Rose-Hulman's Noblitt Scholars are doers, dreamers, and discoverers, who develop their character to make a positive impact on their communities. From internships, to research opportunities, to study abroad experiences, they eagerly pursue their passions, and their leadership is felt around the world.
Class of 2026
Reese Sieger
Major: Biochemistry
Minor: Data Science
Hometown: San Diego, California
Reese Sieger loves the personalized attention, research opportunities, and of course, the lab coat, that come with her biochemistry major. She participated in paid summer research at Rose-Hulman, optimizing procedures in sustainable organic chemistry, including developing greener solvents and minimizing reagent usage.
"Science at Rose is awesome!" Sieger beamed.
Declan Groesbeck
Major: Chemistry
Minor: Physics
Certificate: Semiconductor Materials and Devices
Hometown: Scottsdale, Arizona
Declan Groesbeck wants to get a running start on his career ambitions, jumping into opportunity after opportunity while still in college, including multiple research projects, a faculty-led study abroad to Japan, and leadership roles as a Learning Center tutor, a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and Alpha Chi Sigma professional fraternity.
Groesbeck competes on the track and field team in the long jump, triple jump, and high jump events.
"There's no feeling quite like competing in a meet for Rose-Hulman's track and field team," he said.
Micki Rodenbush
Major: Physics, with a concurrent master's degree in engineering management
Minors: Computer science and mathematics
Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
Passionate about quantum computing, Rodenbush completed a Research Experience for Undergraduates focusing on experimental improvement of superconducting qubits the summer before her senior year at Rose. She also has previously interned with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems and recently presented at the American Physical Society's Global Physics Summit.
Rodenbush intends to pursue a PhD in physics before working in quantum computing within the defense industry.
Shaun Yamamoto
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Shaun Yamamoto's wheels are always turning. Whether he's serving as the treasurer for the Model Railroad Club, the social media coordinator for the mountain biking club, or studying abroad in Kanazawa, Japan, Yamamoto is always ready to race to his next big idea.
Yamamoto pitched his business idea for an electric-scooter bike hybrid during the annual Sawmill Society weekend.
Rebecca Testa
Major: Electrical Engineering
Minor: Mathematics
Hometown: North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
For Rebecca Testa, the end-of-class-bell merely signals the beginning of continued learning. Testa has completed internships with Huntingdon Ingalls Industries and Marathon Petroleum, as well as multiple research projects with Rose-Hulman faculty.
She is also very involved in campus organizations and community service, including the track and field and cross country teams, Chi Omega sorority, and the Noblitt Scholars Service Committee.
Sage Brown
Major: Civil Engineering
Minor: Sustainability
Hometown: Traverse City, Michigan
Sage Brown loves the world! From traveling to over eight different countries while at Rose-Hulman, to developing more sustainable solutions to society's biggest problems, Brown hopes to preserve the world's resources so that other people will also have the opportunity to enjoy them.
Class of 2027
Alex Anisimov
Major: Software Engineering
Minor: Artificial Intelligence
Hometown: Moscow, Russia
Alex believes in "coding for good" and using his software development skills to positively impact the world. He works with other Noblitt Scholars to create a repository of free resources for elementary through high school students who may not have access to paid courses.
Alex also works for Wi-Tronix, an Internet of Things solution company.
Makayla Johnson
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Hometown: Chaska, Minnesota
Advancing the future of discovery, both by empowering the next generation of young minds through outreach and by creating knowledge through research, is a deep passion for Makayla.
She's had several undergraduate research experiences and coordinated the first-ever Noblitt STEM Jubilee to get students in grades K-8 excited about STEM.
Joey Denison
Major: Mechanical Engineering, with a concurrent master's degree in Engineering Management
Minor: Language and Literature
Hometown: Nashville, Indiana
For Joey Denison, Rose-Hulman is all about building pathways - literally. He started his own construction company doing residential exterior projects. He continues this passion during the school year by building wheelchair ramps for the Will Center in Terre Haute.
Denison also builds pathways for other students, serving as a Sophomore Advisor, the president of Make It Happen, and as a member of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity and the Lilly Scholars Network.
Aubrey Smith
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Lebanon, Ohio
To Aubrey Smith, nothing has more potential than an object hurtling through space.
Smith a pitcher on the Rose-Hulman softball team and took her desire to observe how objects fly to an internship at NASA's Johnson Space Center. She worked as a robotics analyst intern on projects related to the International Space Station and space travel as part of the Flight Operations Directorate.
Class of 2028
Fredrick Odezugo
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria
Through the Noblitt Scholars program, Fredrick Odezugo builds bridges between his Nigerian heritage and his new home, his college and his community, and his enthusiasm for engineering and his heart for health care.
Odezugo is a Rose Research Fellow, allowing him a paid research opportunity with faculty to explore health care challenges. He is also part of ESCALATE, the living-learning entrepreneurship program, allowing him to collaborate on real projects with peers and mentors.
Mary Claire Obluda
Major: Chemical Engineering with a concurrent master's degree in Engineering Management
Minor: Environmental Engineering
Hometown: Lake Charles, Louisiana
Mary Claire started her Rose-Hulman journey with the Voyageur Outward Bound School in Minnesota with other Noblitt Scholars, where she learned both wilderness and leadership skills.
Mary Claire strives to help others achieve their goals through AskRose Homework Help, Student Activities Board, Society of Women Engineers, and American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Luke Baker
Major: Computer Science
Minors: Robotics and Electrical & Computer Engineering
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Luke Baker's determination to refine both his technical skills and his character shines brightly in his involvement on and off campus.
Baker is a Rose Research Fellow, and his project explores large language models and human intent. He is also involved in MATE Robotics, Maker Lab, and Engineers for a Sustainable World. Baker will spend this summer as an intern for Raytheon Applied Signal Processing.
Christina Zhang
Major: Chemical Engineering
Hometown: North Logan, Utah
While hiking with her family in Zion National Park on the Many Pools trail, Christina Zhang noticed that many of the namesake pools were dry. Since then, she's sought ways to make a sustainable impact with her skills, developing a novel Shade Dome for the Great Salt Lake that earned third place in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.
On campus, Zhang makes an impact through Chi Omega sorority, Chem-E Car competition team, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Manya Suresh
Major: Biomathematics
Hometown: Columbus, Indiana
Manya Suresh is interested in the intersection of mathematics, computer science, and biology, especially biomathematics' potential in genomics and pharmaceuticals.
As part of the Rose Research Fellows program, she is currently using SLiM software to model VDJ recombination in the genome, simulating the process by which immune cells are made to predict autoimmune disorders.