“We are so grateful to our donors and faculty who know how important it is for our engineering students to work on projects using industry-grade equipment so that they are workforce ready,” Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Sharon Jones said.  

Located in Innovation Hall 015, the Engineering Machine Shop serves as a crucial resource for students in engineering and related fields. 

“A machine shop is a vital organ of an engineering program,” Mechanical Engineering Lab Coordinator Jacob Roth said. “We envisioned a teaching shop that could accommodate up to 18 students at a time, and that’s exactly what we have now.” 

The shop is split between instruction and student-driven work, serving as both a learning space and a hands-on workshop. Roth regularly assists students conducting research, building prototypes and completing capstone projects. 

Expanding access to the machine shop 

In prior years, Roth taught a three-hour hand-tools only course for students to experience some of the shop’s features. With the establishment of the new shop in Innovation Hall, he is planning to revitalize that workshop to expand opportunities in the space. Currently, access to the machine shop is limited to students who have completed the machining fundamentals course for the safety of both students and the equipment. 

However, Roth hopes to make the entire shop more accessible to a broader range of students by expanding the machining fundamentals course to all students. Currently, it has mechanical engineering prerequisites, so it’s typically only engineers taking the class. 

“It would be great if I could tell anyone and everyone, ‘take our intro to machining,’” Roth said.  

A hub for innovation & collaboration 

Access to the machine shop allows students to create custom metal parts on short notice and work one-on-one with Roth to refine designs in advanced software.  

“For research students in non-engineering disciplines, who haven’t been trained on any machines, I’ll often work with them to produce engineering drawings and then I’ll make the part for them and give it to them,” Roth said.   

Beyond coursework, the machine shop is also a hub for student clubs. Groups like the Electric Motorsports Club and the TrickFire Robotics Club frequently use the space, helping fund equipment purchases and maintenance through the Student Technology Fee. 

Souri Banerjee, a mechanical engineering graduate from 56�Թ��� Bothell, ran into difficulties using the worn-down equipment in the previous machine shop. The parts he machined for his electric motorsport club wouldn’t turn out exactly as envisioned because the equipment was well used. He reached out to Roth about utilizing the student technology fee for additional equipment since a lot of student clubs used the space. After surveying other engineering clubs to see what equipment they needed for their projects, he and Roth worked together to submit a funding request which was approved.  

“I wish we had that new equipment when we were students, because that would have made our tasks easier,” Banerjee said. “But I am so very glad that the students now and all future students are going to be able to experience machining.” 

With the funding from the Worthington Fund and the Student Technology Fee, the 56�Թ��� Bothell Machine Shop is enhancing hands-on engineering education, supporting student innovation and fostering collaboration across STEM disciplines. 

Available equipment 

• Four lathes 
• Three manual mills 
• Grinder station including chop saw 
• A vertical and horizontal bandsaw 
• Drill press 
• Two Computer Numerical Control (CNC) mills and a forthcoming CNC lathe 

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Since the founding of the Electrical Engineering program, Ralph and his wife Doreen have left an everlasting impact on the campus community and continue to give back their time, talent and treasure. With the formation of the School of STEM, Ralph became one of the first advisory board members and in 2024 was recognized as the first emeritus advisory board member.

Blueprints to breakthroughs 

Ralph joined the 56�Թ��� Bothell Electrical Engineering Advisory Board in 2010, and his expertise helped establish the EE program as it exists today. He focused on designing the capstone program to ensure students were working on projects in which they were building a product that would work and in theory be able to sell.

“It’s a very hands-on type of support that really our students benefit from,” said Berger. “Having Ralph as a capstone mentor and adviser to the program is invaluable.”

Leveraging his career at Boeing, Boy developed a comprehensive checklist for EE capstone projects that helps students navigate the complexities of engineering projects, from schematic designs to market analysis. The capstone projects provide students with a physical portfolio that they can present to potential employers at interviews.

“I think that’s one of the things I’ve really learned is the power of having a mentor from industry to help bridge that gap between what they’re taught from books and here it is in practical application,” Ralph said.

A living room launchpad 

With the School of STEM yet to be established and the EE program beginning to gain interest, Ralph and his wife Doreen opened their home to students working on capstone projects and for celebration dinners.

“There was no place for them to assemble some of these projects to work on that,” Doreen said. “So, we invited them to come up to our house and had them work here.”

Doreen didn’t get involved in the projects, but through hosting students at their home, she built a rapport with them, learning their stories and backgrounds.

