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Department of Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. candidate Ruben Acevedo was awarded the University of Maryland’s Graduate Student Distinguished Service Award during the university’s 40th Annual University Student Leadership Awards event.
The University of Maryland (UMD) Graduate Student Distinguished Service Award celebrates graduate students who have made outstanding contributions to the University community in the areas of scholarship, leadership, involvement and service.
Beyond being a Ph.D. student in Assistant Professor Ryan Sochol’s Bioinspired Advanced Manufacturing (BAM) Laboratory—where he focuses on 3D-printed, soft robotics—Ruben serves as President of both the Mechanical and Reliability Engineering Graduate Student Association (MEGA) and the Engineering Graduate Student Society (EGSS), which he co-founded at UMD in 2020 to serve as a graduate student government for the whole engineering school.
“I really enjoy feeling helpful,” explained Acevedo on his involvement in MEGA and EGSS. “I like that my actions can make someone's day, and I can use my position to create awards or events that truly help my fellow graduate students in their career development, or to just provide a fun evening.”
Through his efforts in EGSS, they helped establish a one-on-one mentoring program for incoming graduate students that included 110 participants as well as hosting events to help connect students across department.
“My main goal is to hopefully set a good precedent for the future leaders of the organizations I have been a part of,” adds Acevedo. “If every year someone is able to make the organization a little better I would be very happy.”
Earlier this year, Acevedo was also recognized for his academic work with the “Outstanding Student Paper Award” for his oral presentation at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (IEEE MEMS 2021) with his paper, “3D Nanoprinted External Microfluidic Structures via Ex Situ Direct Laser Writing.”
Acevedo received his B.S. from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), his M.S. from UMD. He anticipates completing his Ph.D. this spring, and has accepted a position with Boston Consulting Group.
May 11, 2021
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