An Indian-origin graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been given the Henry Ford II Scholar Award. The prize ranks among the university’s highest honors for undergraduate engineering students and recognizes strong academic results along with leadership qualities and future potential. While at MIT the recipient carried out studies in power electronics, robotics and technologies aimed at women’s health. She also received the Barry Goldwater Scholarship in 2025. This fall she will start doctoral studies in power electronics at the same institution, with plans to examine uses in healthcare and women’s health. The Henry Ford II Scholar Award goes each year to a senior undergraduate who shows outstanding academic performance and leadership promise in engineering and broader society. The recognition puts the recipient in a small group of students noted for both classroom success and the capacity to advance the engineering field. In remarks about the award the graduate expressed gratitude and mentioned the value of meeting the dean. Her undergraduate record featured research spanning multiple engineering areas. Recent projects in one research group examined capacitive wireless power transfer, a method that may one day support wireless charging for electric vehicles and power for medical implants. Additional work took place in a robotics laboratory known for legged and bio-inspired machines. Research formed a central part of the graduate’s MIT experience across women’s health projects, robotics and power electronics. The ability to move among healthcare technologies, robotics and electrical engineering helped establish her as a leading undergraduate researcher. A key focus remained women’s health technologies, including contributions to a wearable breast ultrasound patch intended to improve access to cancer screening. This work shaped long-term goals of applying engineering solutions to medical challenges. Earlier recognition came with selection as a 2025 Barry Goldwater Scholar, one of the leading national undergraduate awards in science, engineering and mathematics. The honor noted both research achievements and promise as a future engineer. The graduate will remain at MIT for doctoral work in power electronics within the electrical engineering and computer science department. Future efforts will center on power electronics while seeking applications in healthcare and medical devices, with an interest in a research and academic career. Outside studies she took part in campus programs including student organizations and dance classes. She also completed a minor in gender studies and credited faculty for broadening her outlook. Several professors and graduate students were thanked for guidance and support throughout her time at the institute.
