Purdue ME Student Awards

Recognizing student excellence at every level

The School of Mechanical Engineering is pleased to announce the following awards, given to deserving sophomore, junior, and senior undergraduate students.  These students have demonstrated academic excellence, exemplified personal integrity, and exercised involvement in the community of Purdue University. The School of Mechanical Engineering will have a selection committee composed of faculty and staff. Selections will be based on the criteria listed under each award below.

These include:

• Outstanding Sophomore / Junior / Senior
• Core Values Awards
• G.R.I.T. Awards

Nominations are now closed. Thanks for your submissions!

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The John M. Starkey Prize in Mechanical Engineering

The John M. Starkey Prize in Mechanical Engineering celebrates the top all-around graduating ME senior every year, as exemplified by the school’s core values of Character and Personal Integrity, Academic Excellence, and Community Engagement and Leadership. The award comes with a cash prize of $3,000. The other two finalists will recieve $1,875. Must meet the following criteria:

• Outstanding contribution to the School of Mechanical Engineering
• Demonstrated leadership and involvement
• Record of academic excellence

The John M. Starkey Prize in Mechanical Engineering is named after John Starkey, who served as a professor in Mechanical Engineering from 1982 to 2017.  He served as faculty advisor for Purdue's SAE auto racing teams, and also director of the ME463 senior design capstone class, where he oversaw the final Purdue experience for hundreds of students.

And the winner is...

Paige Hackleman

Paige is currently President of PMEA and previously served on their executive board. As president she leads 48 ME students and organizes numerous events for the ME community. She is also a member of Pi Tau Sigma and Kappa Alpha Theta. She's had internships at Caterpillar and EY-Parthenon and after graduation she will pursue a J.D. at the University of Georgia School of Law.

Finalists:

• Lindsay Sutherland
• Max Trowbridge

Previous winners:

Please note: Previous award recipients and finalists will not be eligible for future outstanding student awards.

• 2026: Paige Hackleman
• 2025: Joseph Bellofatto
• 2024: Emma Balevic
• 2023: Adia Raya
• 2022: Jennifer Ascher
• 2021: Tanmay Das
• 2020: Emily Nadler
• 2019: Kaan Ardic

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Frederick Morse Award for Outstanding Juniors

Presented to a student in junior level curriculum (they must have taken ME 308, ME 365, and ME 323); based on dedication to the School of Mechanical Engineering, in recognition of leadership within the community and department; examples of leadership include: club involvement, mentoring program, co-op/internship opportunities, etc. The award comes with a cash prize of $2,000. The other two finalists will recieve $1,250. Must meet the following criteria:

• Outstanding contribution to the School of Mechanical Engineering
• Demonstrated leadership and involvement
• Record of academic excellence

The Outstanding Junior Award is named after Frederick Morse, who served as a professor in Mechanical Engineering from 1947 to 1985.  He is best known for creating Purdue's first cooperative education (co-op) program in 1954, and in the decades since, guiding hundreds of students through their first work experiences.

And the winner is...

Paige Bryan

Paige was the Public Relations Coordinator for Industrial Roundtable and Registration for EXPO. She also serves as Alumni Relations Committee Head. As a member of PMEA she has reshaped the Professional Development Committee. She is also a College of Engineering Ambassador, is a Dean's Leadership Scholar and was treasurer of ASME. Last fall she had an internship at NASA and worked in the Flat Floor Robotics lab.

Finalists:

• Heemir Patel
• Ervin Liao

Previous winners:

Please note: Previous award recipients and finalists will not be eligible for future outstanding student awards.

• 2026: Paige Bryan
• 2025: Tanmaee Ledalla
• 2024: Maitri Pandya
• 2023: Jessica Howell
• 2022: Jack Walsh
• 2021: Marcus Lannie
• 2020: Abby Grillo

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George Elwood Rhoads Award for Outstanding Sophomores

Presented to a student in sophomore level curriculum (they must have taken ME 200, ME 270, and ME 290); based on dedication to the School of Mechanical Engineering, in recognition of leadership within the community and department.  The award comes with a cash prize of $1,000. The other two finalists will recieve $625.  Must meet the following criteria:

• Outstanding contribution to the School of Mechanical Engineering
• Demonstrated leadership and involvement
• Record of academic excellence

The Outstanding Sophomore Award is named after George Elwood Rhoads, who graduated from Purdue Mechanical Engineering in 1900; the funds were provided by his son, Albert B. Rhoads (BSME 1933).

And the winner is...

Courtland Bailey

Courtland is the founder and director of Purdue Space Program in Indianapolis. His dedication is what allowed him to grow the organization into the largest engineering organization on campus. Courtland has already had internships at Air Force Research Laboratory, RTX and Rhodes College. This summer he will be interning at Northrop Grumman.

Finalists:

• Parker Hollis
• Fabricio Oliveira

Previous winners:

Please note: Previous award recipients and finalists will not be eligible for future outstanding student awards.

• 2026: Courtland Bailey
• 2025: Jacob Retek
• 2024: Greta Schantz
• 2023: Mackenzie Misterka
• 2022: Sajon Seaberg
• 2021: Meredith Meyer
• 2020: Jordan Harris

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Core Values Awards

We also give awards for students who best reflect our Purdue ME Core Values. Each award comes with a cash prize of $200.

1. Persistently pursue excellence: Oses Akintunde
2. Act with integrity and compassion: Gwen Ranc
3. Collaborate within and outside Mechanical Engineering: Prerona Kaushik
4. Foster a community that is open-minded and supportive of all: Aaliyah Zamorano
5. Provide service to all: Denyse Isingizwe

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Co-op and Intern of the Year Award:

To be eligible for the award:

• The awardee must have registered for a co-op or internship course and completed the work experience during the Spring of 2025, Summer 2025, or Fall 2025.
• Co-op nominees must have completed two registered work experiences with the same employer.
• Internship nominees must have completed one registered work experience.
• Experiences may include industry, government, or non-profit sectors. We will consider strong experiences in university or government research labs for which students registered for credit or registered for a 0-credit internship/research course.

Winners will recieve:

• ME Co-op of the Year Award = $1000
  • Chase Kaplan
• ME Intern of the Year Award = $500
  • Waylon Kroll

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The G.R.I.T. List

GRIT stands for Global, Research, Industry, and Teams. In the School of Mechanical Engineering, all students should strive to participate in all four experiential learning activities, pursuing 100% GRIT. Learn about all the opportunities available for you to pursue 100% GRIT!

Here are the 2026 graduating seniors who have accomplished all four, and achieved “True GRIT.”

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Interested in funding a Purdue ME Student Award?