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For senior mechatronics engineering major Delonte Goodman, the road to higher education was not the easiest. But as a high school student who caught the eye of NASA and can understand electrical and mechanical processes in everyday ATM transactions, he has bravely paved his way as a successful first-generation college student at ������.

As a first-gen college student, Goodman never had the luxury of things being mapped out for him. He created his own path each step of the way.

Getting an Early Start

Goodman’s success started with his opportunities in high school where he was introduced to NASA because of the work he did for Cuyahoga Community College. He participated in the College Credit Plus program there, while also helping instructors and professors teach younger kids about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Because of the partnership between Cuyahoga Community College and NASA Glenn Research Center, he was able to secure the internship with NASA.

While interning with NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, he studied biomimicry and worked on programming a science application called The Periodic Table of Life (PeTaL). This design tool serves as a database for researchers to look at different morphological features and characteristics found in nature.

“I was looking at the morphological features that two organisms share, such as the dragonflies and damselflies species, and how we can use that in aeronautical and aerospace application,” Goodman said. “So I did the groundwork programming for the application, which would allow anybody to collect information about different organisms to apply in their research and studies for biomimicry.”

Through his work with NASA, Goodman became very hands on in his research as he continued to work at various NASA facilities and present his findings from the internship to mentors.

“One of the tasks that I had to do was design a biomimicry tool that could be used to help explain the field,” Goodman said. “With the help of another student, I designed a tonic flower bulb through a 3D modeler and printed it out to emulate the purpose of copying nature for human technology and design. Basically, the shape of it allowed petals to fold out and display my information about biomimicry applications.”

Getting Involved Outside of Academia

While interning, taking classes and conducting his own research, Goodman also found time to volunteer all throughout high school.

Goodman participated in the mentor program as a student, allowing him to work with engineers and architects and compete in competitions. He also did a lot of work with an entrepreneurship program called Cleveland Can't Wait. The program was made to help underrepresented students learn about business development and implementation.

He dedicated a lot of time to programs and events that promoted diversity outreach.

“Some examples of the work I have done include facilitating the Esperanza conference, a part of a , which had activities that discussed labels and how society views minorities,” Goodman said. “I volunteered at , which allowed students to learn about career development, test preparation and skills needed to advance in life.”

Even as part of his time at NASA, he volunteered through the organization’s Minority University Research and Education Project that works to engage and include underrepresented populations within STEM. He taught students how to fly plane simulators and helped with lessons related to STEM concepts.

Through Goodman’s volunteer work, internship and overall dedication to his academics, he created a strong foundation for his college career at Kent State.

He is not just a student at Kent State. Goodman is a Design Innovation Fellow, a Kupita/Transiciones mentor, a tutor for the student support services, a member of the American Foundry Society and a McNair Scholar. He does all this while also majoring in a rigorous program.

Finding That Fit

When Goodman started at Kent State, mechatronics engineering, a combination of mechanical, electronic and electrical engineering, was a new major. It drew his attention because it encompassed his interests of both aerospace and electrical engineering, both of which he has experience in from interning with NASA and participating in other programs.

“With my major in mechatronics, I have a lot of knowledge on the electrical systems and the applications that you can use them for, like circuit design and the creation of propulsion mechanisms,” Goodman said. “For example, I can look at an automated teller machine (ATM) and understand how the electrical components and mechanical components work in tandem to accomplish a certain task.”

From the time he started at Kent State, Goodman continued to pursue research. His first research project explored how mental illness impacts  students, which is a part of the federal outreach and student services programs that helps disadvantaged students.

“This was a study where my team and I used a survey to measure the impact of how social capital influences a student’s mental health,” Goodman said. “It was guided by Dr. Kelly Cichy for the McNair undergraduate symposium.”

As a McNair Scholar, which he was awarded in 2020, he also did research with organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) under Björn Lüssem, Ph.D., associate professor of physics, last summer.

“This was the first research project related to my major in college,” Goodman said. “It was for the McNair program in the summer of 2021. I worked with Dr. Lüssem on OFETs and presented my findings to my peers at a conference. I also wrote a paper on my research and presented it in multiple college symposiums, such as the University of California, Los Angeles conference and undergraduate symposium at Kent State.”

Peter Jeffy, project director of the McNair Scholars Program in the Center for Undergraduate Excellence, has been able to see Goodman’s progress within his research.

“He challenges our conceptions of the utilities of modern technologies through his transformative research on organic field-effect transistors,” Jeffy said. “I feel as though Delonte and the people who gravitate toward him continue to evolve and develop with each interaction.”

Goodman is currently working under Antal Jakli, Ph.D., professor of physics, researching organic electrochemical transistors.

“Imagine moving and bending a metal film and seeing how that changes the electrical characteristics within that system,” Goodman said. “That’s what I’m doing right now. Basically, I’m researching and learning more about the field itself and learning about the fundamental concepts. In the spring, I’ll be coming up with a hypothesis, making the experiment plan, running the experiment and then eventually presenting my findings at the McNair conference in the university’s Undergraduate Research Symposium.”

With all of Goodman’s accomplishments, he continues his research with an earnest desire to constantly be better.

“There is always someone better than you, but if you work hard enough, even the weakest individual can surpass the best,” Goodman said.

All of Goodman’s experience and knowledge demonstrates the Dunning-Kruger effect in action.

“As you go into the field, you realize that you don’t actually know a lot about the stuff,” Goodman said. “You have to learn and research before you can truly understand the concepts. The main thing that is really important is just being diligent.”

Setting Your Own Bar

Goodman has faced challenges throughout his research and academic career, but the combination of his drive and Kent State has helped shape his determination and expand his opportunities.

“I came from a single parent, low-income family,” Goodman said. “I’m in the first generation of my family to even touch a university, and that’s awesome. Kent State gave me the experience of working with others, such as tutoring, being a mentor and being able to help other students. Overall, I was able to work more in collaboration with other people, speaking with mentors, and advisors pushed me through.”

Through the relationship that Jeffy and Goodman created, Jeffy has seen Goodman surpass expectations and set the bar high for himself, as well as those around him.

“He expands the realm of possibilities for other culturally rich and first-generation college students by being a model and mentor,” Jeffy said. “He is an amazing young man who is grounded by commitment to his family and vision of being an aerospace engineer.”

Goodman plans to pursue graduate school on his way to earn his Ph.D. He then later hopes to become a professor in his field, focusing on long-distance space travel.

To learn more about Kent State’s mechatronics engineering program, visit www.kent.edu/cae/bachelor-science-mechatronics-engineering.