“I got to meet the students and see them firsthand, and you start to learn a little bit more about them and some of the struggles that they had to get to the point they’re at in their education, “Doreen said. “And at that point, that’s when Ralph and I talked about what we can do to help some of these students that are kind of living on the edge, so to speak.”

With a background in nonprofit fundraising and donor relations and a passion for equal access to quality education at any age, Doreen saw an opportunity to help 56�Թ��� Bothell students who were pursuing higher education but might have struggles come up like a broken-down car, an illness, or family emergency. She saw an opportunity to establish an endowment.

Doreen was not alone in this line of thinking. “We wanted to do STEM because we felt that it could be one of the underfunded or under endowed programs,” Ralph said.

Despite neither Ralph nor Doreen having attended 56�Թ��� Bothell, they felt connected to the tight-knit community and saw firsthand the impact that they could make. In 2017, the was established.

Engineering a legacy for the future 

After donating to the endowment every year, Ralph and Doreen decided they needed to set a goal – one million dollars.

“We both work on a philosophy that says, lay your intention and the universe will take care of the details,” Doreen said. “We had no idea how we’re going to get a million dollars endowment.”

Setting the goal was step number one. Step two was figuring out how to make it happen. Ralph and Doreen have planned on a combination of matching funds, tax advantaged donations and real estate transfers to accomplish their goal. Ralph pointed out that market growth always helps.

“We both look at this as a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Ralph said. “You had to build up a relationship and then everything had to be just right in order to do this.”

In 2018 the Boys were honored with the 56�Թ��� Bothell Legacy Award, the highest award for donors and supporters, in recognition of their service, philanthropy and inspiration.

Through their expertise, mentorship, and philanthropy, Ralph and Doreen have not only shaped 56�Թ��� Bothell’s STEM programs but transformed the lives of students. Their endowment reflects their joint commitment to education and equity, ensuring that future generations of students can achieve their dreams. As Ralph and Doreen continue to work toward their ambitious endowment goal, they inspire the community to believe in the transformative potential of generosity and the enduring legacy of shared purpose.

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Six senior mechanical engineering students created their own goose neck hinge, which allows the passenger door of an aircraft to open to 180 degrees. Boeing tasked the students to create a hinge using a more contemporary manufacturing process and more modern materials than the ones they currently use. The team was advised and mentored by Boeing senior technical lead engineers Matthew Soja and Mitchell Mellor, Engineering Capstone Coordinator Dr. Imen Elloumi-Hannachi, ME faculty Dr. John Bridge and Captain Bill Anderson. who continuously collaborated to provide guidance and support to the students throughout the project.

The students, Kacper Syzmanski, Andrey Fomin, William Fogle, Loyan Dude, Simran Deol and Daniel Comsea, who all graduated in June, were selected based on their interests, career aspirations and qualifications for the project. The team split into sub-groups to work on various aspects of the project, from research, manufacturing, design, testing and coding. Led by Syzmanski and Fomin, the team created various designs before finding one that is capable of withstanding 9,000 lbs. of tension and 4,500 lbs. of compression.

“Will, Andrey and I designed our clevis, which is the device that would hold our hinge in testing to verify that it would pass all the loading criteria,” said Syzmanski. “At the same time Loyan, Daniel, and Simran were researching materials to select for our hinge to get an idea of what the material and manufacturing costs would be, and what we could manufacture in house and what would have to be done through vendors.”

Before the project completion, the students were given the opportunity to tour of the Boeing Everett plant and to meet several other Boeing engineers and other students from the Seattle campus working on other capstone projects.

“It was a really great experience working with our Boeing mentors,” said Fogle. “I felt like I learned something new every meeting, whether it was about testing, structural design, or finite element analysis. They also respected our ability to solve problems and would subtly point us in the right direction without giving anything away. Their industry knowledge and experience were invaluable, being able to learn from them was a real privilege.”

Fomin said the experience was an incredible opportunity.

“We were all very excited to see our hinge in person and to test our hinge design. Our hinge met all the criteria given.”

Elloumi-Hannachi, said that the project gave students an opportunity to practice several aspects of engineering they learned in different courses, including design thinking and human centered design, and to develop their engineering skills even further. It also gave them the opportunity to learn more about Boeing culture and needs. The scope of the project was well-defined, and the constraints and requirements were explained to the students well in advance, while the students had to come up with their own design and demonstrate how it works. The students also had to present their work not only at the School of STEM Capstone Symposium, but also at the Boeing campus in front of Boeing engineers and senior leaders, as well as faculty and deans from all three 56�Թ��� campuses.

