Body

2021-22 RECIPIENTS

Student Awards, Scholarships & Grants

Congratulations to our 2021-22 engineering scholarship and award recipients! Rice Engineering students have a variety of scholarships, awards and opportunities available to them — recognizing academic success, research, service and development.

We encourage Rice Engineering students to apply for the awards next academic year! Browse the award opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.


2021-22 Student Award Recipients

Body
Michael Angino

Leadership Excellence Award

Michael Angino
B.S. electrical engineering 2022

“The award will assist me as I continue onto my master’s degree in ECE at Rice.”

Leslie Arrazolo

Outstanding Senior Merit Award

Leslie Arrazolo
B.S. chemical engineering 2022

“This gift will help me with relocation to my new institution. I will be moving to New Haven to pursue a Ph.D. at Yale University. This gift will help me purchase an airline ticket and necessary winter attire.”

Joseph Asfouri

Research Excellence Award, Junior Merit Award

Joseph Asfouri
B.S. electrical engineering 2023

“This generous gift plugs me into the REA network, which will provide valuable connections as I search for graduate schools next semester and for professorships after graduate school.”

Sean Bishop

Rodd/Selman Scholarship

Sean Bishop
B.S. chemical engineering 2024

“This award will go towards paying for my college education, making it easier for my family and I to get me through school and allow me to focus more on my academics and contributing to the Rice community while I am a student here.”

Max Bowman

Electrical and Computer Engineering Outstanding Junior

Max Aksel Bowman
B.S. electrical engineering 2023

“This gift plays a significant role in helping me establish a solid foundation in electrical engineering, preparing me for graduate school and a career in industry. I hope to pursue engineering research and development.”

Brianna Bukowski

REA Project Grant

Brianna Bukowski
B.S. chemical engineering 2025

“I plan to solve global warming, and since biofuels can be an important component of that, the grant will ensure I can do future research on biofuels.”

Jamie Chen

Leadership Excellence Award and Senior Merit Award

Jamie Chen
B.A. computational and applied mathematics 2022

Josh Chen

Graduate Travel Grant

Joshua Chen
Ph.D. bioengineering 2022

This gift will enable me to travel to conferences so that I can broaden my scientific knowledge and network with potential future mentors and colleagues.”

Yunseo Choi

Dick and Mary Wilson Enhancement Award

Yunseo Choi
B.S. civil engineering, 2022

“With this funding I will have more freedom to design experiments. It can help me buy the experimental tools and products with less financial burden and solidify my hypothesis.”

Colter Decker

REA Research Excellence Award; REA Junior Merit Award

Colter Decker
B.S. mechanical engineering 2023

“I balance time spent on research with working to support my tuition. This award will permit me to spend more time pursuing research goals. I’m also hoping to present at research conferences in the coming year, which this award will support.”

Daniel Dibos

Thomas Michael Panos Family Engineering Student Award; Chevron Scholarship

Daniel Dibos
B.S. mechanical engineering 2022

“This award will help fund my graduate school, which is the next destination for my career in engineering.”

Travis Dowd

Louis and Peaches Owens Fellowship for Professional Masters

Travis Dowd
Master of Bioengineering 2023

“This scholarship will help me to gain more experience in hands-on design, medical needs finding, and medical entrepreneurship through Rice’s amazing GMI program while continuing to compete athletically at the collegiate level.”

Abigail Dowse

Bioengineering Outstanding Junior Award

Abigail Dowse
B.S. bioengineering 2023

“This gift will be extremely useful in supporting my efforts to complete a master’s degree in bioengineering, with the goal of pursuing a career in medical device design for low-resource settings.”

Nicholas Ess

REA Project Grant

Nicholas Ess
B.S. mechanical engineering 2023

“Rice Eclipse is deeply grateful for your support, and we can't wait to put this award to good use as we shoot higher than ever.”

Corbett Fong

Senior Merit Award

Corbett Fong
B.S. mechanical engineering 2022

“It will provide me with money to find housing for the next year when I plan to do the master’s of mechanical engineering program.”

