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COEN Top Scholars

Excellence in the Classroom

Presented by the Boise State Alumni Association and Boise State Honors College, the Top Ten Scholar Award is one of the highest academic honors granted to a Boise State University undergraduate student. Each spring the recipients are recognized, along with their honored faculty, at the annual Top Ten Scholars Award Ceremony.

What makes a Top Ten Scholar?

To qualify for consideration, the student must have a 3.8 or higher grade point average and be nominated by their respective deans.

2022 Top Ten Scholars Ceremony

This year’s Top Ten Scholars featured four College of Engineering students: Emma Cameron, Mechanical Engineering; Audrey Parker, Materials Science and Engineering; Anna Rift, Computer Science; and Sierra Sandison, Mechanical Engineering.

College of Engineering Top Ten Scholar History

Julianna Buzzard

2023 Top Ten Scholar Recipient

Julianna Buzzard headshot

Hometown: Caldwell, Idaho
Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Honors & Awards: Bronco Shop Scholarship, Thelma Brown Engineering Scholarship, Edward W. Stimpson Leadership Scholarship, Don Watkins Idaho Press Club Scholarship
Honored Faculty: Aykut Satici, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical & Biomedical Engineering
Activities: Society of Women Engineers, Mechanical Engineering Club, Fiberguide Internship, Pitch Aeronautics Internship
Future Plans: Work as a Mechanical Engineer at Pitch Aeronautics 

Josue Torres-Fonesca

2023 Top Ten Scholar Recipient

Josue Torres-Fonesca

Hometown: Boise, Idaho
Degree: Computer Science
Honors & Awards: NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Goldwater Scholar, Thelma Brown Engineering Scholarship, Edward W. Stimpson Leadership Scholarship, Barry M. Scholarship
Honored Faculty: Casey Kennington, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science
Activities: College of Engineering Ambassador, SLIM Lab,
Future Plans: Pursue a Ph.D. in Computer Science and become a research professor and mentor

 

Ryan Olson

Ryan Olson headshotHometown: Napa, California
Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Honors & Awards: Wayne Osborn Scholarship for Academic Excellence, Ed & Mary Ann Reynolds Honors College Scholarship, Edward W. Stimpson Leadership Scholarship, Boise State Hometown Challenge Scholarship
Honored Faculty: Trevor Lujan, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical & Biomedical Engineering
Activities: Maker Club, Honors College, Honors Student Association, Northwest Tissue Mechanics Laboratory, Boise State Bee Team, Radio Flyer Internship
Future Plans: Move to Chicago to work for Radio Flyer as a Prototype Shop Engineer

 

Patricio Sainz

2023 Top Ten Scholar Recipient

Patricio Sainz headshot

Hometown: Thayne, Wyoming
Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Honors & Awards: Thelma Brown Engineering Scholarship, Boldt-Ripke Family Scholarship, Edward W. Stimpson Leadership Scholarship
Honored Faculty: Dr. Krishna Pakala, Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Activities: Tau Beta Pi, Reserve Officer Training Corps, POWER Engineers Internship
Future Plans: Work as an overhead transmission line design engineer and project engineer

 

Katelyn Boettcher

Katelynn Boettcher

Hometown: Brentwood, CA
Degree: Materials Science & Engineering
Honors & Awards: Tau Beta Pi Scholarship, 2022 ISPE Outstanding Junior, Dean’s List, GEM Scholarship, MSE Scholarship
Activities: College of Engineering Ambassador, Macromolecular Materials Lab, Tau Beta Pi, Phi Kappa Phi, Honors College, Resident Assistant, Phi Sigma Rho

Trent Brown

Trent Brown headshot

Hometown: Boise, ID
Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Honors & Awards: Brown Honors Award, Russ & Naomi Hopkins Award, Idaho Opportunities Scholarship, Honors Fellowship Award, Dean’s List, NSF Grant Recipient, 2022 Most Inspirational Judoka
Activities: Honors College, Honors Student Association, Honors College House Council, Boise State Judo Club, Peer Mentor

 

Maddie Cudworth

Maddie Cudworth headshot

Hometown: Boise, ID
Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Honors & Awards: 2022 ISPE Outstanding Junior, Dean’s List, Alumni Legacy Scholarship, Presidential Scholarship, Langroise Honors Scholarship
Activities: Society of Women Engineers, Tau Beta Pi, MBE Student Advisory Board, ITW Deltar Fasteners Internship, Advanced Input Systems Internship, Boise State Robot Controls Laboratory

 

