Four College of Engineering seniors received 2024 Outstanding Senior Awards for their exceptional achievements and contributions and undergraduate students during a ceremony on campus on April 17.
Winners were chosen in the categories of Citizenship and Service, Humanities, Leadership, and Scholarly Achievement. Outstanding nominees were put forward by the College of Engineering’s nine academic departments and affiliated departments in three other NC State colleges.
Seniors are nominated by their respective academic departments in the College of Engineering, and winners are chosen by a selection committee made up of faculty and staff members in the College. Departmental nominees were honored during a ceremony held at the James B. Hunt Jr. Library on NC State’s Centennial Campus where the four COE winners were also announced.
Senior Award for Leadership
Rosie Fisher
Rosie Fisher has shown what it means to be a leader in her years at NC State. As an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Program student, she has maintained a 4.0 GPA while also acting as the president of the Textile Technology and Engineering Society (TTES) for the past two years.
Additionally, Fisher received the Textile Engineering Service and Dedication Award, which is awarded each year to a member of The Textile Engineering Society who has shown interest, effort and dedication above and beyond other members of the organization and who prioritizes the advancement and well-being of their fellow textile students.
Outside of textile engineering, Rosie was an event coordinator for Greater Good Textile Group her sophomore year, and she helped revitalize the campus-wide clothing swap when students returned to campus in 2021. In her leadership roles, Rosie not only aimed for and achieved more student involvement and inclusion, but she also worked to set incoming classes up for success by encouraging them to participate in leadership roles and supporting them when they did so.
In the Raleigh community more broadly, Rosie volunteered as a youth leader for 6th- and 7th-graders in Raleigh and was a summer staffer for Appalachia Service Project, where she led high school students and adult group leaders in completing home repair construction projects. She also led nightly educational and reflective programming.
For her tireless work with organizations on campus and in the surrounding community, we are proud to award Rosie Fisher the 2024 Senior Award for Leadership.
Senior Award for Humanities
Zane Shockley
As a double major in industrial and systems engineering and German studies, Zane Shockley stands out among his peers for his academic achievements and intellectual curiosity. Professors noted the drive with which he pursues his goals, his intrinsic motivation to learn and perform well and his flawless work discipline as reasons why he is the ideal candidate for the Senior Award for Humanities.
Zane is always deeply engaged with his work for his classes and with his research. In the summer of 2023, Zane completed an internship in Germany working for Krones AG, a
company that designs, builds and installs machines for packaging bottles and food items. In this capacity, he was able to build skills for both his humanities and engineering majors.
Additionally, Zane is always early for class and eager to practice his disciplines, both in the ISE and German departments. He is currently the vice president of Delta Phi Alpha, the national German honor society, and has helped many times over the years to organize their events. In the years prior to becoming vice president, Zane served as their secretary and their treasurer.
Zane noted that his time at NC State has helped him prepare to be a successful professional and said his professors and mentors from both departments helped him grow by challenging him and broadening his worldview through the lenses of humanities and engineering.
For his dedication to both of his chosen disciplines and his academic excellence, we are proud to award Zane Shockley the 2024 Senior Award for Humanities.
Senior Award for Citizenship and Service
Abigail Wucherer
Not only is mechanical engineering major Abigail Wucherer a dedicated student, but she is also a lifelong advocate for health and wellness.
As co-president and co-founder of the Active Minds student chapter at NC State, Abigail has created spaces for student advocacy around mental health and participated in public speaking engagements at campus events, during which she talks about her personal story of losing her friend to suicide in 2023. In doing so, Abigail hopes to make students feel less alone. Abigail and her co-founder recently made a presentation to the Dean of Engineering and the College’s Executive Committee about the need for more mental health resources for students in the College, which was extremely well received and supported by the dean.
Abigail is also the co-founder of Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats, a nonprofit organization that provides career development opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her older sister, Arin, was born with microcephaly, a rare intellectual and developmental disability. Abigail co-founded Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats in honor of her sister, and the organization now has 11 talented employees with various intellectual and developmental disabilities.
In addition to leading these organizations, Abigail also leads the Women in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Club and has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout her time at NC State. In her capacity as an officer of MAE Club, Abigail organized several events, including a virtual women in engineering panel.
For her dedication to service to her community alongside her academic pursuits, we are proud to award Abigail Wucherer the 2024 Senior Award for Citizenship and Service.
Senior Award for Scholarly Achievement
Robert Kobrin
As a student in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, Robert Kobrin is already working on important research in his field. Since 2021, Robert has worked in the ImmunoEngineering lab at NC State, where he created and parameterized a novel chitosan-glycerol gel to provide increased retention of injected immunotherapeutics compared to lab standard practices. He considers his time at the lab a cornerstone of his education.
Additionally, Robert has developed three cutting-edge flexible nanobiosensors and helped bridge two labs, leading to four other students working abroad. His research efforts led to a Goldwater nomination, co-authorship of manuscripts in Biosensors & Bioelectronics and Cryobiology, first-authorship in IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology and a second developing manuscript.
Outside of the lab, Robert has led the Helping Hands Project in developing 20 pediatric prosthetics and will graduate with highest honors for a thesis on developing a low-cost prosthetic that contains adjustable grip patterns, improving outcomes for pediatric patients.
Robert has held multiple teaching assistant appointments, interned at The Center for Bionic Medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago and fostered an interdisciplinary background through his history and Spanish minors in his time at NC State. In the summer of 2022, he completed a 10-week research internship at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, gaining experience and understanding of similarities and differences between research cultures. For his outstanding achievements as an engineering student and researcher, we are proud to award Robert Kobrin the 2024 Senior Award for Scholarly Achievement.
This post was originally published in College of Engineering News.