Undergrad William Guarino Earns Young Innovator of the Year Award

Mechanical Engineering freshman William Guarino was honored as a 2006 Young Innovator of the Year Award at the Governor's Celebration of Innovation ceremony in Phoenix, Arizona this December. Guarino was recognized for his high school science project in which he created a lightweight, yet strong metal that could be used as a connecting rod in a car engine.

"He's a really conscientious, hard-working student," said Timothy J. Barry, his former teacher at Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson. "He is very sharp."

Guarino said he hopes to conduct more research at Maryland on his project, which won him a second-place award at last year's Southern Arizona Regional Engineering and Science Fair. He said he chose to pursue an engineering degree at Maryland because the school has a strong automotive engineering program, complete with racing teams and several automotive classes. The Young Innovator of the Year Award comes with a $1000 scholarship to further support Guarino's education pursuits.

Published December 11, 2007