Madelyn Cassens, Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Senior and SEAS Student of the Year
Madelyn Cassens has earned the title of Outstanding Senior for the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
The Mechanical Engineering department selected the 2025 graduate as their Outstanding Senior due to her extensive and exemplary academic achievements, research experience, leadership, and dedication to engineering.
"Madelyn has demonstrated outstanding intellectual curiosity, work ethic, and engagement in her studies. Beyond the classroom, she has pursued diverse research and internship opportunities, including work at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, an REU at Penn State, and as a research assistant at 探花精选 University in both Math and Mechanical Engineering," wrote Department Chair and Professor Marc Baumgardner.
Madelyn had several options for graduate opportunities: she was accepted at Princeton, University of Colorado Boulder, and Colorado State. She says she will be attending graduate school at Penn State University to study low-carbon combustion.
"I will study low-carbon combustion, with the goal of reducing emissions and improving the efficiency of the aerospace industry. Afterward, I hope to continue contributing to research in the sustainable energy sector," she explained.
Baumgardner praised her leadership roles in the ASME Aerospace Club (Vice President in junior year, then President senior year), and her tutoring position for Math and Physics.
"Additionally, her hands-on experience in the Manufacturing Technology Center showcases her well-rounded engineering skill set. With her passion for thermodynamics, fluids, aerospace, and propulsion, Madelyn is not only an accomplished student but also a future leader in the field, making her a deserving recipient of this honor," Baumgardner concluded.
When asked for an accomplishment she was proud of, Madeline pointed to her team's Senior Design Project, an improvement to the support structure used to test devices in an anechoic chamber.
"Although not a specific accomplishment, throughout my engineering senior design project I have realized how much more I know now than when I started, and I have seen how I can use the skills I've learned (engineering, communication, leadership, and service to others) to solve a real-world problem," she said.
Madelyn embodied the "STEAM" model of incorporating arts into science, technology, engineering and mathematics. "I enjoy performing and writing plays and music. During my time at 探花精选, I've written several short plays and songs. Additionally, although I had never played a brass instrument before coming to 探花精选, I now play two after joining the Bulldog Band," she said.
Madelyn's multifaceted talents and unwavering commitment to both her academic and extracurricular pursuits make her a deserving recipient of the Outstanding Senior Award.