David Castro
David Castro was born in Omaha, Nebraska and moved to The Woodlands, Texas at the age of 10. He graduated from The Woodlands High School and plans on majoring in Mechanical Engineering or Operations Research: Financial Engineering with a minor in Computer Science at Columbia University.
David was first exposed to professional university level research through the Welch Summer Scholars Program (WSSP) hosted by the University of Texas at Austin in the summer of 2019. Here, David worked in association with the Baiz research group to study the separation of sorbitan compounds in order to ultimately better understand surfactant interfaces. Although the study of surfactants in recent years has been key in advancing pharmaceutical delivery methods, the understanding and control of quantum dots, and the enhanced potential of tertiary oil recovery methods, his research stemmed from the idea that the molecular properties of surfactants remain largely unknown and require more study before these advancements can widely enter industries.
Outside of research, David also explored the engineering world through NASA’s HAS internship program at the Johnson Space Center and through his leadership roles with FTC Robotics. David was also a part of his high school’s Science UIL team, Varsity Tennis team, Ping Pong Club, and National Honor Society.
Outside of academics, David has played tennis competitively for 6 years and has worked as a private tennis coach and as a registered dental assistant in the state of Texas. In his free time David enjoys watching Formula 1, programming simple games, and building controversially hazardous toys in his garage.
David looks forward to continuing his exploration of the STEM field and hopes to use the Egleston Scholars’ research opportunities to apply his knowledge at Columbia University.