Students

CU Engineering students join inaugural Apple mentorship program

Caroline Harrah — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 19:42:12 +0000

CU Engineering students join inaugural Apple mentorship program Caroline Harrah Wed, 12/10/2025 - 12:42

Caroline Harrah

Engineering students at the ��ñ�� have been selected for Apple's inaugural Next-Gen Innovators mentorship program, which provides one-on-one guidance from Apple engineers to help students prepare for careers in the tech industry. ��ñ�� is one of approximately two dozen universities nationwide chosen for the competitive program.

The eight-month program pairs engineering students with Apple engineers for one-on-one mentorship in hardware, software and manufacturing.

"This partnership showcases how CU Engineering connects our students with industry leaders to build the technical and professional skills demanded by today's technology sector," said Keith Molenaar, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science. "Our students will gain valuable insights directly from Apple engineers while developing the networks crucial for launching successful careers."

Selected students meet monthly with their Apple engineer mentors from whom they’ll receive personalized guidance, as well as participate in periodic virtual events. The program covers career development from resume writing to technical skills, with each pairing matched to the student's career goals.

Mentorship includes exposure to Apple's product development process and opportunities to tackle real engineering problems. Students will build skills employers want: technical communication, project management and team collaboration.

2025-26 Apple Next-Gen Innovators Program Cohort

Rocco Antoniou
Matias Blanco
Peter Hindes
Cam Mead
Jack Miller
Naren Musthuri
Erick Quintana
Javier Schimming
Lucas Schultz
Alexander Van Thuyne
Zach Weinberg

The program helps students stand out in competitive job markets by providing practical experience alongside their coursework while building their professional networks. Recent CU Engineering graduates at Apple, Google, Microsoft and Amazon say industry partnerships like this one have prepared them for success.

"Learning from professionals at one of the world’s leading tech companies is an opportunity I’m genuinely excited about," said Matias Blanco, a mechanical engineering student at ��ñ��. "I’m gaining real insight into how to be competitive after graduation, what the job landscape truly looks like and the behind-the-scenes work engineers do every day. I’m grateful for the opportunities Apple and ��ñ�� have opened up, and I look forward to learning and collaborating with my mentor and cohort.”

The Apple Next-Gen Innovators mentorship program runs through spring 2026.

In partnership with campus Career Services, CU Engineering collaborates with hundreds of companies each year to offer internships, experiential learning opportunities, networking events, research experiences and capstone design projects that prepare students for successful careers after graduation. Learn more about the Engineering Career Hub and its services.

Apple has chosen ��ñ�� as one of a select group of universities for its new Next-Gen Innovators mentorship program, connecting engineering students with Apple engineers for personalized career mentoring and hands-on exposure to real-world product development.

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Wind tunnel research could help predict how wildfires spread

Alexander James Servantez — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 18:35:37 +0000

Wind tunnel research could help predict how wildfires spread Alexander Jame… Fri, 12/05/2025 - 11:35

PhD student Laura Shannon, alongside Professors Greg Rieker and Peter Hamlington of the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering are setting fires inside wind tunnels to gain a better understanding of how fire spreads across different terrain. The team says their findings could help keep communities safer in a world where climate-driven wildfire is becoming more common—and more dangerous.

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PhD student earns top award for video showing hidden odor patterns

Susan Glairon — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 23:26:01 +0000

PhD student earns top award for video showing hidden odor patterns Susan Glairon Wed, 12/03/2025 - 16:26

Susan Glairon

Elle Stark, a PhD student in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, was recently awarded a prestigious Gallery of Fluid Motion (GFM) Award for a video describing her research.

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Double major, triple honors: Ethan Coleman earns academic, research and outstanding student awards

Susan Glairon — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 18:28:41 +0000

Double major, triple honors: Ethan Coleman earns academic, research and outstanding student awards Susan Glairon Mon, 12/01/2025 - 11:28

Susan Glairon

The recognitions reflect Coleman's work as a teaching assistant for six classes; his strong academic performance—including three graduate-level classes—and his research, where he served as first author on two papers stemming from his undergraduate thesis. It also reflects his time spent as a ChBE student ambassador.

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Caroline Mumm honored with CEAS Global Engagement Award

Susan Glairon — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 15:04:29 +0000

Caroline Mumm honored with CEAS Global Engagement Award Susan Glairon Wed, 11/26/2025 - 08:04

Susan Glairon

Caroline Mumm, an architectural engineering major, represented ��ñ�� during a summer abroad program at Freie Universität Berlin International Summer University (FUBis). Mumm returned with a deeper understanding of the diverse challenges and innovations in sustainable building worldwide.

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A window underground: New sensors measure emissions from soil in real time

Alexander James Servantez — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 21:40:29 +0000

A window underground: New sensors measure emissions from soil in real time Alexander Jame… Thu, 11/20/2025 - 14:40

Soil is comprised of an intricate network of bacteria and other microbes that humans depend on, but this complex environmental system is constantly shifting, making it difficult for scientists to measure. Associate Professor Gregory Whiting and his team of researchers are developing reliable, inexpensive and easy-to-deploy sensors that monitor soil in real time to help farmers optimize their use of fertilizers, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save money in the process.

