The 19th Annual Research Park Intern Awards Ceremony, which celebrates the contributions of outstanding student interns at Research Park corporate innovation centers and startups, took place on July 24, 2025.
The awards ceremony brings together interns representing diverse skill sets and industry sectors, as well as their managers and colleagues. It reflects the overall depth and breadth of excellence of intern work that occurs daily at Research Park.
Awards were given in the following categories:
- Best Startup Intern
- Best Technical Innovation
- Best Business Innovation
- Most Outstanding Graduate Student Intern
- Most Outstanding Undergraduate Student Intern
- Most Competent and Collaborative Team
Among the notable projects showcased was an intern who developed an in-house model that once deployed saved their company $60,000 in expenses. Another standout project involved a group of interns who developed XR prototypes that have been deployed and utilized in tech centers across three different continents and did so an entire year ahead of the original schedule.
The ceremony and nominations highlighted the incredible talent within the Research Park community and underscored the vital role that internships play in fostering the next generation of industry leaders.
Best Startup Intern
Hrishikesh Sarda | Earthsense | Mechanical Engineering Intern | Master of Science in Technology Management | Gies College of Business
“Hrishi has very quickly demonstrated his value to our team. He takes on responsibility with the trustworthiness of a full-time engineer. He works independently, gives valuable design feedback, and shows comfort in the unknown. He found an error in my calculation, researched the topic to correct it, and brings a level of attention to detail rare at his experience level.”
Finalists:
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Dongjoon Jeong | Hinetics | Mechanical Engineering Intern | Mechanical Engineering | Grainger College of Engineering
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Daniel Ormsbee | Boston Bioprocess | Bioprocess Intern | Molecular Biology and Mechanical Engineering | Cedarville University
Best Technical innovation
Undergraduate winner:
Om Mistry | Brunswick Boating Intelligence Design Lab | Data Engineering Intern | Industrial Engineering and Statistics | Grainger College of Engineering
“During his internship, Om’s primary responsibility was to enhance our data ingestion pipelines across multiple projects. One of his most impactful contributions was improving our propeller recommendation tool, which helps customers select the right propeller for their boat and engine combination—reducing both customer and dealer stress and driving internal sales.
He brought initiative, technical curiosity, and a structured mindset—researching machine learning, building a user-focused interface, and delivering high-quality code. His adaptability, collaboration, and impact on a high-visibility project stood out throughout his internship.”
Graduate winner:
Farid Ahmed | Rivian | Thermal Modeling Intern | Nuclear Plasma and Radiological Engineering | Grainger College of Engineering
“In a context where mileage per watt is a key performance metric, Farid’s contributions are especially impactful. His initial studies indicated an 8–10% improvement in cooling efficiency compared to the current design. He is self-motivated, thoughtful, and collaborative. His technical rigor and clear communication have made him a valued team member influencing high-priority design decisions.”
Best Business Innovation
“Shravani led development of a Power BI dashboard for technology budget tracking, producing a tool now essential for strategic reporting. Her precision, innovation, and ability to bridge technical and business needs earned praise from leadership, who highlighted her fresh perspective and strong communication on complex financial data.”
Finalists:
- Luke Peng | Synchrony Emerging Technology Center | Operations Analyst- Data Engineering Intern | Statistics
Most Outstanding Undergraduate Student Intern
Miguel Aenlle | PrairieLearn | Software Engineering Intern | Computer Science | Grainger College of Engineering
“As a freshman, he immediately led a full redesign of our navigation system—interviewing users, building an accessible UI, and engineering a staged rollout. His work is already in production. In 20 years of mentoring interns, Miguel is the best I’ve worked with. His impact has been extraordinary.”
Finalists:
- Isabella Chou | Mondelēz International | XR Intern | Computer Science | Grainger College of Engineering
- Austin Carlen | Applied Pavement Technology | Engineering Technician Intern | Engineering Technology | Lake Land College
Most Outstanding Graduate Student Intern
Nanguan Lin | Boston Bioprocess | Software Engineering Intern | Computer Engineering | Grainger College of Engineering
“Nanguan has been instrumental in building a new Lab Information Management System from scratch. He rapidly grasped requirements, led stakeholder interviews, and delivered a robust dashboard that’s now a cornerstone of operations. He balances professionalism and approachability—equally comfortable leading technical discussions and bringing positive energy to everyday team interactions.”
Finalists:
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- Charlie Du | Brunswick Boating Intelligence Design Lab | Computer Graphics Software Developer Intern | Computer Science | Grainger College of Engineering
- Kinjal Parekh | COUNTRY Financial DigitaLab | Project Manager/Software Developer Intern | Computer Science | Grainger College of Engineering
Most Competent and Collaborative Team
Mondelēz International XR Team
- Isabella Chou | XR Intern | Computer Science | Grainger College of Engineering
- Josh Sutanto | XR Intern | Computer Engineering | Grainger College of Engineering
- Roshni Dave | XR Intern | Computer Science | Grainger College of Engineering
“The Mondelez XR team delivered both high-quality work and a remarkable number of prototypes, despite being new to XR. Their teamwork, adaptability, and dedication exceeded every brief—so much so, new ones had to be created. Their prototypes are now being deployed across three continents, with one fast-tracked for consumer research a year early. This accelerated timeline reflects the immediate business value of their work and is expected to drive faster ROI and greater digital adoption.”
Finalists:
- Brunswick Boating Intelligence Design Lab
- Aashish Subramanian | Computer Graphics Software Developer Intern | Computer Engineering | Grainger College of Engineering
- Charlie Du | Computer Graphics Software Developer Intern | Computer Science | Grainger College of Engineering
- Jaden Ambrocio Alcantara | Computer Graphics Software Engineering Intern | Computer Science | Grainger College of Engineering
- Kaavya Vassa | Front End Development Intern | Computer Science and Bioengineering | Grainger College of Engineering
- Melody Breg | Mechanical Engineer Intern | Mechanical Engineering | Grainger College of Engineering
- Swathi Sureshmoorthy | Computer Graphic Software Developer Intern | Computer Science | Grainger College of Engineering
- Ameren Innovation Center
- Jason Liao | Data Science Intern | Computer Science | Grainger College of Engineering
- Jeffery Huang | Data Science Intern | Computer Science + Statistics | Grainger College of Engineering + College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Manasi Karat | iOps Intern | Organizational Psychology/Business | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Mann Talati | Data Science Intern | Computer Science + Statistics | Grainger College of Engineering + College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Niyati Gupta | Data Science Intern | Computer Science + Statistics | Grainger College of Engineering + College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
View photos from the event on the UIRP website.