SamantHa Fuentes

Electrical and Computer Engineering Outstanding Senior Award

Samantha Fuentes
B.S. electrical engineering 2022

“This award inspires me to keep striving for excellence and to keep giving back to my engineering community as I graduate and begin my professional career. It is a very great honor.”

Vanessa Garlepp

Distinguished Junior Merit Award; REA Leadership Excellence Award

Vanessa Garlepp
B.S. bioengineering 2023

“This gift will give me increased financial security as I continue to pursue my degree, and help me feel more comfortable exploring my BIOE interests in more classes without worrying about taking on an abundance of working hours.”

Bryn Gerwin

REA Outstanding Junior Merit Award; Leadership Excellence Award

Bryn Gerwin
B.S. mechanical engineering 2023

“I am grateful to the REA for these generous gifts. They will allow me to spend my senior year focusing on my studies to complete my degree. I will also be able to explore my interests in robotics and aerospace engineering, and determine what I want to do after graduation.”

Esha Ghai

Fluor Daniel Engineering Scholarship

Esha Ghai
B.S. chemical engineering 2023

“This gift will help support my co-curricular professional/career development and academic pursuits.”

Elise Gibney

Phil Layton Award for Excellence in the Arts

Elise Gibney
B.S. electrical engineering, 2022

“This gift will allow me to upgrade some of my personal neurological equipment and help cover my living expenses while I begin work toward a Ph.D. in neuroengineering this fall.”

Sakib Hassan

REA Graduate Student Travel Award

Sakib Hassan
Ph.D. electrical and computer engineering 2022

“I will be able to share my knowledge with my peers and get useful feedback from the leading scientific community. This will enable me to improve the design, performance of the sensor and broaden the application.”

Delaram Pir Hayatifard

REA Graduate Student Travel Grant

Delaram Pirhayatifard
Ph.D. electrical and computer engineering 2024

“It gives me the opportunity to attend conferences related to my field and grow my knowledge.”

Ze He

REA Graduate Student Travel Grant

Ze He
Ph.D. chemical and biomolecular engineering, 2023

“Thanks to this gift, presenting my work at professional conference will help promote my research and expand my horizons in industry.”

Alexander Ho

Materials Science and NanoEngineering Outstanding Senior

Alexander Ho
B.A. materials science and nanoengineering, 2022

“This award will help me demonstrate my discipline, hard work and commitment to always learn, grow and improve myself as an emerging engineer. I am honored to be recognized for my hard work.”

Joshua Holder

Mechanical Engineering Outstanding Senior Award

Joshua Holder
B.S. mechanical engineering 2022

“This monetary gift will be invaluable in paying for tuition and living expenses in this phase of my education. and allow me to focus on my studies. The recognition will be helpful in propelling my career.”

Caroline Holland

SAME Award

Caroline Holland
B.S. civil engineering 2023

“This will be helpful in allowing me to pay rent, buy meals, purchase basic living items and most importantly use my time studying rather than worrying about my finances.”

Kshipra S. Kapoor

REA Graduate Student Travel Grant

Kshipra S. Kapoor
Ph.D. electrical and computer engineering, 2023

“My field is extracellular vesicles, using them and lipid nanoparticles for dermal applications. With the REA gift I will attend a conference, share my work and meet with the leaders in the field.”

Ellen Kasradze

Mechanical Engineering Outstanding Junior Award; TSPE Most Outstanding Junior; Fluor Daniel Engineering Scholarship

Ellen Kasradze
B.S. mechanical engineering 2023

“This gift will allow me greater flexibility to engage in unpaid learning opportunities. I would like to thank Prof. Marcia O’Malley, whose humor and passion for teaching made 9 a.m. lectures enjoyable.”

Junhyung Lyle Kim

REA Graduate Student Travel Grant

Junhyung Lyle Kim
Ph.D. computer science, 2024

“My adviser, Prof. Anastasios Kyrillidis, is always the biggest motivator and supporter for my research. I would like to thank the REA for the travel grant. I will attend conferences to make research connections.”

