Ben Kleiman — Jason and Leslie Weber Emerging Technologies Scholarship (UG or G)

"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Jason and Leslie Weber for their generous support through the Emerging Technologies Scholarship. This opportunity is very meaningful to me, both personally and academically. I firmly believe that emerging technologies in the field of Computer Science hold the potential to transform the world for the better.

My aspiration is to contribute to the development and responsible implementation of new innovations to help build a brighter future. That goal would not be possible without the encouragement and support of individuals like Jason and Leslie. Thank you for investing in my education and in the future of technology."

This summer, Kleinman accepted a research internship at Carnegie Mellon University's SYNERGY Lab through the REUSE program. Under the mentorship of Dr. Yuvraj Agarwal, he explored how to enhance machine learning-based carbon estimation techniques by incorporating large language models (LLMs) and examining the human-computer interaction (HCI) implications of carbon data in e-commerce contexts.

Chloe Ladines— Principal Scholars Award

""I’m honored to receive the Principal Scholars Award and deeply grateful for the opportunity and support. As a Filipina student, I value representation and community. This award allows me to continue my studies in web development and user experience, with the goal of creating tools that make technology more accessible—especially for underrepresented communities."

Ladines recently wrapped up her UX/UI internship with Quant16, where she worked closely with government services web team to improve navigation flows and implement ADA-compliant features on the city's website. She also joined the Tech Team at Tayo, a Filipino-led nonprofit focused on uplifting the diaspora through technology and community. With the upcoming school year, she’s looking forward to the exciting events WiCS (Women in Computer Science) has planned.

Eric Lucas — Arthur A. Collins Scholarship

"I am very honored to be one of the recipients of the 2025 Arthur A. Collins Scholarship.  Being an Iowa native, I deeply appreciate the support given to develop Iowan students into future leaders in STEM. Additionally, as a Mexican student, I am proud to represent diversity in computer science. I believe that diverse perspectives are essential to innovation and progress, and I am committed to contributing meaningfully to the field."

Lucas submitted a math research paper to the arXiv on Obstructing Integral Klein Bottle Surgeries via Immersed Curves with Professor Robert Deyeso.

Adi (Aditya) Mukundan — Jason and Leslie Weber Emerging Technologies Scholarship (UG or G)

"I’m honored to have been selected as the recipient of the Jason and Leslie Weber Emerging Technologies Scholarship for 2025 to 2026. I want to thank them for the generous support. It will allow me to focus on exploring research opportunities during my final year in the BS/MS program in computer science at the University of Iowa. I’m excited to continue pursuing research at the intersection of emerging technologies and public health."

Mukundan has worked in Dr. Rahul Singh’s biocomputing lab the past year and he plans to continue there this fall.

Isabelle (Izzy) Paulsen — Barkmeier Tice 2025-26 

"As a master’s student, a lifelong Hawkeye, and former president of the Women in Computing Sciences club here at Iowa, I have a strong connection to the University of Iowa and its Computer Science department. Continuing my studies here has always been very important to me, and this scholarship will make a meaningful difference in helping me manage the costs of my education."

Paulsen has been working two summer internships with the Collins Aerospace Air Traffic Solutions team.

Mitchell Piehl — Sheets Fellowship 2025-26

"I am very thankful to receive the Sheets fellowship to help me in my first year of graduate school. This fellowship allows me to be fully committed to my class work and research into natural language processing and the generalization, intelligence, and learning processes of large language models. I am very excited to start this work at the University of Iowa with outstanding mentorship in a significant field. The recognition and support provided by this fellowship motivate and encourage me even further. " 

At a previous internship, Piehl developed novel methods of math reasoning techniques for large language models while researching modern natural language processing in an REU program at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs that the NSF funded. 

William (Will) Pixley — Barkmeier Tice 2025-26

"I’m incredibly grateful for this generous award, which will support my continued studies and advance my career as an aspiring software engineer."

Pixley is currently a Software Engineer Intern at Principal Financial Group in Des Moines.

Gabriel (Gabe) Postacchini— Arthur A. Collins Scholarship 

"Having completed an amazing and educational Co-op with Collins Aerospace as a Software Engineer in their Cedar Rapids location, I have great respect for the organization and I am incredibly grateful for their support of me as I complete my education here at the University of Iowa."

Opportunities Postacchini have participated in are: SWE Co-op at Collins Aerospace (Jan - Aug 2024), National Science Foundation Research Training Group Fellowship (Fall 2024), Spring Mathematics, Undergraduate Research Assistantship (Spring 2025), and Summer IRCU Fellowship (Summer 2025).

Kira Semmens — David Spang Award

"I am deeply humbled and honored to be receiving the David Spang award from Keith and Becky Danahey. With this scholarship, I will be able to focus on learning as much as I can from my final classes at the University of Iowa, including artificial intelligence, before I graduate in December of 2025. In the future, I plan to attend graduate school for data science and hope to go into the field of cybersecurity to help protect people from new online threats. I am thrilled to be heading into this new chapter of life, and I hope I can continue to bring new innovations and perspectives into the world of data science."

Semmens worked as a Data Science intern at Wellmark, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, in the spring and summer of 2025. She has recently been given the opportunity to extend that internship through the end of the year.

Kristin To — Jason & Leslie Weber Scholarship for Women

"I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Jason and Leslie Weber for selecting me as a recipient of this scholarship. As a first-generation college student, this award alleviates financial stress and allows me to dedicate more time to my studies, research, and organizations. I am honored to be recognized as a woman in computer science, and this support motivates me to continue creating work that has a meaningful impact on others."

To was an intern at RSM, where she developed custom extensions for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central using AL (Application Language) to help clients with their business needs. This fall, she will be continuing my work at the Iowa Reading Research Center, developing full-stack applications and designing animations/graphics to help raise children’s literacy rates across Iowa.

Trung Nguyen — Gerard Weeg Scholarship

"It is a true honor to be selected as a recipient, and I am incredibly thankful for the Weeg family support. Your scholarship feels like a powerful affirmation that I can overcome any challenge if I put my heart and mind into it. Your support means more than words can express, and I will do my very best to honor it through my efforts and future contributions."

José Valladolid — Frank A. Park Scholarship

"I am extremely grateful for the Frank A. Park Scholarship and its provider, Ms. Whitten Park Jones. This award will support my journey as a Data Science major building my technical skills here at the University of Iowa. I feel honored and appreciated as a Woodbury county resident to receive this award."

Valladolid recently worked as a Gas Compliance Intern at MidAmerican Energy Company this summer in Sioux City, IA. Over this upcoming semester, he will transition into working remotely with the same Gas Compliance and Integrity team.