Drexel School of Engineering

Are these photos blurry for anyone else? 🥲

Congrats to the Drexel Engineering Class of 2026! We can't wait to see how you change the world.

Today is an extraordinary moment for Drexel. We have the privilege of announcing an unprecedented $112.6 million gift to our University from The Howley Foundation, founded by alumnus W. Nicholas “Nick” Howley and his wife, Lorie.

The $112.6 million commitment, which is the largest pledge in the University’s history, will establish the Nick Howley College of Engineering and Computing, expand educational opportunities, and bring state-of-the-art experiential learning facilities to Drexel.

“This investment is a powerful affirmation of Drexel’s strength and leadership in fields where innovation and impact are deeply intertwined. It will not only bring excitement and a new look to our campus, but it will also provide generations of students with access to state-of-the-art facilities, as well as set them on course for a transformational educational experience at Drexel,” said Drexel President Antonio Merlo, PhD.

Learn more: https://drexel.edu/news/archive/2026/June/Howley-Foundation-gift-CoEC

As a teenager, W. Nicholas Howley had no intention of studying engineering. Fifty years later, he returns to Drexel as a commencement speaker, industry pioneer and philanthropist committed to giving talented students from underresourced communities a fair shot at college.

Read more: https://drexel.edu/engineering/news-events/news/archive/2026/June/nick-howley-engineering-commencement-speaker/

Drexel University's College of Engineering honored students across a range of awards, scholarships, and fellowships at the 2026 Celebration of Engineering. Congratulations to all of this year's recipients.

College of Engineering Award Winners

• Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award: Alessandra Cabrera, Materials Science & Engineering
• Outstanding BS/MS Student Award: Emma Sloan, Yuki Duncan, Chemical Engineering
• Outstanding Master's Student Award: Faddy Ramirez Rivera, Chemical Engineering
• Outstanding PhD Student Award: Xinle Zhang, Materials Science & Engineering

Scholarships, Fellowships & Special Recognitions

• Gilman Scholarship: Faris Dababneh, Computer Engineering
• Fulbright U.S. Student Program: Alessandra Cabrera, Materials Science & Engineering (Teaching Assistant in Kazakhstan), Benjamin Rosenfeld, Chemical Engineering (Semifinalist)
• Goldwater Scholarship Nominee: Kiana Ahmari, Mechanical Engineering
• Udall Scholarship Nominee: Madison Klak, BS/MS Environmental & Civil Engineering
• SuperNova Research Fellows: Rhythm Osan, Architectural & Civil Engineering, Santiago Sosa, Electrical Engineering
• STAR Scholars: Artem Stehura (Civil Engineering), Steve Huynh (Electrical Engineering), Rudy Lahkani (Engineering Technology), Siya Shah (Environmental Engineering), Myint Mo Htoo (Chemical Engineering), Marielle Flora Fou Fou (Mechanical Engineering), Abhyudaya Upreti (Mechanical Engineering), David Diabene (Mechanical Engineering), Spoorthi Pyarilal (Computer Science)

Office of Graduate Studies Awards

• Teaching Assistant Excellence Awards: Amir Bagheri, Civil Engineering, Mehrangiz Taheri, Mechanical Engineering
• Research Excellence Award (Most Original & Creative Work): Vahid Rad, Chemical Engineering
• Joseph and Shirley Carleone Endowed Fellowship: Vahid Rad, Arash Adhamijamali (Chemical Engineering), Yuanren Liu, Yash Athreya (Materials Science & Engineering), Fortune Njikho, Deniz Beken (Engineering Management)

Koerner Family Awards

• Renewable Energy & Power: Jonathan Ross, Electrical & Computer Engineering
• Health, Wellness & Medicine: Carl Furner, Materials Science & Engineering, Gavin Hearne, Electrical & Computer Engineering

Paul Lemmo Fellowship: Shichen Yu, Materials Science & Engineering

Congratulations to all the student teams recognized at this year's Celebration of Engineering! On June 5, Drexel's College of Engineering honored outstanding student work across four competitions, spanning first-year design projects, undergraduate research, and senior design. The event was presented by Boeing and KEEN Engineering Unleashed.

First-Year Design Competition

🥇 H.E.L.I.O.S. (Harvesting Energy for Limb Independence and Operational Sustainability): Bridget Klupa, Iris Weiss, Tamanna Vejlani, Ilaida Tusha, Alijah Hutchins-Rodriguez
🥈 EasyWalker: Devin Hardee, John Lam, Golden Thach, Jackson Walters, Olyvia Fennell, Jason Quiroz
🥉 Driver Attentiveness Sensor: Christopher Holzmann, Ethan Slowik, Kyran Liu, Jimmy Wang, Julian Boone

Undergraduate Research Competition
🥇 Researching Biochar for Direct Air Capture of CO2 in Natural Gas Exhaust: Noah Woods, Oren Harman, Isabella Passero, Vijay Palkhiwala
🥈 Cost-Effective Remote Surgical Robot for Training Applications: Amir Gharib, Holden Chapman, Eliazar Suntono, David Abraham
🥉 Community-Centered Design for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps in Gaza: Huseyin Kurt, Audra Stein, Michael Vukovich, Tanishka Shah, Steven Miller

Senior Design General Competition
🥇 Poly-L-Lactic Acid Crystalsomes Formed in Environmentally Sustainable Nanoemulsions for Biomedical Applications: Joseph Heston, Sarah Cassidy, Conway Zheng
🥈 Regeneratively Cooled Rocket Nozzle Using Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces: Faith Cruz, Rachel Hanes, Jack Pirtle, Emily Thompson
🥉 Target Recognition Autonomous Control Engine (TRACE): Elias Braddock, Drew Dolaway, Kim Huy Heng, Kaleb Lefkowitz, Liam Ostrander

Senior Design Champion Competition
🥇 Digital Twin and Deck Rehabilitation of the Commodore Barry Bridge: Margaret Dobrenko, Emily Ellis, Edgar Sanchez
🥈 MXene-Based Photothermal Desalination for Off-Grid Freshwater Generation: Alessandra Cabrera, Evelyn Carpenter, Lucy Plant
🥉 Geometric Variable Airfoil: Marcel Mazahreh, Nafis Chowdhury, Caleigh Brogan, Colton Davis, Alex Giordano
Well done to all!