ChemE student Ryan MacElroy wins the 2023 George Washington Prize

Ryan MacElroy, a senior majoring in chemical and petroleum engineering at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering, was the recipient of this year’s George Washington Prize at the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania’s (ESWP) Engineering Awards Banquet. He received a $2,500 cash prize and a $7,500 Dean’s Fellowship to pursue graduate studies.

“Ryan has been an exceptional student since he was a first-year,” said Sanjeev Shroff, interim dean of the Swanson School. “He ranks first among 82 chemical engineering students in the program – a testament to his talents.” 

MacElroy is focused on academic and research excellence - with research conducted at Pitt advised by Sachin Velankar, and at Princeton with Howard Stone - and has been published in the Swanson School’s undergraduate research journal, Ingenium. He has served in leadership roles with our AIChE chapter and Chem-E Cube Team (which won three out of five awards at last year's conference), as well as the Intern & Co-op Association President at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. 

The finalists will receive a cash award of $500 and a $2,500 Dean’s Fellowship to pursue graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Finalists include: 

• Rachel McLoughlin, a senior majoring in bioengineering 
• Peyton Olinski, a senior majoring in industrial engineering 
• Eric Sherman, a senior majoring in electrical and computer engineering 

The George Washington Prize is intended to promote excellence in engineering education and encourage students to pursue additional engineering training at the graduate level by presenting a cash award, and a fellowship to well-rounded students in their senior year of undergraduate engineering studies.