Katelyn Givan, senior in chemical engineering, has won the 2021 Robert H. Parks Prize for Engineering Leadership. Ryan Udell, senior in mechanical engineering, has won the 2021 RCEL Award for Engineering Leadership. Read on to learn more about these amazing student leaders!
Amanda Prestia
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership
April 30, 2021
Katelyn Givan, senior is chemical and biomolecular engineering, has received the 2021 Robert H. Parks Award for Excellence in Engineering Leadership, which comes with a $3,500 prize. The award is given to a senior who displays leadership “in and outside the classroom, and is recognized by faculty and peers as an exemplary leader.
Katelyn Givan developed leadership skills through her work as Junior and Senior Lead (equivalent to the president of a club) of the Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Board (CUB). She also served as a Teaching Assistant for multiple courses where she was recognized for her skills by faculty, as well as an academic mentor for her residential college. During the summer of 2020, Katelyn worked as a Live Instructor for the Rice ELITE Tech Summer Camp, leading weekly camps of high school students through complex engineering topics and exercises. She received the American Institute of Chemical Engineering’s Rising Student Award and was recognized by the Chemical Engineering Department with the Rodd/Selman Engineering and Tomas W. Moore scholarships.
“As the Senior Lead of CUB this past year, Katie showed her true leadership potential,” said Kyriacos Zygourakis, A.J. Hartsook Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. “Under her guidance, CUB provided continuous and invaluable feedback to our department on the problems and challenges faced by both students and instructors as we transitioned to online and hybrid instruction… Katie is a truly exceptional student and a future leader in our profession.”
Upon graduation, Katelyn will join Pfizer in their Global Technology and Engineering Rotation Program.
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Also honored is Ryan Udell, senior in Mechanical Engineering, who has received the 2021 RCEL Engineering Leadership Award and a $2,500 prize. The award is given to a senior “whose qualities of character, leadership and responsibility have been outstanding during their undergraduate years at Rice.”
Ryan has been active in aerospace and leadership programs while at Rice. He grew the SEDS Rice (Students for the Exploration and Development of Space) from one member to over 40 active members, and initiated the OwlSat Cube Sat Program, which was selected in the NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative and will send thousands of Rice students, alumni, and faculty/staff names to space. He also founded the annual Owls in Space Symposium for students, featuring dozens of aerospace companies, astronauts, and executives in aerospace. He has mentored students to start new projects and events, such as SWISE, SEDS SpaceVision 2021 Conference, and rover projects. Ryan is also a member of Rice Eclipse, leading the Recovery Team for the Spaceport America Cup rocket that placed 15 out of 46 teams, as well as revamping outreach and budgeting procedures.
Ryan is also an active member and officer of the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership Student Leadership group, including leading the annual “WhyRCEL” recruitment campaign, co-hosting the inaugural Night of Networking Career Fair, and developing leadership support events. Ryan is a co-founder of the Zed Factor Fellowship, where he manages community engagement and recruits companies to develop an internship and community outreach program for underrepresented students.
“Ryan is a visionary individual,” said Eleazar Marquez, Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “This is a trait that very few people possess at a young age. He is driven to make a difference in his generation, particularly in the space discipline. Since his arrival, Ryan has been making an impact in the Mechanical Engineering Department and the clubs he has joined. It has been a joy and honor having him as my student, and Rice University is extremely fortunate to have him.”
At his internship at Boeing, Ryan developed a white paper for executive program management and co-lead a feasibility study for a fundamental infrastructure change to the International Space Station. He has been selected to join Boeing after graduation in the Satellite Systems Engineering Rotation and Leadership Development Program.