Bridge said that after this years’ experience, Boeing was interested in doing more projects with 56�Թ��� Bothell students in the future.

“They seemed very happy with the results of our team. This is a perfect capstone/company relationship as the projects envisioned — including the one we just did — are a wonderful mechanical engineering experience for our students,” said Bridge. “They can get their hands around these projects while also helping Boeing.  This experience also gives insight to our students into engineering at Boeing and networking opportunities for employment.”

Elloumi-Hannachi says that she was happy that the Boeing engineers took the time to share current job openings at Boeing, and that they were happy to recommend her students for those job openings.

“I am very pleased to see that several of the students already have jobs at Boeing,” she said. “I am excited to continue this partnership with Boeing, we already started discussing the scope of the projects for the next academic year.”

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This year’s symposium hosted presentations by undergraduates from across the three 56�Թ��� campuses. The 56�Թ��� Bothell students presented 20 different research projects and topics, ranging from “Nostalgic Analysis of Tweets During Crisis Events” to “Motivation in Non-Profit Organization Workers.”

The symposium featured research across a wide array of academic disciplines — from business to STEM — with the projects covering data and information from as far away as black holes in other galaxies to as close as the 56�Թ��� Bothell’s campus wetland.

In opening remarks for the symposium, Ed Taylor, 56�Թ���’s vice provost and dean of undergraduate affairs, also recognized the faculty support that makes this depth and breadth of student research possible. He then announced and congratulated seven recipients of the  — including Dr. Paola Rodríguez Hidalgo, an assistant professor in 56�Թ��� Bothell’s School of STEM.

Supporting their students

Students presenting in the symposium each year can nominate mentors who have had a profound impact on their education and research. A small committee of faculty and staff then reviews the nominations to select the award recipients.

“It was one of the most beautiful awards,” Rodríguez Hidalgo said. “It’s nice being recognized by the University, but it’s also thanks to my students — and that’s just so beautiful.”

She was nominated by two students from her quasar research group, Easton Robert Pierce and Alex Vong.

“Paola has been an amazing mentor. She has consistently pushed me to go beyond and motivated me to continue even when I’ve hit a wall,” said Pierce in his nomination for Rodríguez Hidalgo.

“Between her meetings, giving talks and writing papers, I’m not sure where she finds the time for it all,” he said. “She truly deserves to be recognized for all the hard work she puts into not only teaching classes but also mentoring students and leading the quasar research group.”

Understanding stars in the universe

Pierce is a senior majoring in physics at 56�Թ��� Bothell. He first developed a love of astronomy when his parents bought him a starter telescope when he was nine years old. He is now a NASA Space Grant scholar.

“What drew me to astronomy is the pure absurdity of the scale and energies of the objects in which we study,” he said.

At this year’s symposium, Pierce presented “” Quasars are a phenomenon where gas and dust from extremely luminous galactic cores fall into a supermassive black hole. This can sometimes produce winds known as outflows. Whether these outflows affect the evolution of their host galaxies remains unknown and continues to be a point of interest in ongoing research.

“Because of the large energies found in extremely high velocity outflows, we believe they may play a large role in the evolution of galaxies, specifically on their ability to form stars,” Pierce said.

Looking at ancient fires and fuels

In her presentation, “” Haley Brooks (Conservation & Restoration Science ’23) sampled 34 modern plant species from 56�Թ��� Herbarium collections to study charcoal morphometry — the measurement of sedimentary charcoal particle shape attributes — after burning the samples at 500 degrees Celsius.

Brooks investigated if charcoal aspect ratio is a valid method for determining fuel type. If this method can be used when looking at modern-day plants, she noted, it may provide important insights into ancient fire regimes. Her mentors for this research were both in the 56�Թ���’s Department of Biology on the Seattle campus: Dr. Caroline Strömberg, professor; and Dr. Christopher Schiller, postdoctoral scholar.

With the rapidly changing climate, Brooks said it’s become a priority to gain a better understanding of how the changes will affect plant life to strategize conservation practices for the near future. “We’re in a climate crisis right now where we’ve never been in this climate zone, but the world has previously.

“So if we’re able to look at the climate zones of ancient fires and look at what burned at that time,” she said, “we can put that into our conservation practices and have retroactive success in protecting those plant species that are used for fuel — before it happens.”

Brooks noted in her presentation that continued research into the verification of charcoal morphometry as a means to verify fuel type could also help increase confidence in paleo reconstructions of ancient fuel types.

