Collegian Innovation & Leadership Finalists
CCAT and CTC are proud to honor Connecticut’s most innovative, successful, collegiate students. Each finalist is an undergraduate or graduate student who has demonstrated exceptional academic achievement in the technology, science, or engineering areas of study or who has displayed inventiveness or creativity in said fields.
ALEXIS ERNST
Collegian Innovation & Leadership Winner

Occupation
PhD Candidate
School
UConn School of Engineering
Hometown
West Babylon, NY
Passion
Alexis is exploring new materials through electron microscopy and educating others about leadership and self awareness
Bio
Dr. Alexis Ernst earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Physics and a Graduate Certificate in Nanotechnology at Southern Connecticut State University in 2015. Her undergraduate work involved involved optimizing specimen preparation for electron microscopy characterization. She received her PhD in Materials Science investigating additively manufactured microstructures
from the University of Connecticut in 2021. Currently, she is an SEM Associate Scientist at Johnson Matthey exploring catalyst technologies for automotive applications.
Download or request a printed poster at woi@ccat.us
YIKUN HUANG
Collegian Innovation & Leadership Winner
