At Carnegie Mellon College of Engineering, all of our students choose a major, and many also pursue an additional major to refine their engineering expertise and expand their career opportunities. Most of our students also enhance their education by conducting research, joining and leading student organizations, and spending their summers studying abroad or working as interns.
That’s why we are so happy to showcase some of these outstanding graduating seniors. You will surely be impressed with all that these young engineers have accomplished, and like us, you’ll be thrilled to see some of the exciting plans they have for the future.
Note: ACS Scholars are undergraduate seniors who embody Carnegie Mellon’s high standards of academic excellence, volunteerism, leadership, and involvement in student organizations, athletics, or the arts. They are selected each year by their deans and department heads to represent their class in service and leadership.
Lex Capestany
Civil Engineering and Engineering and Public Policy
ACS Scholar | Chi Epsilon CEE Honor Society | Student Dining Advisory Committee Founder | Ultimate Frisbee Assistant Captain | Tricking Club Member
- Conducted research on the safety of electric truck batteries with Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Chris Hendrickson
- Worked as an intern at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
- Worked as an intern at the Port of Seattle studying the PCR values of their airfield pavement
- Studied abroad with the DIS Study Abroad program in Copenhagen and Stockholm
- Teaching assistant for the Sensing and Thermal Imaging civil engineering course
- Served as the first student director of sustainability for campus dining
- Will return to his hometown of Seattle Washington to work for FacetNW, a civil engineering consulting firm whose services include structural and marine engineering and landscape architecture
Quote: “The CEE and EPP departments have given me a life-changing education and community. Thank you for everything!”
Keenan Norton
Chemical Engineering and Environmental Studies and Hispanic Studies
ACS Scholar | Fulbright Recipient | PTau Beta Pi | Chemical Engineering Alumni Scholarship recipient | Co-President of Juntos | Study Abroad Advisory Board Member
- Conducted catalysis research related to water treatment with Chemistry Professor Terrence Collins to identify better ways to degrade pharmaceutical chemicals in the water supply
- Conducted experiments to identify catalyst compounds that could remove Benadryl from water supply
- Worked as a summer intern for Michelman, a Cincinnati based developer and manufacturer of specialized sustainable chemistry
- Studied abroad in Costa Rica and participated in two service trips to the Dominican Republic with Juntos to improve rural infrastructure
- Completed the Pittsburgh Marathon in 2025
- Plans to earn his Ph.D. in chemical engineering at Rice University after conducting research in Ecuador with the Fulbright U.S. Student Program
Quote: “I am incredibly grateful for how well my time as a CMU engineering student has prepared me for a future of making the world a better place. A background in the disciplinary thinking required to be an engineer is invaluable for me as I go on to challenge myself to be a beacon of change for good.”
Zeynep Orucu
Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering
ACS Scholar | Chemical Engineers | Pitch Lead for ChemE Cube | Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority | Engineering Student Council member
- Conducted research on GPCR proteins in Chemical Engineering (ChemE) Professor Anne Robinson’s lab
- Conducted computational simulations of rare earth element recovery in the Bayan Obo mining district of China with Chemical Engineering Associate Professor Ana Torres
- Studied how condensates form in microfluidic platforms using ELP (elastin-like peptides) in Chemical Engineering Assistant Professor Derin Sevenler’s lab with the Engineering Honors Researcher program
- Interned with Enerjisa Uretim, a Turkish energy company, the summer after her sophomore year and with Merck & Co. the summer following her junior year
- Held campus jobs as a course assistant for Chemical Reaction Engineering, supplemental instructor for Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Tartan Ambassador, resident assistant for the pre-college program for high school students, an orientation counselor, and a teaching assistant for the Physics I for Engineers course
- She will graduate with both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and will begin her Ph.D. program in chemical engineering at MIT
Quote: “The ChemE community taught me that making a real difference starts with being willing to go after hard questions.”
Cemal Ozis
Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering
ACS Scholar | President of the Muslim Student Association | Mixed Martial Arts Club Member
- Conducted motion capture experiments to better understand the relationship between nerve stimulation and muscle activity with Robotics Institute Professor Hartmut Geyer
- Conducted statistical analysis and designed microscopic electrical implants for testing sensory and motor systems in Mechanical Engineering Professor Doug Weber’s NeuroMechatronics Lab
- Worked on Mechanical Engineering Professor Sara Bergbreiter’s research team to develop software and hardware that could use vision as a force sensing modality to study how micro robots mimic insects
- Finished high school early and completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in four years
- Will go to work for roboLoop, a robotics start-up from CMU focusing on developing autonomous systems for e-waste recycling.
Quote: “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
William Privaratsky
Electrical and Computer Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering
ACS Scholar | NSF Graduate Research Fellowship | Senior Leadership Recognition Award Recipient
- Conducted research with Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Associate Professor Qing Li, including simulations and experiments to characterize how light interacts with mechanical vibrations in silicon carbide-based devices
- Worked as an electrical engineer intern at TSI, Inc. in Minneapolis developing new gas sensors used to detect airborne particles.
- Worked as a teaching assistant for five semesters for four ECE courses.
- Will stay at Carnegie Mellon to earn his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering with a focus on quantum and photonic devices on Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Maysam Chamanzar’s research team.
Quote: “The greatest part about being at CMU is being around so many talented people. I feel lucky to have friends who are always teaching me new things, inside and outside of class.”
Jamari Toussaint
Electrical and Computer Engineering
ACS Scholar | National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) | National Honeywell IPP Scholar | ECE Boeing Scholarship recipient | Senior Leadership Recognition | NSBE Academic Excellence Officer and Program Chair | Emerge Mentor
- Participated in Nvidia’s Ignite summer pre-internship program helping to test and run an online log in process
- Worked as a software for hardware intern at Microsoft during the summer after his junior year
- Served as a teaching assistant for three ECE courses
- Was a resident assistant for three semesters in upperclassmen housing community
- Participated as an active NSBE member and NSBE national conference attendee and speaker
- Was selected as a Carnegie Mellon University Rales Fellow and plans to complete is master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering
Quote: “The biggest takeaway from my CMU experience is leading with passion. When you lead with passion, through any accomplishment or setback, you can never go wrong with working from your heart. And get to know other passionate people too! They’re just about everywhere at CMU, in every college and every space.”
Isha Tulsyan
Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering
ACS Scholar | CMU Senior Leadership Awardee | President of the Society of Women Engineers and CMU Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
- Interned at Smith+Nephew on the Systems Test team, conducting verification and validation testing to support FDA approval of robotic systems for shoulder and knee arthroplasty
- Conducted research with Mechanical Engineering Professor Kenji Shimada, designing 3D vascular models used for testing remote endovascular surgery techniques.
- Plans to complete her master’s degree in biomedical engineering at Carnegie Mellon before going to work for a medical device company.
Quote: “I really like the supportive and collaborative community here. I always felt people wanted me to succeed and the environment has helped me grow both academically and as a leader.”
David Zoota
Electrical and Computer Engineering
ACS Scholar | All-American Varsity Swimmer
- Worked as a software engineer intern for PNC Bank the summer after his sophomore year
- Worked as a business analyst intern for Capital One the summer after his junior year
- Teaching Assistant for Electrical and Computer Engineering Structure and Design of Digital Systems course
- Division III 2nd Team Academic All-American Swimmer
- College Sports Communicators All-American
- Avid outdoorsman who has hiked, climbed, and mountaineered throughout South and Central America
- Will join Capital One as a fulltime business analyst when he graduates this spring and plans to pursue an MBA in the future
Quote: “CMU puts many challenges in your path. When working through them, make sure to have fun and leave time for yourself.”