Minjung Kim

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Outstanding Senior Award

Minjung Kim
B.S. chemical engineering 2022

“This gift is especially meaningful because it will support my Ph.D. journey after graduation. I hope to one day give back to support the endeavors and futures of the next generation of students.”

Chloe Kong

REA Research Excellence Award; REA Junior Merit Award

Chloe Kong
B.S. materials science and nanoengineering

“I plan to spend this gift to support the living costs accompanying summer research and to attend conferences this upcoming fall.”

Edwin Lai

REA Graduate Student Travel Grant

Cheuk Sun Edwin Lai
Ph.D. bioengineering 2023

“It lessens the financial burden to attend a conference, which is important to build connections for professional opportunities.”

Alex Lammers

Bioengineering Outstanding Senior Award; TSPE Most Outstanding Senior

Alex Lammers
B.S. bioengineering 2022

“I’ve framed my study of bioengineering through global health. I hope for a career in designing low-cost medical devices. Whether saving for graduate school or living expenses during a fellowship, every bit helps!”

Matan Lieber Kotz

REA International Service Award

Matan Lieber-Kotz
B.S. chemical engineering 2023

“This award will help me continue working on new engineering and/or service projects during and after my time at Rice. My mentors have always told me that giving back is of paramount importance, and after many years spent on this project, this award is inspiration for me to make volunteering a project for life.”

Jonathan Lloyd

Buckley Sartwelle Scholarship

Jonathan Lloyd
B.S. mechanical engineering 202

“This gift will help alleviate the burden of tuition on my family and fund my internship relocation this summer.”

Maria Astrid Campos Mata

REA Graduate Student Travel Grant

Maria Astrid Campos Mata
Ph.D. materials science and nanoengineering 2022

“The gift will assist me in presenting my work at an international conference, where I will be able to connect with experts in the field and help me establish future connections.”

Mit Mehta

REA Project Grant

Mit Mehta
B.S. electrical engineering 2022

“This award was for the Rice Electric Vehicle Team.”

Andrei Mitrofan

REA International Service Award

Andrei Mitrofan
B.S. bioengineering 2023

“Receiving this gift will allow me to take time off during the summer and serve low-resource communities in the U.S., Romania and Mexico. It will also give me more flexibility to attend conferences and gain more insight into what I want to do with my career.”

jacob Morgan

Fluor Daniel Engineering Scholarship

Jacob Morgan
B.S. civil engineering 2023

“I am starting to apply to graduate school and this gift will help cover the cost of GRE preparation and application fees.

Derin Okunubi

REA Junior Merit Award

Derin Okunubi
B.S. civil engineering 2023

“Receiving this award was motivating and inspiring for me. This is the first award I have received from Rice since becoming a student and it felt great to have my achievements recognized. It encourages me to strive to be better and keep on pushing and aiming higher in my education and career.”

Alice Owens

R.K.M. “Bob” Dickson Prize

Alice Owens
B.S. mechanical engineering 2025

“The award will allow me to pursue a study abroad program in Costa Rica, where I will study two engineering design courses crucial for the engineering design minor. It will give me valuable experience working with new team members, clients and users.”

Prashanth Pai

REA Senior Merit Award

Prashanth Pai
B.S. computer science 2022

“I plan to use the scholarship to fund my move to Seattle, where I'll begin my career in computer science and also to help me begin saving up for graduate school, if I eventually decide to go down that path.”

Danica Pietrzak

Rodd/Selman Scholarship

Danica Pietrzak
B.S. chemical engineering 2023

Durnian Parulski Seager

REA Graduate Student Travel Grant

Durnian Chen Chang Li Paruslki-Seager
Ph.D. civil and environmental engineering 2025

“This gift will allow me to grow as a young researcher. With it, I'll be able to expand my professional network outside of Rice and have access to professional development resources not available here, such as a career-oriented, interactive panel.”

