|
 |
2026 Awardees:
Top row, left to right: Matthew Chou, Valentina Cruz, Saanchi Desai, Joseph Hauerstein, and Samuel Heintz
Middle row, left to right: Valery Huachara Minaya, Robert “Chase” Latyak, Mia Mikowski, Marissa Potts, and Isabella Schroeder
Bottom row, left to right: Amelia “Mia” Skeers, Bence Szego, Jack Szyprowski, Akemi Takeuchi, and Jolicia Taylor |
|
On May 5, the Department of Aerospace Engineering, along with the A. James Clark School of Engineering celebrated undergraduate students who exemplify the college’s commitment to excellence during the Annual Honors and Awards Ceremony.
Among this year’s honorees were fifteen aerospace engineering undergraduates recognized by the department and the Clark School for their outstanding achievements in academics, leadership, and service.
This year’s awardees
The Alfred Gessow Scholarship Award is presented to those seniors in the department who have attained the highest overall academic average.
- Awarded to Joseph Hauerstein, Robert Latyak, and Bence Szego
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Outstanding Achievement Award is presented to the student who has made the most outstanding contribution through scholarship and service to the student branch and the department.
The Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering Leadership Award is presented to an undergraduate student who through service and leadership provides outstanding support to the initiatives and programming of the Center.
- Awarded to Jolicia Taylor
The Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering Service Award is presented in recognition of dedicated service to the Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering through commitment to promoting diversity in engineering in the college, the university community, and through the Center’s recruitment, outreach, and retention programs.
- Awarded to Tyler Belen, Valentina Cruz
The Clark School Dean’s Khosa Resiliency Award is presented to an undergraduate student in the Clark School of Engineering who has overcome obstacles and persisted in realizing their academic, personal, and professional accomplishments.
- Awarded to Valery Huachara Minaya
The Department of Aerospace Engineering Chair's Award is presented to those students who have made the most outstanding contributions through excellence in academics and outstanding service and leadership to the department.
- Awarded to Matthew Chou, Samuel Heintz, Marissa Potts, Amelia Skeers, and Akemi Takeuchi
The Department of Aerospace Junior Merit Award is presented to juniors in the department who have attained the highest overall academic average.
- Awarded to Ryan Brown, Isabella Schroeder, and Jack Szyprowski
The Joseph Guthrie Scholarship Award is presented to a junior in the department who has attained the highest overall academic average.
The Women in Aeronautics and Astronautics Award is presented to those students who have made the most outstanding contributions through scholarship and service to the organization and the department.
- Awarded to Marissa Potts and Amelia Skeers
The Women in Engineering Mentorship Award is presented to those engineering students who have gone above and beyond to encourage, motivate, and guide their peers and increase student engagement in Women in Engineering (WIE) and other engineering programs and organizations while upholding the values of the WIE Program.
About this year’s honorees
Matthew Chou is a senior aerospace engineering student. He currently serves as president of the Terrapin Rocket Team, Maryland’s rocketry club, which placed first in their world’s competition in 2024. He previously served as president of Sigma Gamma Tau, the aerospace honors society. For the past two years, he has conducted research with Dr. Cadou on magnetohydrodynamic generators for alternative spacecraft power systems and has mentored two freshman research groups. He previously interned at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory as a modeling engineer and will continue this work at Astrion.
Valentina Cruz is a junior aerospace engineering student. She works in the Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering office tutoring third through fifth grade students. Valentina is a member of Hermandad of Sigma Iota Alpha Inc. where she has served as both treasurer and vice president. She is also a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and serves as its vice president of finance.
Saanchi Desai is a graduating senior studying aerospace engineering. She is a staff member, coordinator, and mentor in the Women in Engineering program, where she leads mentorship and community initiatives supporting engineering students. Saanchi is also a launch director, board member, and mentor in the Balloon Payload Program, leading high-altitude balloon missions, and mentoring student teams. She has served as a teaching assistant for several aerospace engineering courses and regularly participates in STEM outreach at local libraries. She also conducts rotorcraft research analyzing the acoustic and performance characteristics of Leonardo da Vinci’s aerial screw and is preparing to present her research at the AIAA Aviation Forum in California.
Joseph Hauerstein is a senior majoring in aerospace engineering with a 4.0 GPA. He has completed the University Honors (UH) Citation and the UH Student Fellowship. Since his freshman year, he has been a member of the Terrapin Rocket Team, where he now leads the development of live video, telemetry, and ground station subsystems. Joseph interned twice at Goddard Space Flight Center in the Navigation and Mission Design Branch, where he worked to improve branch trajectory optimization tools. Last summer, he began research at the University of Maryland as part of the combined B.S./M.S. program and has been accepted to graduate school to pursue his master's degree.
Samuel Heintz is a junior aerospace engineering student and current president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Samuel currently performs research with the Radiation Facilities, working closely with their particle accelerator group to simulate radiation in space. He has served as a mentor for students in ENAE100 and continues to aid student projects through the Balloon Payload Program. Samuel plans to pursue a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering after graduation.
