Originally from Sugar Land, Texas, Kaan Ardic is the president of Pi Tau Sigma, Purdue’s Mechanical Engineering Honor Society.  He has also held leadership positions with the Baja SAE racing team, the Purdue Engineering President’s Council, the Purdue Alumni Student Experience, and the First Year Engineering Student Advisory Council.  He has also mentored fellow undergraduate students, studied abroad in Colombia, and interned with Schlumberger and GE Power.

His fellow students had plenty to say about Kaan in his nomination.  One commented, “Kaan is worthy of this award for his work ethic alone.  He always works hard on group projects and makes sure it is always quality.”  Another said, “Kaan is always one you can depend on. He exemplifies a humble, yet wise individual. He always makes time for friends, and will always assist others to help get them up to speed in a course. As a teammate, he always hits his deadlines and goes above and beyond in his work, and keeps his promises.”  And about his attitude to service, one nominator wrote: “He’s a very caring and honest person. He has high moral standards and encourages his peers to do the same. He's a kind soul who's always ready to help anyone in need.”

The Starkey Prize was created by Vivek Pandit (MSME ’88) as a way to recognize a graduating senior who exemplifies the school’s core values of Character and Personal Integrity, Academic Excellence, and Community Engagement and Leadership.  He named the prize after Professor John Starkey, who began teaching at Purdue in 1982, and retired in 2017.  Starkey served as faculty advisor for Purdue's SAE auto racing teams, and director of the ME463 senior design capstone class, where he oversaw the final Purdue experience for hundreds of students.  Both Starkey and Pandit were there to present the award to Ardic on April 30.