2,000 last year.

Fellows receive a three-year annual stipend of $37,000 and full coverage of tuition, fees and insurance, along with opportunities for international research and professional development that span five years.

What is your research focused on?

My research focuses on better understanding and redesigning the molecular “assembly lines” that cells use to make chemical building blocks, especially fatty acids. These natural systems rely on helper proteins to guide molecules through a series of enzymatic steps, but how these enzymes selectively interact with their partners is still not well understood.

I use computer-based tools—like simulations that predict how molecules move and interact over time, and models that estimate how changes in enzyme levels and behavior impact final yield—to study these systems and identify engineering targets for controlling product outcomes. By combining computational methods with experimental collaboration, my work aims to help create new biotechnologies that can produce a wider range of useful chemicals more efficiently than nature can on its own.

What are potential applications of your work?

My research could lead to more sustainable ways to make everyday products like medicines and fuels, without relying on petroleum-based processes. By making enzyme systems more precise and efficient, we can lower costs and create cleaner, greener manufacturing processes.

What does receiving this award mean to you?

Receiving this award is a huge honor. The support will allow me the flexibility to expand my research into new biosynthetic pathways and organisms, and to develop faster and better tools for characterizing new systems. I am deeply grateful to my advisors, Dr. Jerome Fox and Dr. Michael Shirts, whose support and expertise have been instrumental in shaping this work and making these collaborations possible.

Annette Thompson, a chemical engineering PhD student, has received a 2025 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, for her research around the molecular “assembly lines” cells used to build chemicals like fatty acids.

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Congratulations to our 2025 ChBE department undergraduate awardees!

Susan Glairon — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 16:56:13 +0000

Congratulations to our 2025 ChBE department undergraduate awardees! Susan Glairon Wed, 04/16/2025 - 10:56

The Chemical and Biological Engineering Department awards recognize students in the department who have excelled in one or more areas. Winners are selected by the department’s Undergraduate Awards Committee.

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Chemical engineering graduate program holds no. 11 spot among public universities

Susan Glairon — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 14:45:12 +0000

Chemical engineering graduate program holds no. 11 spot among public universities Susan Glairon Thu, 04/10/2025 - 08:45

Overall, ��ɫ��Ƶ’s College of Engineering and Applied Science ranked No. 11 among public universities.

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ChBE faculty earn Air Force Young Investigator Award

Susan Glairon — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 21:52:51 +0000

ChBE faculty earn Air Force Young Investigator Award Susan Glairon Thu, 03/27/2025 - 15:52

Susan Glairon

Assistant Professors Kōnane Bay and Ankur Gupta from ��ɫ��Ƶ’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering have been honored with the 2025 Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Young Investigator Program Award.

Each received a $450,000, three-year grant to advance research relevant to the Air Force. The program, offered by the Air Force Research Laboratory, supports early-career scientists and engineers with “exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research,” according to the AFOSR.

“This is among the most prestigious awards given to junior faculty, and to have both Ankur and Kōnane receive it in the same year is a remarkable testimony to their impressive achievements and very high potential for making future advances,” said Professor Ryan Hayward, chair of the department.

Kōnane Bay, self-healing, innovative materials

Bay says the next generation of polymer materials—materials with long chains of molecules like plastics, rubber and proteins—will need advanced features, such as the ability to repair themselves. While engineering synthetic polymers with these properties is challenging, biofilm-forming bacteria are promising as they use internal material factories to produce polymers on demand to survive changes in the surroundings.

“I am grateful to receive this award which will allow our lab to harness nature to create novel engineered living materials,” Bay said.

The award will support Bay and her team at the Huli Materials Lab in using biofilm-forming bacteria to develop new polymeric materials. The project combines 3D printing with bacteria’s natural movement to control the mechanical properties of biofilm-based synthetic polymers. The findings could lead to self-healing materials that can change shape, with applications in aerospace, soft robotics, and protective coatings.

Bay recently also received a prestigious CAREER Award, a $675,000, five-year grant from the National Science Foundation. The funding will advance her work in characterization of polymer thin film.

