Alumni

Ben Finan (IntDesEngr'22) receives alumni engagement medal

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Ben Finan (IntDesEngr'22) receives alumni engagement medal Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 02/15/2024 - 00:00

Finan has maintained active involvement with CU Engineering and the IDE program since his undergraduate years. His leadership and commitment are evident through his mentorship of undergraduate engineers and teams.

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Humsini Acharya's Impactful Path from the New Venture Challenge to Innovative Leadership

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 18:36:09 +0000

Humsini Acharya's Impactful Path from the New Venture Challenge to Innovative Leadership Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 02/08/2024 - 11:36

Learn about Humsini Acharya's path as an entrepreneur and IDE alum.

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Racheal Rupprecht recognized with Alumni Engagement Medal

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Racheal Rupprecht recognized with Alumni Engagement Medal Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/07/2024 - 00:00

As an engineer with Medtronic, Rupprecht's continued commitment to the IDE community, learning and service is exceptional, and she is a great role model to our current students and alumni.

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Saving the world, a hair tie at a time: Q+A with Sydney Kobak

Anonymous — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 18:50:06 +0000

Saving the world, a hair tie at a time: Q+A with Sydney Kobak Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 12/18/2023 - 11:50

Sydney Kobak, an Integrated Design Engineering graduating senior with a mechanical engineering emphasis and business concentration, has been recognized by the college for her academic engagement. Kobak won fourth place out of 97 teams in the New Venture Challenge for her business pitch for Piña Designs, and has been a dedicated member of the IDE advisory board, helping to craft an alumni panel and give feedback on the program. She is currently studying abroad in Italy.

How does it feel to be recognized?

It feels amazing and so heart warming to receive this award. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to even have been considered while also feeling very proud and happy for myself; it was definitely the cherry on top of an amazing four years.

What is Piña Designs?

Our mission at Piña Designs is to create a lasting positive impact on climate change, one hair tie at a time. At Piña Designs we make biodegradable and sustainable hair ties made from discarded pineapple leaves and natural rubber. We are a female-owned and operated company and we are so excited to launch hopefully sometime in 2024!

What are your views on collaboration?

I think that collaboration is vital to success in all facets. Through my academic experiences at CU �鶹ӰԺ I have learned the most through collaboration and interaction. On top of that, I think that getting a variety of perspectives from different backgrounds and views is what can yield amazing and creative results.

What has been your experience as a part of the BOLD community?

The BOLD community has been such an amazing experience for me personally. I have gotten to meet lots of women in STEM and also got the opportunity my Spring 2023 semester to mentor some amazing freshman STEM women! It has created lots of opportunities for professional development and also gave me a nice sense of community throughout my years at CU �鶹ӰԺ.

Whats important for people to know about your jouney through CU �鶹ӰԺ and IDE?

I think the most important thing for people to know about my personal journey is that among the successes I have had, I have also had plenty of failures and if I could go back in time and change them I wouldn't. For me, the times I fell flat on my face were the ones that shaped me to be the person, student and engineer that I am today and I am grateful for them.

I also think that in general IDE really shaped my academic experience and has made me a better engineer and person. If I could recommend any program at CU �鶹ӰԺ I would highly suggest IDE, it gave me a unique learning experience and a lot of skills that I think differentiated my experience from traditional mechanical engineers.

What are your hopes for the future?

In a general sense, I hope that we continue to see an increase of women in engineering and STEM fields and on a more personal note I hope to see people wearing Pina Design’s in 2025.

If you were to give advice to a younger you, what would you say?

If I could give the younger me some advice I would say to raise my hand more and speak up! Don't be afraid to be loud and it's okay to be incorrect, that's what learning is for.

Sydney Kobak, a graduating senior, has been recognized by the college for her academic engagement, including balancing her classwork with a startup venture and her leadership in the Integrated Design Engineering program.

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Finding a right path: Tomi Oshima Dupeyron

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 20:54:40 +0000

Finding a right path: Tomi Oshima Dupeyron Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 12/04/2023 - 13:54

Grace Wilson

Tomi Oshima Dupeyron, a graduating Integrated Design Engineering (IDE) senior with an emphasis in environmental engineering and a minor in physics, has been recognized by the college for his academic engagement.