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Student-built rocket flies into the stratosphere

Jeff Zehnder — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 16:52:14 +0000

Student-built rocket flies into the stratosphere Jeff Zehnder Mon, 11/10/2025 - 09:52

Jeff Zehnder

Go for launch!

The 12-foot-tall rocket roared off the pad, streaming higher and higher until it was barely more than a pinprick in the morning sky.

At 9:15 a.m. on Sunday, October 12, the ��ñ�� Sounding Rocket Lab (SRL) successfully launched a rocket to 90,000 ft. in altitude.

Designed and built by students in the club, the Mamba III rocket was a multiyear effort for SRL.

“Over 100 students worked on this project,” said Robert Umali, the team solids/composites lead and an aerospace sophomore. “Our test fire in March performed flawlessly. This rocket is built like a tank.”

Built From Scratch

Although off-the-shelf rocket plans are available online, the team elected to design theirs from the ground up, said Tyler Boim, team co-captain and an aerospace senior.

“Anything that we can make in-house we do. We fully made our avionics, composites, structures, and propellant. You understand each part and why it’s there. We’re not building Legos. You become a better engineer,” Boim said.

Putting the extra work into an independent design has also had career benefits for members like Nick Kieft, fellow team co-captain and an aerospace senior.

“It’s experience for industry. In internship interviews, most of what I talk about with companies is the team. I manufactured this, designed that, tested this,” Kieft said.

The successful launch in California’s Mojave Desert was a moment of exhilaration for all the team members, but only one portion of the day’s excitement, as the rocket body also contained sensors and cameras to track the flight and its landing.

Hitting Mach 3.36

“Mamba had a maximum Mach number of 3.36, equivalent to a velocity of 2,393 mph. Consistent communication of the rocket's flight computers throughout ascent and descent enabled us to determine a landing position and recover the vehicle. The final GPS coordinates were within 50 feet of the landing location,” Kieft said.

Getting to the finish line was not always easy. The team experienced significant setbacks in launches on the previous Mamba I, which suffered a nose cone failure, as well as Mamba II, which exploded midflight.

“Mamba III used the same principles of the original design, but was reworked to account for lessons learned. We spent an entire year recharacterizing the propellant. We overbuilt this rocket to guarantee there would be no failures,” Boim said.

Next Steps

With the successful launch, the team is moving on to a much bigger goal called Spaceshot. They are beginning work on a new rocket design that can reach at least 350,000 ft. in altitude and become only the second student rocketry organization in the world to cross the atmospheric boundary into space – internationally designated at 328,000 ft.

“There will be big infrastructure improvements. We’ll be developing it over the next year or two,” Boim said.

Although that launch will be after senior team members like Boim and Kieft graduate in May 2026, each team stands on the shoulders of earlier graduates, incorporating their design and education in the next iteration.

“I won’t necessarily be here for that launch, but a lot of the work you do leading up to it is just as valuable and rewarding,” Kieft said. “There’s smaller milestones along the way. SRL takes all the important first principles we learn in class to the next level.”

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AISES names ��ñ�� Top 200 Colleges for Indigenous students 2026

Charles Ferrer — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 15:50:45 +0000

AISES names ��ñ�� Top 200 Colleges for Indigenous students 2026 Charles Ferrer Mon, 11/10/2025 - 08:50

Charles Ferrer

The Advancing Indigenous People in STEM (AISES) has named ��ñ�� as one of the top 200 colleges for Indigenous students in its 2025-2026 national rankings. AISES is a national nonprofit dedicated to increasing the representation of Indigenous peoples of North America and the Pacific Islands in STEM fields.

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��ñ��'s Chem-E-Car team wins international poster design competition

Susan Glairon — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 23:37:29 +0000

��ñ��'s Chem-E-Car team wins international poster design competition Susan Glairon Thu, 11/06/2025 - 16:37

Susan Glairon

The win came at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ international Chem-E-Car competition in Boston, where ��ñ��’s poster stood out among 56 teams.

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Arianna McCarty reaches new heights with Astronaut Scholarship

Susan Glairon — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 23:10:40 +0000

Arianna McCarty reaches new heights with Astronaut Scholarship Susan Glairon Tue, 11/04/2025 - 16:10

Susan Glairon

Arianna McCarty, a chemical and biological engineering senior, has distinguished herself through a remarkable combination of academic and research excellence, earning the Astronaut, Boettcher and Goldwater scholarships. Her research spans computational genomics, the respiratory microbiome and tissue engineering aimed at improving heart health.

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Students

CU Engineering students join inaugural Apple mentorship program

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Wind tunnel research could help predict how wildfires spread

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PhD student earns top award for video showing hidden odor patterns

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Double major, triple honors: Ethan Coleman earns academic, research and outstanding student awards

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Caroline Mumm honored with CEAS Global Engagement Award

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A window underground: New sensors measure emissions from soil in real time

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Student-built rocket flies into the stratosphere

Built From Scratch

Hitting Mach 3.36

Next Steps

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AISES names ��ñ���� Top 200 Colleges for Indigenous students 2026

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��ñ����'s Chem-E-Car team wins international poster design competition

Off

Arianna McCarty reaches new heights with Astronaut Scholarship

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AISES names ��ñ�� Top 200 Colleges for Indigenous students 2026

��ñ��'s Chem-E-Car team wins international poster design competition