Ankur Gupta, more precise chemical sensors

Imagine being able to organize tiny particles as small as one-twentieth the thickness of a human hair.

Gupta’s research aims to do just that. He and his team in the Laboratory of Interfaces, Flow and Electrokinetics (LIFE) study how these tiny particles form patterns through chemical reactions and diffusion. The researchers aim to control this process to develop materials that detect microscopic changes in the air, paving the way for advanced chemical sensors that identify subtle chemical shifts and improve safety.

“It’s an honor for us to receive this award, especially given its prestige and selectivity,” Gupta said. “This recognition is a testament to the hard work of my current and past group members, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with them.”

The $450,000 three-year grant will support a graduate student and cover travel expenses.

In 2024, Gupta was honored with the Johannes Lyklema Early Career Award in electrokinetics. He was also selected for the prestigious “35 Under 35” award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 2023.

That same year Gupta also received a $517,000, five-year National Science Foundation CAREER Award, to study how ions move through porous materials. His research will help design improved porous materials for more efficient desalination and renewable energy storage.

Assistant Professors Kōnane Bay and Ankur Gupta from ��ɫ��Ƶ’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering each received a $450,000, three-year grant to advance research relevant to the Air Force.

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PhD student’s work on engineered adhesives wins national recognition

Susan Glairon — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 17:46:37 +0000

PhD student’s work on engineered adhesives wins national recognition Susan Glairon Mon, 03/24/2025 - 11:46

Susan Glairon

Paula Pranda, a chemical and biological engineering PhD student, earned the top student honor at the Adhesion Society meeting for her research on aligned Liquid Crystal Elastomer (LCE) adhesives. The society’s annual meeting was held Feb. 16-19 in New Orleans.

Pranda received the Alan Gent Distinguished Student Paper Award, recognizing the most distinguished paper among top students who had previously won the Peebles Award for outstanding graduate research in adhesion science. The Adhesion Society advances adhesion science, promotes education and honors achievements in the field.

“Winning this award is an incredible honor,” said Pranda, who works with ��ɫ��Ƶ’s Hayward Research Group and Responsive and Programmable Materials Group. “It’s validating as a young researcher and exciting because it shows that the scientific community values our work.”

LCEs are soft, stretchy materials with a unique structure formed by liquid crystal monomers, which have a long oval shape. Using specific processing methods, these monomers can be aligned in one direction. When stretched along this alignment, the polymer behaves like a classic elastomer, meaning it can stretch and return to its original shape. However, when stretched perpendicular to the alignment, it becomes much softer and stretchier as energy is dissipated into rotating the monomers.

��ɫ��Ƶ and the 3M Company research team leveraged this property to develop pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs). Their findings showed that the peel strength depends on monomer orientation—adhesives are harder to remove when monomers are perpendicular to the peeling direction. By using a laser to pattern different alignments, the team was able to create adhesives with regions of varying peel force.

“This award is a testament to the community's excitement about Paula’s findings on how adhesion can be tailored using LCEs, and her outstanding presentation,” said Professor Ryan Hayward, the director of the Hayward Research Group and the department chair. "Tim (White) and I are very proud of Paula—it has been a true pleasure collaborating with her on this project.”

Directional control of adhesion offers many potential applications, Pranda said. In diabetic ports, patterned LCE adhesives can ensure strong skin adhesion while allowing painless removal in a specific direction. Similarly, for screen protectors, aligning monomers perpendicular to common failure points can prevent edge peeling, while parallel alignment allows for easy removal when needed.

“This recognition means so much,” Pranda said. “I couldn’t have achieved it without the support of my amazing mentors and collaborators at ��ɫ��Ƶ and the 3M Company—especially Professor Ryan Hayward, Professor Tim White, Hyunki Kim, Aaron Hedegaard, Jason Clapper and Eric Nelson.”

Paula Pranda, a ��ɫ��Ƶ PhD student, won the top student award at the Adhesion Society's annual meeting for her research on Liquid Crystal Elastomer (LCE) adhesives. Her work has potential applications in medical devices and screen protectors among others.

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