The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University gathered on April 23 to celebrate the undergraduate community at the annual Undergraduate Banquet, an evening dedicated to honoring academic excellence, leadership, research, and service.
The event brought together students, faculty, and staff to recognize the achievements of the department’s rising seniors and graduating class, highlighting the impact of both scholarship and community engagement within the program.
Scholarships for Rising Seniors
Several juniors received scholarships recognizing academic achievement and leadership.
Recipients of the William M. McCardell Scholarship, awarded for academic excellence in chemical engineering, included Diego Conner, Prasi Desai, Zaid Khan, Cedric Lau, Benedicto Sanchez and Aoife Shannon.
The Thomas W. Moore Scholarship, presented to students with the highest GPAs entering their senior year, was awarded to Bess Glenn, Reid Groomes, Regan Kendrick and Marco Tan.
The Houston Gas Processors Scholarship, which supports outstanding students who demonstrate both academic excellence and leadership, was awarded to Brianna Shulstad.
Leadership and Service
The department also recognized graduating seniors for their leadership and service, including student leaders from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Undergraduate Board. Special recognition was given to Maggie Lim, president of AIChE, and Taylor Schultz, president of the undergraduate board.
Students who served as teaching assistants during their undergraduate careers were also honored, including Maggie Lim, Kyle Szekeres and Sofia Rocha.
Research and Engineering Excellence
Outstanding undergraduate research achievements were recognized through the Distinction in Research and Creative Works Award. Sofia Rocha and Maggie Lim were honored for their significant contributions to independent research.
Additional School of Engineering honors were celebrated, including:
- Bess Glenn – REA Outstanding Student Award and Texas Society of Professional Engineers Most Outstanding Junior Award
- Maggie Lim – REA Outstanding Student Award and REA Most Distinguished Senior Award
- Regan Kendrick – Chevron Scholarship
- Candace Schwartz, Ali Raza Sial, Simon King, Connor Hanula and Elliott Chen – Rodd Selman Scholarship
- Elliott Chen – Fluor Daniel Scholarship, a merit-based award for undergraduate engineering students in their sophomore year or higher
- Rafael Ramirez – Louise Walsh Scholarship, designed for top-performing undergraduate engineering students, recognizing academic excellence and research contributions
- Christina Bencin – REA Leadership Excellence Award
The department also recognized team ERROR 404 for earning the Best Environment and Sustainability Engineering Design Award at the Huff OEDK Engineering Design Showcase. Team members included Sofia Rocha, Bailey Peek, Giulio Valfre Zaydenman, Ian Lin and Rima Baitie.
Senior Awards and Top Honors
One of the evening’s highlights was the presentation of senior awards.
The William W. Akers Senior Process Design Award was awarded to team PropylClean, whose members include Gavin Mason, Dian Pan, Maggie Lim and Joshua He, following their winning performance in the day’s design competition.
The department’s highest undergraduate honor, the Ann and Joe Hightower Superior Award, was presented to Gwenyth FitzSimmons. This award recognizes a graduating senior who demonstrates exceptional academic achievement alongside meaningful service to the university community.
As the department recognized its graduating seniors and rising leaders, the evening reflected the strong culture of scholarship, leadership and community that continues to shape chemical and biomolecular engineering at Rice