Examining learning during the pandemic

In his project, “” Eric Yoon Jae Shin analyzed student learning in a statistics course in both a pre-pandemic and pandemic setting. Dr. Caleb Trujillo, assistant professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, oversaw this research as Shin’s mentor.

“The main thing we wanted to find out was whether or not the COVID-19 disruptions affected students learning,” Shin said, a senior majoring Mathematical Thinking & Visualization.

Searching for answers, he looked to concept models — hand drawn models students use to write statistics concepts — to measure student learning. He analyzed 180 models from two different experiences and quarters: an in-person learning environment in a pre-pandemic quarter and an online learning environment during the pandemic.

“The key finding that we made was that students in the online quarter were adding concepts to their models at a lower rate than students in the previous quarter, which was before the coronavirus pandemic,” Shin said. “We came to the conclusion that the COVID-19 disruption had a major impact on a student’s learning in the statistics course.”

What makes this kind of research so important, Shin noted, is that it can be used by professors to better understand and assist college students as they learn in different spaces.

Discovering the possibilities

The presentations in this year’s symposium represent the broad range of research, scholarship and creative practice projects that students can undertake during their undergraduate studies.

Here is a small sampling of additional oral, poster and visual arts presentations 56�Թ��� Bothell students gave at this year’s symposium:

• “Fairness and Biases in Mobility Models”
  • presented by Daniel Wang, a senior in Computer Science & Software Engineering; mentored by Dr. Afra Mashhadi, assistant professor, School of STEM
• “Missing Maps: Identifying Remote Communities Using Satellite Imagery and Machine Learning”
  • presented by Inkar Kapen, a senior in Computer Science & Software Engineering and a Mary Gates Scholar; mentored by Dr. Afra Mashhadi, assistant professor, School of STEM
• “The Effect of Advanced Age and Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropathology on Levels of the Tight Junction Protein, Occludin, in the Brain Microvasculature”
  • presented by Ali Mirzazadeh, a senior in Biology; mentored by Dr. May Reed, associate professor in the 56�Թ���’s Department of Medicine, Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine

A complete list of the research projects presented by 56�Թ��� Bothell students this year can be found on the .

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Harper is selected for the work performed in the MATH REU 2022 research project. Harper was selected to give a talk at the 14th annual Northwest Undergraduate Mathematics Symposium on the project: A Markov Partition for the Penrose Shift, in which Harper won 1st prize. They also gave a talk at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Boston. Harper had two poster presentations on this research. A resulting research manuscript is posted to ArXiv with a revision in progress to be submitted to a refereed journal. One of their math faculty said: “Harper’s presentation skills are beyond anything I have observed as an undergraduate student. The enthusiasm and charm they bring to their research presentation make people want to hear more about their research.”

Devon N. Munger

Devon’s performance in his math courses is outstanding. He took an independent study in Advanced Topics in Matrix Theory, and ‘his performance and grasp of the material rivals an advanced graduate student,’ said his math professor. Devon worked on two math research projects. In the first project, he and his advisor worked on proving the converse of a recently rediscovered result on polynomials with nonnegative coefficients. The project results in a manuscript currently being revised in the esteemed Elsevier journal, Linear Algebra and its Applications. In the second project, Devon solved a complex problem on eigenvalue trajectories related to the Karpelevic theorem, which is about to be submitted to the Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications.

E&M Academic Excellence Award – Second Honors

Eric Mendoza

Eric is a pre-engineering student at Heritage University (HU) and was a summer research student at 56�Թ���B through the HU STEM Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. Eric worked with 56�Թ���B Mechanical Engineering professor Dr. Jong Yoon and HU biology student Maria Barrios on Automating a Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging Exam. He described a highlight of his summer research experience as collaborating and learning from his research project partner to bring their biology and engineering backgrounds together to contribute to robotic biotechnology. Eric presented his work at the 56�Թ���B STEM Student Research Symposium in August and at the HU Honoring Undergraduate and Graduate Scholars Symposium (HUGSS) in March. He was awarded the HUGSS Undergraduate Student Oral Presentation prize for his talk on the Design and Optimization of a Collaborative Robot-Assisted Ultrasound for Automated Vascular Imaging. After completing his pre-engineering courses at HU, Eric plans to transfer to 56�Թ���B to pursue an engineering degree.

Gabriel Hearon

Gabriel’s academic performance at 56�Թ���B has been exemplary. Through dedication and hard work, he has exceeded expectations. As a peer facilitator and a grader, he has helped other students to learn and succeed. By serving as a lab assistant in one of the EE labs, he has attained a very good command of EE fundamentals and has become proficient in explaining engineering concepts and their practical implications to other students. Additionally, Gabriel has performed undergraduate research with a focus on RF control systems. This award is in recognition of Gabriel’s exceptional achievements at 56�Թ���B and the help and service he has provided to other students and faculty.

