Becoming a mother helped Nuclear Engineering Assistant Professor Sandra Bogetic become a better mentor. Once Bogetic started raising her two daughters, she realized the skills she was developing as a parent translated to the classroom.
“My graduate students rely on me a lot. It’s my responsibility for them to succeed in the nuclear field and grow in their academic lives” Bogetic said. “How can I help to make them the best scientists and the best team players? I take my experiences of how to be a parent into that role as well.”
Bogetic and her husband, Florian, a geophysicist, have two daughters, Caroline, 11, and Mayaia, 4. Bogetic delivered Caroline right before starting her PhD work at the University of California, Berkeley. Mayaia arrived right after Bogetic joined the UT faculty in 2021.
“They are two forces of nature. They’re very strong in their own ways,” Bogetic said. “Sometimes I am amused because I think my 11-year-old is smarter than me. She does all these things in music, school, and sports. She has a really strong sense of duty for doing things to her best ability, and I am very proud of that.”
Bogetic tries to be a good role model to her daughters and help them better understand what their parents do for a living.
“We talk a lot about science and research, and why it matters,” she said. “Florian and I really chose the work that we want to do because we feel like it makes an impact. I think that’s a good lesson for our kids. Don’t study for money or fame. Study because you want to learn and because you truly want to be good at what you do and make a difference in your field of work.”
Bogetic is equally passionate about teaching and conducting research at UT. She has been recognized for both recently. Last year, Bogetic received the Tickle College of Engineering Teaching Fellow award. This year, she received TCE’s Professional Promise in Research Award.
“It makes me feel good to know that people within the college notice the work I am doing and the work my students are doing,” Bogetic said. “I arrived here right after completing my PhD, so I was behind some others who had more experience in the research area. It’s really nice to know it’s made an impact in almost five years.”
Distinctive Method of Transportation
Bogetic is easily recognizable around campus because of her orange Radwagon e-bike. She rides to campus each day and transports her children to school and daycare.
“Everyone knows me for it,” Bogetic said with a laugh. “That bike makes my life much nicer. I don’t need to deal with traffic. I’m lucky that I live near the greenway, and I really just love riding. It puts me a better mood, and my kids love to ride with me.”
Bogetic was overwhelmed with joy when Caroline was born. But trying to manage her studies at Cal and becoming a first-time parent wasn’t easy.
“I made a lot of mistakes. I overworked myself because I felt I had to prove to people that being a PhD student and a parent wouldn’t hold me back,” she said. “I didn’t want to be seen as second tier. I regret that part of things. But one thing it taught me is that difficulty shouldn’t stop you. You need to be resilient and flexible, which has helped me in all areas of my life.”
The difficulties also helped Bogetic put her career in the proper perspective and provide advice to her students on how to rise to the occasion.
“I realized that sometimes you need to take full responsibility. You fail or you win. It’s up to you,” Bogetic said. “Being a parent, you can’t just give up. In research, we also fail a lot of times, and it’s fine. It really trained me how to take responsibility, how to rise back up from failure, and how to mentor people to really become the best version of themselves.
Empowering Students
Adam Buchalter began his PhD work under Bogetic last year, with a concentration in nuclear space science and engineering. He first met Bogetic in 2024 during a summer study abroad session in Prague as an undergraduate student. Buchalter was passionate about a particular research project, and Bogetic encouraged him to apply for funding on his own.
“That’s a unique thing in and of itself, because not a lot of people get to write proposals during undergrad,” Buchalter said. “I had to sit down and get the full experience of actually doing the work, and that’s something that I don’t feel a lot of mentors really think about. She is invested in getting people experienced and educated, which I valued a lot coming into grad school.”
Just as Bogetic takes pride in watching her daughters grow and become more independent, she feels a similar sense of accomplishment in seeing her students develop into great leaders and impactful engineers. She hopes they achieve success in whatever field they choose to pursue after leaving UT.
“I want my students to be the person that will be my collaborator and research sponsor in the future,” Bogetic said. “It’s the same with kids. You want them be better people and more successful than you.”
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey ([email protected])