The direct conversion of methane gas to liquid methanol at the site where it is extracted from the Earth holds enormous potential for addressing a number of significant environmental problems. Developing a catalyst for that conversion has been a critical focus for Associate Professor Heather Kulik and the lab she directs at MIT. As important as that research is, however, it is just one example of the innumerable possibilities of Kulik's work. Ultimately, her focus is far broader, the scope of her exploration infinitely more vast. "All of our research is dedicated toward the same practical goal," she says.

The College of Engineering Awards acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of the college's teaching and research assistants, staff and faculty members. Sam Burden is an expert in sensorimotor control and hybrid systems and their application to robotics, neuroengineering and cyber-physical systems. He is a founding co-director of the Laboratory for Amplifying Movement and Performance (AMP Lab), where his research focuses on developing mathematical and computational modeling tools to enable collaborative learning and control between humans and machines. As a first-generation college graduate and UW engineering alum, Burden is committed to broadening participation in engineering, a goal he pursues in his role as the first DEI coordinator for the ECE department, where he works to define and implement the department's diversity, equity and inclusion goals through the formation of an advisory committee and partnering with other department leaders on strategic planning, funding, hiring and recruiting. He is the recipient of an ARO Young Investigator Award, WRF Early Faculty Award and an NSF CAREER Award.