Hope College Department of Engineering

This weekend we inducted our first ever cohort of students into the Order of the Engineer! The Order of the Engineer is an association for graduate and professional engineers that emphasizes pride and responsibility in the engineering profession. All inductees take an ethical oath and are presented with a certificate and ring.

This weekend we celebrated our senior class as they graduated from Hope College. This group has excelled over the past four years and we can’t wait to see where they go!

Our last engineering award is our Senior Engineering Prize given to Jordan Dalton and Joey Fogt. While at Hope, Jordan has been very involved with the department through running help sessions and tutoring and completing the German Engineering Program. She is majoring in Mechanical Engineering and has majors in mathematics and studio art. After graduation Jordan will be attending Georgia Tech to obtain a masters degree in mechanical engineering. While at Hope, Joey has been the co-Captain of the Hope College Formula Racing team, participated in research with the Physics department, and completed the German Engineering Program. He is majoring in Electrical Engineering and Physics and has a minor in German. After graduation Joey will be getting married (congrats!) and starting as a Controls Engineer at Apex Controls. Congrats to both Jordan and Joey!

released their 2026 car today! It is looking pretty sharp. They are ramping up for their big competition next week.

released the 2026 car today! It is looking pretty good! They are prepping for competition next week.

Today we are highlighting the Blok-Williams Graduate student award, which was awarded to Ian McGovern and Yea Geon Song. Ian will be attending the University of Michigan to pursue a PhD degree in chemical engineering with a focus on energetics pertaining to catalysis and electrochemistry. While at Hope he majored in chemical engineering and chemistry and also did research in both the chemistry and engineering departments. Yea Geon is still considering his options.

EWB 20th Anniversary! With the Teodormio project finishing and the restriction on travel to the area, the EWB-Hope chapter applied for and were awarded a new project in Kagarama, Rwanda in Fall 2024. The overarching goal of the project is to supply a clean water source, including piping, storage, and access, to a community of approximately 600 people. Five students and two mentors traveled to the community in May 2025. While in the community, they worked to establish a strong community relationship, collect data on water sources and elevation, evaluate the land area around the community, and complete household surveys.

It’s Wednesday and we are halfway through exam week so let’s celebrate with another award! Our next award is the only one that is given to non-Seniors. Soniya Shi and Kaleb Bradford were selected as recipients of the Freshman Engineering Award. When asked about her first year, Soniya says, “My first year of college has pushed me in positive ways I didn’t expect, through the fun activities and learning opportunities given across campus.” Kaleb says, “I have really enjoyed finding community in my first year at Hope, specifically on Hope’s Formula SAE team.” Congrats Soniya and Kaleb!

Today we are featuring Bishop Carl who is this year’s recipient of the Paul Baeverstad Award. Bishop double majored in Engineering and Physics and after graduation he plans on pursuing a PhD in physics with a nuclear focus at Texas A&M University. While at Hope, Bishop was on the Hope College Swim and Dive team, participated in the Engineering Germany program, and tutored many students! Congrats Bishop!

This week we will be highlighting the recipients of our annual engineering awards. First up is our Van Putten Design Award, given to Ben York. Ben is earning a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a B.A. in Classical Studies, while also minoring in mathematics and computer science. While doing all of this, he was also the president of the Habitat for Humanity chapter on campus, played intramural sports, and worked as a CFL consultant and summer researcher! His plans after graduation are not completely finalized but he intends on working around West Michigan for a few years and then seeking a masters in electrical engineering or a law degree to become a patent attorney. Congrats Ben!