Jarrett Prchal

Thomas Michael Panos Family Engineering Student Award, REA Senior Merit Award

Jarrett Prchal
B.S. mechanical engineering 2022

“This gift will be a great support as I go to law school to develop a set of skills to supplement my engineering education.”

Alison Qiu

REA Leadership Excellence Award

Alison Qiu
B.S. computer science 2025

“It will encourage me to continue to develop myself as an engineering leader and empower other women in engineering to become leaders. Thank you for your kindness.”

Rawand Rasheed

Hershel M. Rich Invention Award

Rawand Rasheed
Ph.D. mechanical engineering 2023

“This award is validation that my efforts are on track to helping make an impact on the world. I want the work I produce to have a benefit to humanity. That is why I have been working hard developing the thirsty corkscrew filters, also known as the multiplexed inertial filters. I believe it can have a big impact on helping our planet.”

Oscar Reynozo

Chevron Scholarship

Oscar Leonardo Reynozo
B.S. electrical engineering 2023

“The gift will help reduce the number of hours I am required to spend for work-study as part of my financial aid plan. Hence, it will allow me to spend more time in my studies and perform better in my courses.”

Kimberly Rodriguez

REA Senior Merit Award

Kimberly Rodriguez
B.S. mechanical engineering 2022

“It will help fund moving costs associated with starting a job after graduation.”

Daniel Rothfusz

REA Senior Merit Award

Daniel Rothfusz
B.S. electrical engineering 2022

“I am about to go work full time in California, so I will need a significant amount to be able to get started with my career.

Bryant Ruff

Rodd/Selman Scholarship

Bryant Ruff
B.S. chemical engineering 2024

“Coming to Rice has been a sacrifice for my family and this award is definitely received with a lot of gratitude. It also motivates me to continue pushing myself and making the most of my time at Rice.”

Brandon Ruiz

Louis and Peaches Owen Fellowship for Professional Master’s

Brandon Robert Ruiz
Master of Bioengineering 2023

“With this gift I will be able to continue my education to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue a career in neuro-prosthetics.”

Jordan Shivers

Ralph Budd Ph.D. Thesis Award

Jordan Lee Shivers
Ph.D. chemical and biomolecular engineering 2022

Neha Singh

Civil and Environmental Engineering Outstanding Senior Award

Neha Singh
B.S. civil engineering 2022

“This award will help fund my aspirations to attend graduate school in urban planning. It will permit me to more quickly start doing the work that I am completely passionate about.”

Mantej Singh

Distinguished Senior Merit Award

Mantej Singh
B.S. computer science 2022

“This award instills the confidence in me that I can make an impact in this world. This award will help further my goal of improving human health through technology, as I continue my graduate studies at Johns Hopkins.”

Pasan Sirithanachai

Fluor Daniels Scholarships

Pasan (Pete) Sirithanachai
B.S. computer science 2023

Eliot Solomon

REA Junior Merit Award

Eliot Solomon
B.S. computer science 2023

“It will help me purchase supplies and equipment relevant to my computer science studies.”

Cengizhan Taslicay

Harrianna Butler Scholarship

Cengizhan Taslicay
Ph.D. mechanical engineering 2025

“In order to focus on academic studies, you need to minimize other problems, such as finances. Thanks to this scholarship, I will be able to focus on my studies because I will have the chance to live in a more comfortable environment.”

Christina Taylor

REA Project Grant

Christina Taylor
Ph.D. computational and applied mathematics, 2024

“We are working on a novel ballet pointe shoe design. We haven’t begun work yet, but the project has already impacted 17 undergrads, two grad students and two recent Rice graduates who volunteered.”

Savannah Tiemann

James S. Waters Creativity Award; Chevron Scholarship; and REA Research Excellence Award

Savannah Tiemann
B.S. chemical engineering 2023

“This gift will go directly to savings for use after graduation. I have earned a fellowship and will be conducting research at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, and the grant will help cover travel costs.”