Martin F. Martinez

Martin is an 18-year-old first-year student majoring in mathematics at the 56�Թ���B. His math faculty said: ‘Martin is an exceptional talent who displays intellectual maturity and depth well beyond his years (he took a class covering modular arithmetic, set theory, proofs, mappings, groups,

E&M Leadership and Service Award

Kaiyana Schalau

As a student assistant in STEM Undergraduate Academic Services Office, Kaiyana has demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities, selflessness, and an unwavering commitment to serving the students, faculty, and staff of the School of STEM. Kaiyana’s support has been invaluable for recruitment of prospective students, welcoming new students during orientation, administering the Avanade Scholarship program, and development of the School of STEM Capstone and Symposium website. This award is in recognition of Kaiyana’s dedication and service to the School of STEM.

Kalani Taladoc

Kalani has served as president of the IEEE 56�Թ���B student chapter during the past year. She has demonstrated excellent communication skills and exceptional leadership skills. Kalani has been instrumental in organizing a mock interview event every quarter to help students sharpen their interview skills. In addition to EE undergraduate and graduate students, the mock interview events have been attended by computer engineering and computer science students. She has also helped organize two soldering workshops and she has served as a peer facilitator for the EE fundamentals workshop. This award is in recognition of Kalani’s exceptional leadership and service to students.

E&M Resilience Award

Erin Martin

Erin has shown exceptional resilience while pursuing her education at 56�Թ���B. Erin has been involved in a multi-vehicle accident which left her with a concussion. Despite the neurological and psychological challenges, Erin has persevered; she enrolled at 56�Թ���B while raising her two daughters. Erin had to travel often home to Canada in order to support her mother while her stepfather was battling cancer. Erin takes her education at 56�Թ���B seriously. She is very motivated to succeed and works hard to achieve her goals. This award is in recognition of Erin’s resilience by overcoming health challenges while achieving academic success.

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This autumn we were excited to welcome new and returning students, faculty, and staff back to campus. We also welcomed our newest leader and we are excited to finally be able to meet face-to-face with our new Dean Leslie Cornick of the School of STEM. While it is exciting to be back on campus, I recognize that coming to campus amidst the COVID-19 pandemic is filled with mixed emotions. One of the benefits of the pandemic is our increased knowledge of, and comfort with, the use of technology. Our increased ability to work and teach virtually has provided us with opportunities that we never dreamed of before. I continue to be impressed with the faculty and staff adapting to the change, continuing to use technology to make their face-to-face learning environment better and more accessible for our students. Thank you!

In this you will read about the new faculty and staff that joined the Division of E&M, Connected Learning Excellence Awards, faculty grants awarded, faculty promotions, a new online game to identify whale calls, an Avanade STEM scholar turned employee, and more.

Our alumni experience features Husky 100 honoree and Mechanical Engineering graduate Andrew Truong who found an opportunity to connect his time on the field playing intramural sports to his research in the lab. In the faculty spotlight we showcase recent funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for a joint research project with Dr. Joey Key, Luisa Buchman, and myself about establishing a partnership with Heritage University, an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution and Heritage University to create STEM pathways for underrepresented students of the Yakima Valley. The Division of E&M continues to explore new ways to broaden the participation of diverse learners and build a culture of inclusion.

Great progress has been made on the new STEM4 academic building, a joint building shared with Cascadia College. July 29, 2021, was the ceremonial groundbreaking and construction is going quick (check out the of the site). Read the 56�Թ��� Bothell story on STEM4. We are excited to have some wonderful engineering spaces for our E&M students in the near future!

Finally, as interim chair, I’m pleased to share that Dr. Tadesse Ghirmai will be back as chair in winter 2022. I have been honored and delighted to serve as either the chair of E&M or the mathematics program coordinator for the past 11 years – I am excited about the new leadership in the Division of E&M. Dr. Tadesse shares my values, and as the Dean Leslie Cornick said in the appointment announcement, “Dr. Ghirmai’s commitment to our students, to an inclusive division, school, and campus culture, and to increasing the diversity of students and faculty in the division are all critical to our success.” Thank you Tad for taking on this important leadership position!

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Mathematics major and Avanade Scholar Keiara Windom shares her story with Avanade about how the scholarship supported her as a women in STEM and why she excited to be joining Avanade as business analyst. .��

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