SEATTLE, Washington -- The University of Washington's Sustainable Bioresource Systems Engineering (SBSE) major (formerly Bioresource Science and Engineering*) is an ABET-accredited undergraduate program focusing on applying chemical engineering and science to produce sustainable materials, fuels, and chemicals from biomass. The program emphasizes renewable technologies, waste reduction, and eco-friendly manufacturing processes.
Kelsey Mosqueda is a senior in the program. Kelsey is graduating this spring with her Bioresource Science & Engineering degree and will be working at International Paper in Springfield, Oregon. We asked her about her experiences at the University of Washington.
What attracted you to the BSE program?
BSE (now to be SBSE) attracted me because it is a program that is truly hands-on and allows you to pursue a career where you can still be as hands-on as you want to be. I spent years at a desk job and would very much prefer to never do that again. Not only that, but this program has also allowed me to gain interdisciplinary engineering and science skills while centering sustainability which I otherwise wouldn't have gotten in a traditional engineering program at UW. I now have the knowledge and skills to identify a problem, figure out a way to solve it, and actually solve it in a way that is sustainable for the environment, people, and business. The opportunities for success are readily provided in BSE; you just have to take them. With the job market how it is and has been over the past 2 decades, flexibility in your career is incredibly important. In a way BSE is a build-your-own engineering major which provides you with a myriad of skills that allow you to forge whatever career path you may want.
Were you looking into pulp and paper when you were in high school?
Because I am a returning, non-traditional student it's been a while since high school, but I wasn't looking into pulp and paper. Recycling, being ecofriendly, and sustainability have been important to me since elementary school, but back then I was more focused on a biology track. When I was at UW the first time, I saw the (then) PSE major in the big list of majors but didn't look much into it. It wasn't until I was back in school and the previous WPPF director, Mike Roberts, did a presentation at Tacoma Community College to pre-engineering students that I was really introduced to the program.
Tell us about the internships and/or co-ops you have had.
I had an internship last summer (2025) at Clearwater Paper Corporation in Lewiston, Idaho. I went into the internship just wanting to learn everything I could because I didn't have much of a knowledge base regarding all the different engineering roles at a mill. Thanks to my mentor there, I was able to learn about almost all the operation areas, shadow some great people, and connect what I had learned with real life. I was especially grateful to shadow and learn from women in engineering roles and see how they navigate a manufacturing environment and excel in their jobs. It took an environment that was initially intimidating and made it exciting to the point where I could see myself working at a mill too.
What does this program mean to you?
The (S)BSE program means a lot to me, and the program is its people. I think that our professors are all amazing. They genuinely invest in us as students and want us to succeed. So much so that I think that sometimes their hopes for us are higher than those we have for ourselves. I also think that our connections to industry through our student chapter of TAPPI and the WPPF are one of the main reasons we are a stellar program. Mostly though, it's the supportive community that I've been able to be a part of during my time at UW. Our cohort is small but mighty, kind of like pulp and paper in the PNW, and we're all pretty cool if I do say so myself. If it wasn't for those things, I might have been scared away from engineering. I hope this program continues to grow and stay successful for years to come.
Where do you see yourself in five and 10 years, and what are your career aspirations?
In five years, I hope to have gained a couple of years of experience as a process engineer at International Paper in Oregon where I'll be starting this summer. And by that time, I hope to be working towards a master's degree in materials science, or something adjacent, and working on either bioplastics/coatings, optimizing recycling processes, and/or something related to minimizing the use of fossil fuels and plastics. From there, I just hope that I find some role where I can use my engineering and science skills & knowledge to make some positive and lasting impact on the world.
What would you recommend to anyone who might be interested in getting into pulp and paper?
I would recommend that they do their best to get admitted to UW and get into the SBSE program because it will set you up for success! Natural products chemistry is exciting, paper machines are cool, and you get to be a part of processes that actually make products used all over the world. Come at it with an open mind and see the benefits of joining an established industry. The industry has survived this long for a reason and even in this ever-evolving digital age, we all still need paper.
Please let us know of anything else of interest about your experiences in the program.
Another one of the best parts of the BSE program is the opportunity for undergraduate students to do research. We have great professors that can teach us so much more outside of the given curriculum. I've learned so many great skills from my PI, Dr. Heidi Gough, whose environmental technology lab I've been in for over 2 years. I've gotten to use my biology background and pair that with the environmental engineering side of our program through my research in DNA analysis of the species of bacteria and archaea that live in our anaerobic digestors.
Please tell us your program year, your hometown, and any interesting free-time activities.
I am a fourth year BSE student from Kent/Ruston, Washington. In my spare time, I like to spend time walking around and exploring new breweries with my boyfriend and our dog Jasper. I also enjoy decorating & dressing up for holidays and paper crafts (cards, collaging, cardboard construction). I can make pretty much anything out of cardboard and duct tape. I look forward to having more time to do that after graduation.
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Learn more about the SBSE Major and how the Washington Pulp and Paper Foundation supports career pathways in this video.
* Note: As of Autumn 2025, the Bioresource Science and Engineering (BSE) major is superseded by the Sustainable Bioresource Systems Engineering (SBSE) major.
