Seven graduating seniors from the UC Santa Barbara’s College of Engineering (COE) have been named Outstanding Seniors in the Class of 2024-’25. They were nominated by their departments based on academic excellence, which includes not only having one of the highest  grade point averages in their graduating cohort, but also having pursued other meaningful activities — academic and extracurricular — during their time at UCSB. 

This year’s Outstanding Seniors are Changxuan Yang (chemical engineering), Tien Nguyen (computer engineering), Tianle Yu (computer science), Jacob Fingerman (computer science), Will Corcoran (computer science), Jordan Prescott (electrical engineering), and Selena Deng (mechanical engineering). Yang, Nguyen, Yu, Prescott, and Deng were selected by the college to represent their departments as banner carriers who will lead the line of graduates into the ceremony for the COE Undergraduate Commencement, which will take place at 1 PM on Friday, June 13, on the Commencement Green. 

Learn more about this year’s Outstanding Seniors below. 

Chemical Engineering
A native of Nanjing, China, Changxuan Yang will graduate with high honors, earning a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering with a minor in physics. 

“Receiving this award tells me that my hard work, resilience, and curiosity have paid off and been recognized by department faculty and staff,” said Yang, who will enter the Chemical Engineering PhD Program at MIT in the fall with a focus on electrochemistry. “I am confident that I possess all of the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed as an engineer.”

During his time at UCSB, Yang was a member of Singing Gauchos and the Vocal Affinity & Scholars Choir. He served as a project lead in UCSB’s American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) student chapter, and he conducted undergraduate research in the lab of Michael Gordon, a professor in and chair of the Chemical Engineering Department. Yang says that his most memorable academic moment at UCSB was when he derived the formula for measuring the refractive index of reflectin thin films in the Gordon lab. 

“The experience made me realize that I enjoy working on and am capable of doing impactful research, and I am most interested in theoretical research,” said Yang, who co-authored a published paper on the biophysical mechanisms that underlie color change in cephalopods. Ultimately, I want to become a professor to cultivate the next generation of scientists and engineers and promote sustainability.”

Yang said that he was thankful to Gordon for teaching him how to be a good person, how to manage work-life balance, and how to conduct research. He also expressed gratitude to his lab mentor, Yin-Chen Lin, a doctoral student in the Gordon Lab, for offering patience, guidance, and opportunities in research. 

Computer Engineering
Outstanding Senior Tien Nguyen will graduate with highest honors and a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering (CE) and represent his degree program when he leads the College of Engineering’s class of 2025 into the ceremony. 

“This recognition is honestly unexpected, but I am humbled to be acknowledged for four years of hard, challenging, and rewarding work,” said Nguyen, who will return to UCSB in the fall to pursue a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering as part of the department’s BS/MS program. “UCSB has provided me with a strong foundation in both hardware and software, and I feel well-prepared to take on the complex problems that lie ahead in the next chapter of my career. During my time here, I’ve grown in both technical ability and soft skills, and I’m excited to apply what I've learned in new and meaningful ways.”

As part of his senior capstone project, Nguyen and his team built an acoustic monitoring system to identify and track bird and bat species using their audible and ultrasonic calls. He credited the project with strengthening his critical thinking skills, adding that he enjoyed the opportunity to work on solving a real-world problem. 

Looking back on his time at UCSB, Nguyen says that the single most formative and rewarding experience has been his involvement with Gaucho Racing, the university’s Formula SAE Electric team, which competes in student-design competitions organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International. He has served as the electronics team lead for the past three years, overseeing the design and manufacturing of the low-voltage electrical systems that run an electric formula race car. 

“Designing, building, and competing with an electric formula race car at Michigan International Speedway—not just once, but three times—has shaped me profoundly as an engineering student,” said Nguyen. “I’ve gained incomparable technical expertise and a deep understanding of the engineering design process. Working with a large, multidisciplinary team of over sixty members has taught me how to collaborate effectively, while also sharpening my skills in leadership, communication, and project management. I owe much of what I know today to FSAE, and it continues to influence the way I approach engineering challenges.”

Nguyen thanked Yoga Isukapalli, a teaching professor who runs the CE Senior Capstone Projects Program, for his support. 

“From writing letters of recommendation and advising independent research projects to providing thorough feedback during my senior capstone project, he has offered invaluable guidance and mentorship,” said Nguyen. 

Computer Science
All three of the Outstanding Seniors in computer science — Will Corcoran, Jacob Fingerman, and Tianle Yu — are graduating with highest honors, meaning that their cumulative grade point averages rank in the top 2.5 percent of their graduating class. 

“This is an incredible honor,” said Corcoran. “The award and my degree remind me that the thousands of hours of blood, sweat, and tears paid off.”

Corcoran discovered his passion for research last year while participating in the department’s Early Research Scholars Program (ERSP), a year-long apprenticeship program designed to support students in their first research experience. As part of ERSP, he studied graph neural networks under the direction of computer science professor Ambuj Singh. This year, he worked with computer science professor Eric Vigoda to improve sampling for graph colorings with Markov chain Monte Carlo.

“Of everything that I’ve learned at UCSB, two things were the most important: how to learn and how to research. No material in a course has prepared me for the future nearly as well as those two skills,” said Corcoran, who will return to campus in the fall to pursue a master’s degree in computer science. 