"Tomi's commitment to excellence and his passion for helping others make him an exceptional student and leader," said one of his nominators, teaching assistant professor Katherine Ramos.

Oshima Dupeyron, when asked about the award, said that at first he was surprised to receive it, but he's grateful for the recognition.

"It feels a bit like a kind squeeze on the shoulder, like I'm on a right path," he said.

A Journey begins

Oshima Dupeyron's journey to IDE started when the deadline for choosing a major loomed over him as an open-option first year student in engineering.

When Oshima Dupeyron started college, he felt lost. His parents both went to secondary school largely outside of the United States, and though they were very supportive, they didn't understand the system.

"I'm not first generation, but I'm first generation in the United States," he explained.

Oshima Dupeyron went to his advisor, Otha Barrow, who recommended he consider IDE.

"IDE was the right move. I enjoy the small classes. I enjoy knowing everybody. I don't consider myself very outgoing, and it's nice to see familiar faces," he said. Oshima Dupeyron also appreciated the hands-on, project-based nature of the courses.

"I feel like I'm actually doing something, not just reading textbooks and doing exams," he said.

Opportunities arise

IDE also gave Oshima Dupeyron concrete opportunities. He became a course assistant for the program.

Course assistants play a vital role in the program's project-based courses, where they help students build their understanding and relay any gaps in teaching to the professors.

"Tomi stands out for his exceptional dedication and expertise in supporting students. His deep understanding of the subjects he assists with and his remarkable communication skills allow him to effectively guide and mentor students," said Ramos.

Oshima Dupeyron is also a proponent of nuclear energy, which led to his environmental engineering emphasis and inspired him to extend his 12-credit physics concentration into a 25-credit minor.

Reflections on belonging

Oshima Dupeyron says that he still feels a bit lost sometimes; he's interested in many things, and it can be hard to pick and choose.

Still, he said he believes forward momentum is essential.

"Doing is the best kind of thinking in a lot of scenarios. If you start to apply the things that you've been thinking about, they're always going to reveal something," he said. "Getting lost is excusable, but not if you don't do anything. That's like falling down and not getting back up."

Reflecting on his journey through IDE. he said he found a community where he was able to make an impact.

"I want the world to know, I'm still here, I made it through, and in this sphere, at least, I've made a difference," he said.

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First students graduate with new program name

Anonymous — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 19:42:58 +0000

First students graduate with new program name Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 01/06/2023 - 12:42

Grace Wilson

The first class of Integrated Design Engineering (IDE) students have graduated. On December 17, Spencer Jones (IntDesEng'22) and Luke Waeldner (IntDesEng'22) received diplomas with the program's new name.

“It feels spectacular to graduate with an Integrated Design Engineering degree that encompasses both environmental engineering and entrepreneurship. I am excited to join the Buffs alumni family, and I will never forget the people and memories made at the University of Colorado,” Waeldner said.

Formerly called Engineering Plus ("E+"), IDE underwent a name change in April of 2022, and these December graduates mark a new era for the hands-on, interdisciplinary program.

Angela Bielefeldt, Director of the Integrated Design Engineering Program, said it felt important to mark this milestone.

“It was great attending graduation in December under our new moniker of Integrated Design Engineering." Bielefeldt said.

She said that the program has received positive feedback on the name change from industry, alumni, and current students because the new name clearly conveys the design-focus of the program and its many integrations – design, hands-on projects and socio-technical elements, as well as its pairing of foundational knowledge and self-selected concentrations.

"I believe that our program has provided these graduates with excellent preparation as they embark on exciting professional and personal journeys.”Bielefeldt said.

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Alumni Spotlight: Ben Finan - Delta Horizons

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 19:35:30 +0000

Alumni Spotlight: Ben Finan - Delta Horizons Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/11/2022 - 13:35

Meet Ben Finan, a recent �鶹ӰԺ graduate redesigning mobility walker brake technology. Ben earned his Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in Mechanical Engineering and concentrations in Business and Entrepreneurship.

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