Dayton Engineer

Flashback to the morning of May 22, 2023, as I sat alone at my boarding gate, twiddling my thumbs and fidgeting my legs, thinking, “Whoa … I am about to get on a plane and live in Bolivia for 10 weeks. Am I really ready for this?” 

The Center for Social Concern in Campus Ministry named Isabella Saylor ’24 the 2024 Miryam Award recipient. The award honors those making significant contributions in advancing the climate for women at UD. Saylor has supported and mentored women in her field of electrical and computer engineering, and has embraced and lived the Marianist charism of the university.

In December 2023, professor Dr. Khalid Lafdi from the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering attended the Oxford Awards at the University of Oxford, U.K. to receive the Honoris Causa Doctor of Innovation in Scientific Research award.

University of Dayton faculty and University of Dayton Research Institute researchers will collaborate on three research projects this summer focused on self-healing polymers, lightweight composite aircraft and artificial intelligence. The projects were selected as part of the 2024 UD/UDRI Summer Research Fellows program which  matches School of Engineering and College of Arts and Sciences faculty with UDRI engineers and scientists, with the goal of expanding areas of research that are fundable by external sponsors.

There are few things as impactful as seizing the opportunity to study abroad, but not every student can afford this life-changing experience. Thanks in part to generous donations to areas like the UD Fund and scholarship funds during One Day, One Dayton, more students are able to seize that opportunity.

John Boland ‘42 was a true engineer, and knew that was his passion from an early age. Recently passing at the age of 103, he lived out this passion until the very end.

Sam Duncan realized his passion was aerospace engineering when he watched SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket launch in 2018.  Since then, the senior mechanical engineering student who is a member of the men’s cross country team has found a way to pursue the science behind air travel as he has accepted a full-time role with UDRI while working toward a master’s in engineering. 

Bobby ’78 and Catherine Jennings ’77 Stewart know the meaning of “work hard, play hard” as they enjoy retirement after collectively working nearly 80 years. Now they’ve established an endowed scholarship to give hard, too.

Sophomore electrical engineering student Grace McKenna started working with NASA in the Here to Observe (H2O) program in September 2023. The program gives undergraduate students the opportunity to observe and interact with NASA Planetary Science Division teams, with the goal of inspiring historically marginalized groups to be a part of the STEM workforce.

Last week, associate professor Dr. Sidaard Gunasekaran from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering traveled to the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) National Conference in Austin, Texas to accept the organization’s 2023 National Rising Star Award.