About Me!

 Hi! I’m Jasmyne, a Ph.D. candidate in materials engineering with a focus on nuclear reactor pressure vessels. As a first-generation student and a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field, I’m passionate about breaking barriers and creating a more inclusive STEM community. 

When I’m not immersed in research, you’ll likely find me in the kitchen experimenting with new recipes or curled up with my two cats, Odie and Kassie. Baking has been my creative outlet and stress relief, offering a sweet balance to the pressures of academic life. 

This blog is where I plan to share my journey—celebrating the highs, navigating the challenges, and finding joy in the everyday moments. Whether it’s reflections on engineering, tips for thriving in grad school, or the science behind the perfect loaf of bread, there’s a little something here for everyone. 


Thanks for stopping by—I hope you’ll find inspiration, laughter, and maybe even a recipe or two.




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Baking Through the Pressure: My Story

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 Welcome to my little corner of the internet! Starting this blog feels like embarking on a new adventure, and I'm so excited to share my journey with you (even if 'you' are really just me in the future looking back on this).  My name is Jasmyne, and I'm a Ph.D. candidate in materials engineering. My research focuses on nuclear reactor pressure vessels (maybe the name of this blog now makes a little more sense!). While at this point in my life, I spend much of my time on research, my story is about much more than this. It's about breaking barriers as a first-generation student, navigating a male-dominated field, and finding joy in unexpected places, like the kitchen. The idea for this blog was born from the countless times I found myself baking late at night to decompress after a long day of research. There's something magical about kneading dough or mixing batter ha brings balance to chaos. Baking, like engineering, is precise yet creative - a mix of science and...
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Baking often gets labeled as an exact science—measurements, temperatures, and techniques must align perfectly for success. But what happens when things go awry? That’s where critical thinking saves the day. As a materials engineer, I spend a lot of time solving problems and analyzing processes. Surprisingly, those same skills are just as useful in the kitchen. Baking, like engineering, requires not just following instructions but understanding the “why” behind them. My goal is to help you approach baking with curiosity and confidence—so you can troubleshoot, adapt, and make recipes your own. Baking as Problem-Solving Let’s say you’re making bread, and your dough feels overly soft and sticky. Instead of panicking or starting over, you can break the problem into manageable steps: Observation: The dough is too wet and clings to your hands. Hypothesis: It might need more flour to balance the hydration. Experiment: Add small amounts of flour, kneading gently between additions, until the do...
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