Student Awards – Fall 2020

Amanda White

Academics/Honors
Honors (2), High Honors (3), Highest Honors (2)
Undergraduate Research Scholar Designation
Minors in Applied Mathematics and Japanese Studies.

Clubs/Organizations
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (2016-2020, Secretary, Treasurer, Conference Chair)
Microgravity (2019-2020, Technical Co-lead)
Engineering Residential College.

Internships/Jobs
Undergraduate Research (2018-2020)
Boeing Propulsion Internship (2020)

Where I’m heading
I will start the ME Masters in spring 2021 at BSU.

Jake Johnson

Academic honors
Dean’s list with honors  –  all semesters at BSU

Minor
Applied Mathematics Minor

Clubs/Organizations/Extracurriculars
Designed, Built, and Tested a Turbojet engine using a turbocharger – Project Lead
Mechanical Engineering Club – Design Lead on the HPVC project
Aerospace Club – member
NASA Microgravity Club – member
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) – member

Scholarships/Fellowships
National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholar
IGTI Gas & Turbomachinery Scholarship
Carolyn & James M. Chenoweth Scholarship

Internships
Mechanical Engineer – Intern, Chris Reeve Knives
Quality Engineer – Intern, Plexus Corp.
Mechanical Design Engineer – Intern, Odin Works

Where I’m heading
Accepted to the University of Colorado Boulder for a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering

Hobbies
Building, designing, and fixing things.
Working on my car
3D printing.

Zuly Lapa

Academic and other honors
Graduating Student Leader
First Generation Student

Internships and job experience
SUEZ (SP20)
Undergraduate Research (SU19)

Scholarships or fellowships
Laura Moore Cunningham Award
VanVacter Scholarship
Idaho Opportunity Scholarship
Kem Gardner Scholarship
Eilene J Porter Engineering
Roy Langton Scholarship
Harriette & Tyler Lowrey Award
Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering

Clubs and organizations
MBE Student Advisory Board
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority
Organizacion de Estudiantes Latino Americanos (OELA)
Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP)
First Forward Program

Hobbies and more
Traveling and outdoors

Terek Zimmerman

Academic and other honors
Dean’s list with highest honors Jan 2017-Present

Clubs and organizations
Aerospace Club, President (2019-2020)
Microgravity (2018-2020)
ME Student Advisory Board(2019-2021)
Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honors Society
National Society of Collegiate Scholars

Internships and job experience
Research Assistant – Smart Materials and Systems Laboratory
Assistant Support Engineer – Idaho Microfabrication Laboratory
Peer Educator – ME 380 Kinematics
Learning Assistant – MATH 160/175

Where I’m heading
Next I will be getting my MSME at Boise State, then I plan to go into the Aerospace or Robotics Industries.

Hobbies and more
Backpacking, Camping, Target Shooting, and Video Games

Julianna Buzzard

MBE Student Advisory Board

Society of Women Engineers (SWE)

Mechanical Engineering Club

Participation in the peer educator sessions

Just making connections!

ME 321 – Thermal/Fluids

Zachary Price

My experience this semester has been interesting for sure. Being a PE for a new class in a new curriculum can definitely be challenging, but with the help of Dr. Pakala, it has been a valuable learning experience and a great time. I love sharing my personal love for the understanding of high-level thermal fluids with the students in order to hopefully show them how awesome this side of ME can be. I love that I understand these concepts on a high level so that I can answer conceptual questions and really help the students understand what is going on so they can see why we do what we do.

I am thankful for everyone’s help, including Dr. Pakala, Sam, my fellow PE, and all of the students for all inspiring me to be the best version of myself and help others see the joy of thermal fluids.

Lynn Olson

I have been a professional engineer for 19 years, and while my license is still active I have not practiced engineering since 2011 after starting full time at Boise State. However, during that time through the Idaho Society of Professional Engineers (ISPE) as both an officer at the local and state level and volunteer I have tried to promote the engineering profession through programs like MATHCOUNTS, Future City and Engineers Week.

One of my favorite volunteer activities has always been working with the College of Engineering even before 2011 to help recognize the top Boise State junior engineering students and promote engineering licensure. Now as an advisor in the College of Engineering I am able to play a small part in helping students on their path to completing their degree as they begin careers in engineering.

In 2016 I helped ISPE reactivate the Boise State/ISPE link for the Order of the Engineer and was inducted myself that year. With the exception of 2020 I have worked with the College of Engineering to promote the Order of the Engineer as well as the Pledge of the Computing Professional to graduating engineers and computer science majors. These programs are intended both to foster a spirit of pride and responsibility in the profession. Though ceremonies were not conducted in 2020, all graduates are welcome to participate in a future ceremony. I am planning to organize an in person ceremony for spring 2021.

Thanks again for this recognition, it means a lot coming from students!!

SAB Outstanding Faculty Member
SAB Best Transition to Online Teaching
SAB Best Help Outside the Classroom

Dr. Krishna Pakala

There has never been a more important time to muster strength, courage and motivation to uplift folks to carry on than the times we live in currently. We as educators did our best to meet the student needs in 2020 and continue to receive stellar support from the university. Students also were hugely instrumental to help us all navigate these turbulent times, you all showcased great persistence and resilience.

As teachers, we can guide students’ discoveries and change the trajectory of their lives. In the process, we are continually blessed to be able to nurture the learning of the next generation of engineers that will contribute to our society. Throughout all my activities, my continual focus has been on building community, providing students a scaffold for learning, facilitating their emotional and intellectual growth, and being an integral part of their journey from a novice engineering student to a skilled and confident engineer.

I strive to engage my students in such a way that they become much more self-aware, empowered, and confident — so that they persevere when trying to solve difficult problems — rather than becoming frustrated and not believing in their ability to learn.