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Seven students from the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering have earned graduating student awards from the College of Engineering and Applied Science in 2025. These awards honor seniors who are nominated by faculty, staff or fellow students for their outstanding contributions to the college and campus community.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has recognized five students and affiliates in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering with Graduate Research Fellowships. These top awards honor and support outstanding graduate students from across the country in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees.

Professors Mark Borden and Mark Rentschler have been inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows. The program is among the highest professional distinctions given to medical and biological engineers, representing the top 2% of these engineers around the world.

For over 20 years, Associate Research Professor Svenja Knappe has focused on developing miniaturized quantum sensors and systems. Now the technology is helping ɫ��Ƶ���� spinout Mesa Quantum commercialize chip-scale quantum solutions that can transform our navigation infrastructure.

Assistant Professor Debanjan Mukherjee and Associate Professor Marina Vance have both been selected as 2025 RIO Faculty Fellows. The program supports faculty in achieving their research and innovation goals and promotes collaboration through tailored training, experiential learning and leadership development opportunities.

Associate Professor Jianliang Xiao is a “mechanics of materials” expert launching innovations in soft materials and flexible electronics who has been selected as a senior member in the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). The program recognizes rising innovators who have had success securing patents, licensing and commercialization for developed technologies that showcase real impact on the welfare of society.

Two undergraduate students, third-year Asaiah Gifford and first-year Caleb Woldemichael, were selected as Patti Grace Smith Fellows. The prestigious program is designed to help accelerate the careers of high-achieving Black students across the nation–a population that statistically remains underrepresented throughout the aerospace industry.

CU Engineering has named the inaugural recipients of its Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fellows program, which supports faculty, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students in bringing research to market. The fellows, selected for their work in fields like robotics, biomedical devices and advanced materials, receive funding, mentorship and entrepreneurial support to accelerate commercialization.

Six years ago, Professor Mark Rentschler helped launch startup company Aspero Medical to develop a medical device used during endoscopy procedures. Today, with the help of a $4.5 million grant through the Anschutz Acceleration Initiative, Rentschler and his team are bringing two new medical devices to the market that have the potential to transform surgeries in the gastrointestinal region even further.

First-year PhD student Nick Rovito has been named the winner of the Young Engineer Paper Competition at this year's International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE) held by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. His novel research aims to answer two questions: why do stroke treatments fail, and how can we increase their efficacy in the future?