Graduating Student Awards

My passion for engineering has grown and strengthened throughout my life, most notably, when I joined the FIRST Robotics Team #5871, The Chickadees. It was an all-girls team that worked closely with the Boise State University Engineering Innovation Studio (EIS). Having the opportunity to brainstorm, design, and fabricate a robot within a six-week timeline with these other women was so incredible and strengthened my love for problem-solving and designing. From this incredible team I not only felt more confident in my decision to major in Mechanical Engineering, but I also received a job offer from Griff Allen, the EIS manager, inside of the EIS.

I currently work in the EIS as a studio supervisor. We work on different machining and fabricating projects for faculty and students which requires communication and flexibility to create the product correctly and on time. I have learned technical skills such as welding, soldering, and 3D modeling using SolidWorks. I also worked as an Undergraduate Research Assistant for the Robot Control Laboratory during my sophomore year where I conducted research of robotic functions while writing and implementing code using Python and Robot Operating System (ROS). One of my first projects was to design and fabricate a motor mount for their air hockey robot that required specific measurements of the motor and creating a stable structure where the motor can torque without swaying the motor mount.

I worked as a Manufacturing Engineer for Advanced Input Systems (AIS) in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. During my internship at AIS, I worked on various process improvement projects to increase efficiency of the assembly line, including creating a lasering fixture for a bezel and designing and fabricating a bracket fixture for a display screen. I was assigned a specific product, an ultrasound control board, to solve any assembly issues that arose. Additionally, I was assigned a project to decrease the amount of human inspection on the final products and create an automated inspection system. To accomplish this, I assisted in the programming of a Cognex camera that would take a picture of the final product and inspect for any errors such as switched buttons or misprints.

Two summers ago (2021), I worked as an Operations Engineer Intern for ITW Deltar Fasteners in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. One of my main projects involved working with a type of robot called a flex feeder that could pick up a car fastener clip and assemble a small foam washer onto it. My task was to modify the current flex feeder setup by designing, fabricating, and implementing a new tool and tray for a different clip.

I participated in Boise State’s Society of Women Engineers and was the president during the 2021-2022 school year where I organized our group’s travel to the WE21 Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. This was an incredible opportunity to truly understand how much work goes into planning a trip for eight members of a club. I ended up utilizing many of the skills I have learned through engineering such as problem-solving and organization.

As I wrap up my education at Boise State University, I am looking forward to starting work at my new job as an Opto-Mechanical Engineer for Lockheed Martin in Bothell, WA. While I am excited to see what my future holds, especially with homework-free nights and weekends, I cannot help but feel saddened that I will not be seeing my amazing classmates and friends every day. I feel beyond lucky to be able to look back fondly on all the memories and amazing friends I have made.

I entered Boise State in 2019 after having blue and orange on my bedroom walls since birth. The Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Department garnered and held my commitment as I never outgrew loving machines that move fast, make loud noises, and cause a five-year-old’s jaw to drop. Luckily, my professors shared this passion, and helped me find opportunities to conduct research with labs ranging from Virginia to Berlin, and building machines ranging from autonomous vehicles to food-safe cranes.

I find pride in fellow Broncos finding success, and witnessed this firsthand as a teaching assistant for the MBE Department, peer mentor and President for the Honors College, and mediator for Honors Alumni Professional Development Series. I hope to continue representing Boise State in a positive light following graduation, when I will be moving to the east coast and working on massive steel machines that float, break atoms, and make loud noises.

I always knew I wanted to be an engineer and came to Boise State in the Fall of 2019 with the intent of getting a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I also always had a passion for biomechanics and with this, got involved in research early on. I began working in the Boise Applied Biomechanics of Infants (BABI) Laboratory after my sophomore year. Working in this research lab allowed me to participate in the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program and eventually become a McNair Scholar. Over the past two years, I’ve presented at many regional and national conferences, made significant connections with the COEN community, and become a better leader. I have been a peer mentor to incoming students, involved with nonprofit work with Dance Marathon and St. Luke’s, and done outreach events to local middle and high schools with my lab. In the Fall of 2023, I’ll be starting my Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering here at Boise State, continuing my work in the BABI Lab with Dr. Erin Mannen.

