The 2025 Department of Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award was presented to Venkat Rapaka, a thought leader on AI, fintech, and markets who received his Master’s Degree from our department in 1996.  Venkat was VP of Product Management at Google from 2010-2022, Chief Product Officer for Arta Finance from February 2022 - February 2025, and is currently VP for Product Management for Pixel Ecosystems at Google.  Venkat received this award "in recognition of bringing engineering excellence to technology and user experience".