The New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology has announced the top winners of the Engineering Student of the Year awards for the 2020-21 school year. According to New Mexico Tech, the students were honored at the annual meeting of the New Mexico (N.M.) Society of Professional Engineers, which was held virtually on Feb 26.
The National Society of Professional Engineers is a professional association representing licensed professional engineers in the United States. NSPE is the recognized voice and advocate of licensed Professional Engineers represented in 53 state and territorial societies and over 500 local chapters.
During the N.M. Society of Professional Engineers event in February, the first prize went to an electrical engineering student, and two students in mechanical engineering and civil engineering came in second and third. Morelia Cuevas (chemical engineering), Sabine Fuierer (materials engineering), and Edgard Parra (petroleum engineering) all got honorable mentions.
Each engineering department at New Mexico Tech nominated a top student and faculty members who are licensed professional engineers vote for the winners.
Trevor Fields said he was honored. “It’s nice to feel the recognition from professors for all the extra effort over the years,” noted Fields who intends to study optics and electrical engineering in graduate school. Dr. Aly El-Osery, Fields’s nominee, said the winner ranked highly on attitude, the ability to work independently, as part of a team, and a willingness to help colleagues.
Brenden Herkenhoff, who came in second, is graduating this semester with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He shared plans to start a doctoral program in the area of drones designed to explore mines and caves in instances that are dangerous to humans. Herkenhoff was nominated for the Society of Professional Engineers award by faculty member Dr. Keith Miller.
“Brenden was one of the top students and from the first week of class demonstrated that he was fully committed to learning,” wrote his nominee. “He is aggressive in seeking clarification to engineering concepts that he does not fully understand, works hard, and does well in mastering the material.”
Herkenhoff admitted that he “kind of flew under the radar” during his first two years because he didn’t do much research. “It’s nice to be recognized for my work,” he told New Mexico Tech.
Drew Krajeck is set to graduate with a bachelor’s in civil engineering. “I was surprised to get this and it’s kinda cool,” he said. “It’s a nice prize and I thought, ‘Hey, I’m good at being an engineer.”
Krajeck completed an internship with a structural engineering firm last year and has been involved with Dr. Claudia Wilson’s research group. Wilson, an associate professor in the Civil & Environmental Engineering department, told New Mexico Tech that she selected Krajeck to be the first student to provide management services on her project with the N.M. Department of Transportation.
Karjeck also volunteered for outreach projects, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), student government association leadership, and worked as a lab technician.
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