During my time at Boise State I have been presented with many opportunities, and am incredibly thankful for the diverse experience is has given me.

At the end of my sophomore year I was welcomed into a position as a shop supervisor at our Engineering Innovation Studio. This was incredibly impactful as I learned something new each day with each new problem presented. I was challenged to lead a project on one of the EIS’s new machines, through which I was able to practice clear communication of standard operating procedures, educate myself on machining procedures I previously had no knowledge on, teach other supervisors and students about the machine, and design solutions for problems we were coming up against. The community in the shop has been such a blessing, as I have attained many friendships and knowledgeable and caring mentors. The EIS is my favorite place on campus and somewhere I consider to be a “home base”.

I have been studying secondary education as an emphasis, therefore having the opportunity to work with students in local schools throughout my four years here. This has been incredible, to learn how to communicate my understanding to others, and has led to a full-time job position as a teacher while finishing my last semester here at Boise State. I also have worked as a peer educator for engineering classes to help cultivate this practice.

Over the summer I will be teaching at McCall Outdoor Science School and backpacking a lot! In the fall I am looking forward to working in an environment that cultivates and adds to my understanding of machining, and where I can have new challenges to meet each day.

Each year, Boise State University looks at their graduating students and select ten from across all programs to recognize as the top of their class. Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering are excited that a record THREE of our students are among those Top Ten Scholars for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Julianna Buzzard succeeded by putting in the work. She decided to attend Boise State University during her senior year of high school, when she commuted 45 minutes to and from the university to take Calculus II and III. This opened the door to academic opportunities, like working in the Thermal Transport and Solar Energy Laboratory and the Robotics Control Laboratory, where she supported graduate student studies.

She has been a member of the Society of Women Engineers and the Mechanical Engineering Club, where she was president during the 2021-22 academic year, leading it to a first-place award for innovation in the International Human Powered Vehicle Challenge, put on by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. She also led efforts by the Mechanical Engineering Club to fund other College of Engineering-affiliated clubs so they could participate in competitions. This initiative was funded in March of 2023 for $30,000, with an additional $20,000 promised by the College of Engineering.

Ryan Olson has distinguished himself through his high work ethic, leadership, and a keen eye for opportunity. Throughout the past 4 years, Ryan has maintained a 4.0 GPA in one of the most strenuous programs on campus. He has also been a part of several academic clubs and held many internships. One of his proudest accomplishments was creating the Maker Club here on campus. Established by Ryan and his friends so they could share their passion for making things, its unique projects include a retro-style arcade cabinet complete with games like Pac-Man, Galaga, and Ryan’s favorite: Dig Dug. As the club’s president, Ryan taught other students skills like 3D printing, Computer-Aided Design, leatherworking, woodworking and metalworking; and raised over $8,000 in ASBSU grants.

Ryan has been involved in the Honors College, where he presided as president of a student-led council, was a member of the Honors Student Association, and has been a part of the Honors Social Committee. In these positions, he profoundly impacted the Honors College by planning social, service, and academic events for all 1,100 honors students.

Ryan spent this last year working as an undergraduate research assistant for Dr. Trevor Lujan in the Northwestern Tissue Mechanics Laboratory. He also has been a member of the Boise State Swing Dancing Club and the Boise State Bee team, and he has been playing intramural sports, including two volleyball championship titles.

Ryan is excited to move to Chicago to work as a prototype shop engineer. In this position, he will be using his woodworking, metalworking, and 3D modeling skills to make prototypes of bikes.

As a student, Patricio “Brady” Sainz has spent more than four semesters working as an undergraduate researcher under the mentorship of Associate Dean and Professor Jim Browning. Additionally, he has given several presentations and contributed to peer-reviewed publications on vacuum electronics research. Brady has worked as an engineering dynamics grader for the MBE department, which is the basis for his current position as an overhead transmission line design intern at POWER Engineers. The Idaho Society of Professional Engineers recognized him as an Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Junior.

As a member and chapter president of the Tau Beta Pi engineering society, he participated in and organized community service projects. Brady is a member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps on campus, through which he has worked with a variety of students representing different backgrounds and areas of academic interest.