Alum receives award from Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
NREL researcher Silvana Ovaitt earned a PhD in electrical and computer engineering in 2018.
Researcher Silvana Ovaitt plants crops in a garden row at the bifacial agrivoltaics array on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s campus in 2023.
Joe DelNero, NREL
Silvana Ovaitt is already known as a rising star around the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for her research advancing bifacial photovoltaic (PV) performance, not to mention her already-extensive record of leadership in community and educational outreach.
Now, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) has made it official by honoring Ovaitt with a STAR of Tomorrow Award for 2024.
"I'm very honored to receive this award because SHPE is such a fundamental organization shaping Latinx career paths, and it's great to be recognized and be able to give a wider platform to the amazing activities I am part of, like the Hands-On PV Experience (HOPE), bifacial research, international collaborations, and more," Ovaitt said.
The SHPE Technical Achievement and Recognition Awards, or STAR Awards, honor those working across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. SHPE gives two STAR Awards—one in government and one in corporate. The STAR of Tomorrow Award – Government recognizes an individual who has demonstrated excellence in their technical work and a commitment to leadership, mentoring, and community service.