Valery Huachara Minaya is a senior aerospace engineering student and a Clark Opportunity Transfer Scholar. She has participated in undergraduate research in satellite navigation and is currently part of a capstone project on Lunar Surface Infrastructure aligned with National Aeronautics and Space Administration initiatives. Valery has also worked as a math tutor supporting English language learners and first-generation students pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics pathways.
Robert “Chase” Latyak is a senior aerospace engineering student with a 4.0 GPA. He has completed the University Honors program and is currently in the aerospace engineering honors program, which includes undergraduate research with the High-Speed Aerodynamics and Propulsion Laboratory. He is an active member of Engineers Without Borders, serving as a travel team member for the Uganda and Senegal projects. He has also studied abroad with the Clark-in-Madrid program and is a member of club tennis. After graduation, he plans to work in the aerospace field at ATA Engineering.
Mia Mikowski is a junior aerospace engineering student with a 4.0 GPA. She is a member of the aerospace honors program, where she conducts research for the MIRAGE Lab. Her research focuses on defect tolerance and advanced metrology of additively manufactured lattice structures. Mia also serves as president of the University of Maryland (UMD) Triathlon team and sits on the board of directors at UMD Hillel.
Marissa Potts is an aerospace engineering major and currently holds the position of co-chair for Women in Aeronautics and Astronautics. Marissa strives to bring inclusivity to the aerospace engineering field and is concurrently involved in many other campus organizations. She has been president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics UMD chapter, a committed member of the Society of Women Engineers, and is in the professional sorority Alpha Omega Epsilon.
Isabella Schroeder is a junior aerospace engineering major with a minor in robotics and autonomous systems. She serves as the undergraduate liaison for Women in Aeronautics and Astronautics (WIAA), where she enjoys planning events and building a community within WIAA. Isabella is also a member of the airbrake sub team on the Terrapin Rocket Team, and she conducts research on dual engine propulsion systems in the Advanced Propulsion Research Laboratory. In addition, she is a member of honor societies Sigma Gamma Tau and Tau Beta Pi, and she assists in the care of the horse herd at UMD’s campus farm.
Amelia “Mia” Skeers is a senior aerospace engineering student. She currently serves as the co-chair of Women in Aeronautics and Astronautics and has previously served as their communications officer. She is an alumna of the Flexus Living and Learning Program and a member of the aerospace honors program. Mia is the secretary of Tau Beta Pi and has served as a ClarkLeader for the ClarkLEAD program for the past three years. She conducts research in automated asteroid detection in the Strategic Space Sensing Lab. After graduation, Mia will pursue her Ph.D. at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Bence Szego is a senior in the aerospace engineering honors program with a 4.0 GPA and an alum of the Honors Global Challenges and Solutions living and learning program. He currently serves as the president of Sigma Gamma Tau and is also a member of Tau Beta Pi. Bence is conducting research with the Space Systems Lan to be published with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics regional student conference. Bence has accepted an offer to begin working professionally after graduation.
Jack Szyprowski is a junior aerospace engineering student and completed the College Park Scholars Public Leadership Program. Jack is also in the aerospace honors program, pursuing research on 3D printed structured fabrics in the Composites Research Lab. He is the vice president of the UMD chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering. Jack completed an internship at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center, designing low-cost magnetometers for space weather research. After graduation, he hopes to contribute to the peaceful exploration and discovery of space.
Akemi Takeuchi is a senior aerospace engineering student with a minor in planetary science. She is a board member of the Nearspace Balloon Payload Program, where she launches weather balloons and mentors students. She is also helping to plan the 2026 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Region 1 Student Conference. Akemi was a NASA intern and conducted research at Brown University and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory to better understand the Moon, Europa, and Comet 67P. After she graduates, she looks forward to pursuing a Ph.D. in planetary science.
Jolicia Taylor is a senior aerospace engineering student with a minor in robotics and autonomous systems. She is the treasurer of the Black Engineers Society, UMD's chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, and has studied abroad as part of the Clark-in-Madrid Program in Spain. She has been an intern at L3Harris Technologies for the last two years, working in both the Space and Mission Systems segment, as well as the Communications and Spectrum Dominance segment. Jolicia has also been a tutor for the College Prep Excellence Roadmap Academy for high school students. She has accepted an offer with L3Harris Technologies and hopes to pursue a master’s and Ph.D. in the future.
Related Articles:
UMD Students Earn Top Honors at AIAA Regional Conference
Calling Creative Thinkers: We’ve Got a New Opportunity for You
Two Students Take Top Awards at AIAA YPSE Conference
From the Chesapeake Bay to Deep Space: Innovating for the Public Good
Engineering Students Fabricate Tomorrow’s Solutions Today
Three UMD Students Named Among Aviation Week Network’s Class of 2024 20 Twenties
UMD Takes Second at VFS Design-Build-Vertical-Flight Competition
Seven UMD Students Receive Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarships
Pines elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Dylan Hurlock Receives Wings Club Foundation Scholarship
May 6, 2026
|
