6/8/2026
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Each academic year, The Grainger College of Engineering selects one student for the Andrea J. Culumber Memorial Award based on their leadership skills, enthusiasm, creativity and kindness. The award recipient is also someone considered to be innovative and encourages others to become involved on campus.
The Culumber Award was established in memory of Grainger Engineering alumna Andrea J. Culumber, who received her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1997. Andrea was heavily involved in student activities across campus and was an excellent role model for other students.
This year’s winner was mechanical engineering undergraduate Grace Deane. The rising senior, who is also a James Scholar and Chancellor’s Scholar, will earn a minor in business when she graduates in May 2027.
Deane is a member of mechanical engineering honor society Pi Tau Sigma and engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi, from which she received the Outstanding Initiate Award and Scholarship last spring.
Deane has clearly put in the work to make the most of her time at Illinois.
“As an undergraduate student, I have tried my best to take advantage of every opportunity on campus to immerse myself in new experiences and to make new friends. Early in my undergraduate career, I spent a lot of my free time on weekends planning trips as a board member of Outdoor Adventure Club. I planned day hikes to Indiana, local kayaking trips in Champaign, and even a skiing trip to Wisconsin.”
In her first semester on campus, Deane also joined Alpha Omega Epsilon, a professional sorority for women in technical sciences and engineering, that she said has been formative in her growth, both personally and professionally.
“AOE does not have a house or participate in formal rush, but we still have plenty of fun social events, as well as company coffee chats and internal workshops,” said Deane. “I have been able to serve in a variety of roles for the organization, including Fundraising Co-Chair, Merchandise Co-Chair, Professional Development Co-Chair, and Assistant to the Candidacy Director. I was also elected anonymously by my peers to serve a year on the Standards Board, which is a small group of us chosen to judicially evaluate any behavioral infractions or issues that arise.”
Deane is also a member of Women in MechSE, where she has served as both Publicity Director and Treasurer, and has invested some of her free time working on technical projects with the Off-Road Illini Baja SAE team and the Illinois chapter of American Society of Mechanical Engineers. One particular ASME project for EOH that she helped build — the Strandbeest — won first place last year for Outstanding RSO Exhibit.
In summer 2025, Deane completed her first internship, focusing on project management at Aldridge Electric, where she worked on an electrical infrastructure upgrade at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in Maywood, Illinois. This summer, she is at West Monroe in downtown Chicago as an Energy and Utilities Consulting Intern.
This past winter, Deane participated in a two-week study abroad trip to India for a course called “Conservation and Culture in India” through the College of ACES. And last month, she traveled to Japan for 10 days with for a course with the Gies College of Business.
Deane said these study abroad experiences were a motivating factor in signing on to be an Engineering Learning Assistant for international exchange students this fall, when she will also be a career peer with Engineering Career Services, helping other students learn to develop the confidence and skills needed to pursue their career.
After graduation, Deane hopes to pursue a career in management consulting working on sustainable energy projects.