Gavin Hamilton

Gavin Hamilton headshot

Hometown: Meridian, ID
Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Honors & Awards: Boise State Graduating Student Leader, MBE Outstanding Scholar, Order of the Engineer, Dean’s List, Presidential Scholarship
Activities: Boise State Robot Controls Lab Mechanical Engineering Club, Society of Women Engineers, Tau Beta Pi, Peer Advisor, Idaho Power Internship

Dylan Johnson

Dylan Johnson headshot

Hometown: Corona, CA
Degree: Construction Management
Honors & Awards: 2023 ASC Competition 2nd Place Project Management Team, 2022 ASC Competition 3rd Place Project Management Team, Dean’s List, Blue Thunder WUE Companion Scholarship
Activities: Idaho AGC Student Chapter, Sigma Lambda Chi, Blue Thunder Marching Band, Magleby Construction Internship, Swinerton Builders Internship, Tuba Euphonium Musician’s Organization

 

Griffin Ruddell

Griffin Ruddell headshot

Hometown: Granite Bay, California
Degree: Construction Management
Honors & Awards:  Dean’s List, AGC Scholarship, College of Engineering Scholarship, William H. McMurren Scholarship, MacGregor Scholarship, Western Undergraduate Exchange Scholarship, Pi Kappa Alpha Certification
Activities: Anning-Johnson Engineer Internship, JE Dunn Construction Internship, Kleinfelder Construction Services Inc. Internship, 3QC Inc. Internship, Pi Kappa Alpha

 

Kincaid Schmitt

Kincaid Schmitt headshot

Hometown: Kenmore, Washington
Degree: Computer Science
Honors & Awards: Dean’s List, 2022 Fraternity President of the Year, 2022 Fraternity Man of the Year
Activities: Beta Theta Pi (Founding Father President), Kount Internship, Schweitzer Engineering Labs Internship

Adam Tran

Adam Tran headshot

Hometown: Nampa, ID
Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Honors & Awards: Dean’s List, Brown Engineering Scholarship, Nathan Alters Engineering Scholarship, Stacy & Mark Pearson Award, Presidential Scholarship, Idaho Opportunity Scholarship
Activities: Smart Materials and Systems Laboratory Undergraduate Research Assistant, Revtech Motorworks Design & Fabrication Assistant, Phi Kappa Phi, Peer Advisor, Mechanical Engineering Club

 

Faith Wilder

Faith Wilder headshot

Hometown: Gig Harbor, Washington
Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Honors & Awards: MBE Outstanding Researcher Award, College of Engineering Undergraduate Research Scholar, GEM Scholarship, Dean’s List
Activities: Northwest Tissue Mechanics Lab Undergraduate Research Assistant, Boise State Residence Assistant, Tau Beta Pi

 

Past Top Ten Scholar Recipients

Emma Cameron

2021 Top Ten Scholar Recipient, Materials Science & Engineering

Audrey Parker

2022 Top Ten Scholar Recipient, Materials Science & Engineering

Annika Rift

2022 Top Ten Scholar Recipient, Computer Science

Sierra Sandison

2022 Top Ten Scholar Recipient, Mechanical Engineering

Mia Klopfenstein

2021 Top Ten Scholar Recipient, Materials Science & Engineering

Sophia Mitchell

2021 Top Ten Scholar Recipient, Materials Science & Engineering

Olivia Thomas

2021 Top Ten Scholar Recipient, Computer Science

Past COEN Top Scholars

Dylan Burrell

Computer Science, 2021

Alex Draper

Mechanical Engineering, 2022

Will Gasperini

Mechanical Engineering, 2022

Cody Lacoursiere

Materials Science & Engineering, 2022

Zachary Pinkley

Mechanical Engineering, 2022

Ashley Rivera

Electrical Engineering, 2022

McKenna Roan

Civil Engineering, 2022

Andrew Russell

Mechanical Engineering, 2022

Ellie Schlake

Electrical Engineering, 2022

Riley Smith

Construction Management, 2022

Zach Sullivan

Mechanical Engineering, 2022

Jill Alexander

Mechanical Engineering, 2021

Alyssa Felzien

Computer Science, 2021

Madison Goldfeldt

Mechanical Engineering, 2021

Tristan Hauber

Mechanical Engineering, 2021

Mason Hix

Electrical Engineering, 2021

Nikita Kramar

Computer Science, 2021

Ashlyn Masterson

Materials Science & Engineering, 2021

Nikesh Parajuli

Computer Science, 2021

Kushalta Paudel

Electrical Engineering, 2021

Max Richmond

Computer Science, 2021

Abigail Sigurdson

Civil Engineering, 2021

Annalies Tipton

Materials Science & Engineering, 2021

Jared White

Computer Science, 2021