The Alumni Association recently announced Andrew Getsy (CWR ’16) and Rachel Katz (CWR ’16) as the 2016 scholarship recipients from the Ohio Collegiate Plate Program.
The Case Western Reserve University License Plate Scholarships are awarded to student(s) who demonstrate a strong commitment to classmates and the university, and who show initiative in their chosen field of expertise. The scholarship’s monetary value is based off of the number of license plates purchased by alumni, faculty, staff and friends of CWRU during each academic year.
Getsy, from Eastlake, Ohio, graduated in May with his bachelor’s degree and will finish his master’s degree in mechanical engineering this summer. Getsy transferred from John Carroll University before beginning his junior year at CWRU at the Case School of Engineering. Getsy, whose older sister is a PhD candidate in the Department of Physiology, is one of seven siblings who grew up tinkering alongside their father, a mechanical engineer.
Today, Getsy’s most meaningful achievement is helping develop MantisBot in the Biologically Inspired Robotics Laboratory on campus.
“MantisBot,” Getsy described, “is a hexapod robot that mirrors the form and mobility of the praying mantis insect.”
He developed the head of the robot to locate a target’s position and send the descending commands to the robot’s simulated neural system. Getsy accomplished this task by creating a vision system from solar panels and a custom electric circuit. When asked how he thinks his experience at CWRU has helped shape his future aspirations, Getsy said, “It’s knowing that I can accomplish what I set out to do through education and perseverance.”
Before starting her job at General Electric in the operations management and leadership program, Rachel Katz of Beachwood, Ohio, will travel this summer to Israel to visit family for six months.
In her role with General Electric, Katz will spend time working in three different areas: sourcing supply chain, manufacturing and a choice role.
When Katz enrolled at CWRU with an undecided major, she was persuaded by family and her adviser to study engineering. Though she found it to be a challenge, she wouldn’t let the fact that others seemed to grasp concepts faster deter her. “I made the decision to continue what I started, and to see it through to the end.”
This newfound confidence encouraged her to accept a mechanical engineering internship with Swagelok the summer after her first year, even though her focus was chemical engineering. She also studied abroad during her third year in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she took classes in business and Spanish.
“My most meaningful achievement,” said Katz, “[is] my ability to conquer a degree that seemed utterly unattainable at the start of my undergraduate career.”
Learn more about how the CWRU Collegiate Plate Program supports scholarships at case.edu/alumni/resources/benefits-services/plates/.