Jake Patterson '25 credits Dartmouth's interdisciplinary curriculum with helping him focus his interests in chemistry and engineering. He completed his senior thesis project on energy-efficient hydrogen production and is now working toward his master's degree in chemical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Also an avid outdoorsman, Jake completed The Fifty, a tradition that sees teams of Dartmouth students trek 54 miles of the Appalachian Trail.
You grew up on the West Coast. What was your transition to Dartmouth like?
I remember how surprised I was by just how green it is here when I first arrived on campus. The weather doesn't change much in Southern California, so transitioning to Dartmouth's four seasons was exciting for me. The adjustment was easier than I thought it would be. It also helps that Dartmouth's access to the outdoors is some of the best in the country. Clubs like the Dartmouth Outing Club and Dartmouth Mountaineering Club make it so easy to go out and explore, even without a car on campus.
How did Dartmouth help you refine your academic interests?
As a high schooler, I knew I liked science, but I didn't know much beyond that. I thought I had to choose between being a doctor and being an engineer. My sophomore summer, I took a class with Professor Fiona Li in materials science. The field seeks to better understand materials—their structure, properties, and composition— with the goal of creating new, advanced materials that can be applied to medicine, energy, healthcare, and other industries. I've since taken three classes with Professor Li. I've learned that I enjoy studying functional materials, like batteries and solar panels, and that I want to work with cutting-edge energy technologies.
Tell us about your senior thesis in chemistry and materials science.
I decided to focus my senior thesis on the energy transition away from fossil fuels. For my project, I developed a water-splitting electrocatalyst that helps make hydrogen production more energy-efficient and sustainable. My electrocatalyst uses materials that are less environmentally costly than the current industry standard platinum. New materials technologies like this one can serve as signposts of progress, like in the Bronze Age or the Iron Age. I see this work as the best way I can make a sustainable and equitable impact on the future.
Photograph by Don Hamerman