Mohammad Taha Toghani

REA Graduate Student Travel Grant

Mohammad Taha Toghani
Ph.D. electrical and computer engineering, 2024

“One of the main components of successful research is to attend related scientific conferences and events and present the current or ongoing research to experts, colleagues and peers.”

Jeffrey Vanegas

REA Junior Merit Award; REA International Service Award; James S. Waters Creativity Award

Jeffrey Alejandro Vanegas
B.S. chemical engineering 2023

“I am on the ChBE undergraduate board and a project lead for Engineers Without Borders. This summer I will be working at Thermo Fisher Scientific in their drug product division as a pharmaceutical science intern.”

Benjamin Walls

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Outstanding Junior Award; Chevron Scholarship; REA Research Excellence Award

Benjamin Walls
B.S. chemical engineering 2023

“The award will aid in my tuition payments and show on my graduate school applications that I am a high-achieving student. Thank you for incentivizing high-impact work from students.”

Cheng Wan

REA Graduate Student Travel Grant

Cheng Wan
Ph.D. electrical and computer engineering 2024

“This is very helpful. It supports my travel to conferences which substantially increases the visibility of my research.”

Bo Wang

REA Graduate Student Travel Grant

Bo Wang
Ph.D. chemical and biomolecular engineering 2023

Anthony Weeks

Rodd/Selman Scholarship

Anthony Weeks
B.S. chemical engineering 2024

“This gift will help me afford housing in Austin over the summer for my internship with Samsung Semiconductors and help me get more experience with electronics manufacturing, which I hope to have for a career.”

Aidan Weindel

Dick and Mary Wilson Enhancement Award

Aidan Weindel
B.S. civil engineering, 2023

“I intend to go to graduate school. This scholarship goes a long way in providing financial stability for my post-undergraduate life and will allow me to begin saving up for higher education sooner.”

Isabelle Williams

REA Senior Merit Award

Isabelle Williams
B.S. chemical engineering 2022

“The award will allow me to be more comfortable in graduate school.”

Joshua Woods

Sue H. and Harold R. Galloway Award

Joshua Woods
Ph.D electrical and computer engineering, 2026

“This will enable me not to worry about housing and will give me flexibility for after I graduate. Thank you! This is a huge blessing.”

Lindsay Wright

REA Leadership Excellence Award

Lindsay Wright
B.S. mechanical engineering 2025

“This gift will help reduce the burden of tuition and allow me to focus on my plans to get more involved in the university through research and engineering clubs at Rice.”

Bohan Wu

REA Research Excellence Award; REA Senior Merit Award

Bohan Wu
B.S. statistics 2022

“It will help initiate my graduate school study. I would like to thank Prof. Daniel Kowal for his research mentorship and Prof. Philip Ernst for his major-related advice.”

Luna Xia

Rodd/Selman Scholarship

Luna Xia
B.S. chemical engineering 2024

“This gift is a validation of my work and a motivation for me to keep learning and improving as a student in chemical engineering.”

Kefei Xu

Materials Science and NanoEngineering Outstanding Junior Award

Kefei Xu
B.S. materials science and nanoengineering 2023

Annie Xu

Civil and Environmental Engineering Outstanding Junior Award

Annie Xu
B.S. civil engineering 2024

“My career goal is to drive sustainability forward in the realm of urban infrastructure. This award has made pursuing this goal and taking on other challenges less daunting and more fulfilling.”

Berk Alp Yakici

REA Leadership Excellence Award

Berk Alp Yakici
B.S. computer science 2022

“I will use this award to cover any additional expenses during my fifth-year master's thesis program that are not covered by the departmental graduate stipend.”

Steven Zhao

Buckley Sartwelle Scholarship

Steven Zhao
B.S. mechanical engineering 2023

“I am interested in aerospace engineering, so this scholarship will help pay for the education necessary.”

no photoAasha Zinke

International Service Award

Aasha Zinke
B.S. materials science and nanoengineering 2024

“I am grateful that this generous gift will allow me to continue the work that I am doing. I will hopefully be able to travel soon and use this gift to fund the implementation of one of these projects.”