Suman Sherwani, a recent graduate of the University of Iowa, has been recognized on Forbes' "30 Under 30" list for her achievements as a rocket scientist. After completing her Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Sherwani joined Iowa's Department of Physics and Astronomy, working on NASA-funded rocket and satellite missions. Her dedication and contributions to the field have earned her this prestigious honor.

In November 2020, Stephen Baek, assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering, and H.S. Udaykumar, a professor of mechanical engineering and interim associate dean for research and graduate programs, both at the University of Iowa, received the 2020 Defense Innovation Award from TechConnect. Udaykumar and Baek received the award for their presentation “MaterIQ: An AI-based software tool for materials-by-design” at the Defense TechConnect Summit.