Fingerman will also return to UCSB in the fall to complete his master’s degree in computer science. He says that he is grateful for his department’s commendation for his accomplishments over the past four years. 

“It feels incredible to be recognized,” said Fingerman, who triple majored in computer science, mathematics, and statistics & data science. “With an engineering degree from one of the top engineering colleges in the country, I know that I’m well prepared for the workforce with foundational knowledge in computer science.”

Fingerman also completed undergraduate research, working with professor Frederic Gibou to simulate fluids efficiently and manage the novel data structure used for the sparse matrix computation. He also participated in a summer research program last year at North Carolina State University, simulating platelet-like particles (PLPs) for blood clotting applications. The project applied numerical simulation, utilizing similar techniques to those used in the Gibou Lab. Fingerman also conducted undergraduate research in the Math Department, using machine learning to accurately and efficiently solve specific differential equations numerically. 

“I’ve learned invaluable lessons both inside and outside of the classroom, which have helped me develop into a more knowledgeable and independent person than I’d ever thought possible,” said Fingerman. 

Yu will enter the Master of Science in Computer Science Program at Stanford University in the fall after a successful undergraduate career at UCSB. In addition to the Outstanding Senior Award, he also received the college’s prestigious Tirrell Award for Distinction in Undergraduate Research, recognizing the promise and excellence he showed as a researcher. Under the supervision of Maryman Majedi, a computer science assistant teaching professor, he created a platform called, Innostruction, to provide a better learning experience for students by leveraging AI and data analytics, and a better teaching experience for instructors by providing real-time feedback and AI-powered course planning. Yu also worked in the Computer Security Group (SecLab) with computer science professors Christopher Kruegel and Giovanni Vigna. 

“A bachelor’s degree from UCSB is a terrific starting point as I continue to study and conduct research in the field,” said Yu. “Thanks to UCSB, I have enjoyed countless opportunities to explore career and research possibilities. Now, I’ve developed a real interest in application security, and I feel prepared to pursue new research projects in this field in the future.”

Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering student Jordan Prescott will graduate with high honors, which means he ranks in the top 8.5 percent of his graduating class. Selected to serve as a banner carrier, he will lead the class of 2025 into commencement as the Outstanding Senior of Electrical Engineering. 

“I am humbled that the department recognized my efforts during my time here and selected me for this award,” said Prescott. “I am grateful and very proud of this achievement.”

In addition to excelling in the classroom, Prescott also spent the past two years conducting undergraduate research. He started by working with electrical and computer (ECE) professor Jason Marden, and then spent time in the lab of assistant professor Haewon Jeong. This year, he worked in the lab of ECE professor Shiv Chandrasekaran, investigating how multi-view geometry and deep learning can be used by a camera to more accurately interpret a scene. His project was aimed at helping the visually impaired safely navigate their surroundings. 

Prescott said that he realized his passion for research during a meeting he had last summer with two graduate students.

“I have a strong memory of enjoying the discussion and problem-solving process,” recalled Prescott. “It was a gut feeling that helped reaffirm to myself that I wanted to continue pursuing research going forward.”

Prescott will enter the ECE PhD program at the University of Southern California in fall, where he will focus on signal and information processing within the domains of speech and audio. 

“I had a lot of self-doubt about being an engineer when I arrived at UCSB, so it is really amazing to see how all the hard work has paid off,” said Prescott, who received a prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. “I cannot state how grateful I am for all of the peers and professors who helped me along the way.”

Mechanical Engineering
Selena Deng has made the most of her time at UCSB. She worked as a campus tour guide for the Gaucho Tour Association, studied abroad for a quarter at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and became active in the UCSB chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, serving as internal vice president. She also participated in undergraduate research, working on high-velocity vine robots in the lab of mechanical engineering associate professor Elliot Hawkes, who has received widespread recognition for his work on such technology. 

Deng said that her most memorable and rewarding experience was serving as team lead for a project in Panama with the UCSB chapter of Engineers Without Borders. 

“We successfully got water running through a community-wide water system that we built in the remote community of Valle Escondido, Panama,” she said. “It was so cool to see how happy the community members were and how they celebrated with us. The experience allowed me to really see the impacts that my skills could have on others, and I’m excited to hopefully get to continue to work on projects that can create a positive impact on others.”

Deng will graduate with honors, meaning she ranks among the top 20 percent of her class, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. For her significant contributions and accomplishments inside and outside of the classroom, Deng was selected as the 2024-’25 Outstanding Senior of Mechanical Engineering. 

“I was honestly really surprised when I found out, but I am extremely proud that my efforts have been recognized and that I might have been able to make a positive impact during my time here,” said Deng, who will also serve as a banner carrier and lead the Class of 2025 into commencement. 

She will begin pursuing a master’s degree in mechanical engineering at Johns Hopkins University in the fall, most likely with a focus in biomechanics. Though a bit apprehensive about relocating to the East Coast, Deng says that her experience at UCSB has prepared her for success. 

“I’ve been able to take so many different classes, interact with so many people, and be exposed to new experiences. It’s allowed me to figure out what I really want to do, and now I get to try and pursue it,” said Deng, who went on to thank mechanical engineering faculty and staff, including associate dean Glenn Beltz, Hawkes, assistant teaching professor Geoffrey Tsai, R&D engineer Kirk Fields, and lecturer Trevor Marks, for their support and advice over the years.