At fall commencement,UNLV President Neal Smatresk will highlight two graduating students for their outstanding work in the classroom and the community. They were selected for the honor after a semester-long nomination process. Students are chosen based on academic achievements, community outreach and their ability to overcome adversity.

Sarah Trabia - B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Sarah Trabia is a shining example of what a student can do with the research opportunities UNLV affords its undergraduates. Sarah has worked on projects with the Center for Energy Research, including one to improve solar energy storage. She also developed a solar-powered autoclave to sterilize medical equipment in developing nations with limited access to power. A member of UNLV's Honors College, Sarah graduates with a 3.76 G.P.A. and both university and departmental honors. She has also found time to mentor high school students, serve as secretary of the student mechanical engineering society, and be a member of UNLV's Muslim Student Association.

Daniel Lowe - Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering
Daniel Lowe has achieved great success in the research field at UNLV, bringing in millions of dollars in research and equipment through work with the university's growing accelerator research program. He also has more than 20 peer-reviewed publications on topics including detection of special nuclear material and novel radiation detectors, with collaborators from Los Alamos National Laboratory, National Security Technologies and Varian Medical Systems. Daniel previously completed both undergraduate and graduate programs in engineering at UNLV and was the first graduate of our master's program in materials and nuclear engineering.