Monday, Feb. 23

Kick Off with the Life Design Lab

Stop by our table in Bloomberg Student Center to pick up giveaway items and to learn more about programs the Life Design Lab is sponsoring during National Engineer’s Week!

Bloomberg Student Center | 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Aerospace and Aviation

A dynamic discussion and small group speed-networking gathering for students and alumni with an interest in the aerospace and aviation industry. Register for Aerospace and Aviation featuring our alumni.

Alumni Speaker: Miguel Xavier Diaz-Lopez, Engr ‘25 PhD

Dr. Diaz-Lopez is Chief Strategist of the Mechanical Engineering Group within the Space Exploration Sector at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), a role he began in October 2025. In this position, he supports the build, integration, and testing of the Dragonfly lander and leads efforts to advance new space technologies and expand the group’s work into lunar exploration.

Prior to joining APL, Dr. Diaz-Lopez earned his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in the Fluid Transport Laboratory under Professor Rui Ni. During his doctoral studies, he was awarded both the NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities (NSTGRO) Fellowship and the Department of Defense NDSEG Fellowship, and received honorable mention for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. He ultimately selected the NASA NSTGRO Fellowship to support his research.

His work focuses on particle–turbulence interactions in extreme environments, including high-speed compressible flows, electrostatic effects, and temperatures exceeding 1100°C. This research advances understanding of crater formation and particle dynamics during spacecraft landings on lunar and Martian surfaces and has also been supported by the Office of Naval Research to study particle deposition in jet engine turbines.

Through his NASA fellowship, Dr. Diaz-Lopez collaborated with multiple NASA centers, including the Marshall Space Flight Center, Kennedy Space Center, and Langley Research Center, where he contributed to research on plume–surface interactions, dust mitigation technologies, and particle measurement systems for extreme environments.

Moderator: Michael Pryzby, MS ’09
Mr. Pryzby (Michael) is the Chief System Engineer/ Program Manager at ATA Aerospace in Greenbelt, MD. He is responsible for the LandSat 9 Mission and is the Instrument Systems Engineer (ISE) for technical management and monitoring of the TIRS-2 instruments being developed at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). He has been at GSFC for over twenty years and has recently held the following positions: Lead Spacecraft Systems Engineer for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Chief Engineer for the DARPA Phoenix spacecraft bus, and ISE on OSIRIS-Rex Asteroid Sample Return Mission. He is the founding member of the Aerospace Affinity group at Johns Hopkins and an active leader/volunteer. He has actively recruited NASA/GSFC for alumni to attend regular Whiting School and Aerospace Affinity events. He has also recruited alumni to regularly attend Networking Events, Career Night and Mock Interview Night. He has hosted social events to raise awareness of JHU alumni at GSFC with the goal of getting the alumni more actively involved in the University.

Glass Pavilion (Levering Hall) | 5:00 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 24

Virtual Mentorship Meetup with DAR

Join the Life Design Lab, and Development and Alumni Relations for a one-hour mentorship meetup. WSE undergraduate students and JHU alumni will be paired together for short mentoring conversations. Pairs made during the meetup will have the opportunity to stay connected after the official program ends. Don’t miss this great opportunity to receive advice, grow your network, and deepen your knowledge of post-grad opportunities.

Students much pre-register on Handshake to participate. Limited spaces available. Registration closes at 9:00am ET on Friday, January 30.

Virtual on Zoom | 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Society of Women Engineer (SWE) Tower of Power

Watch teams of Hopkins engineering students and Baltimore city school students compete to build the tallest towers out of dry pasta noodles and marshmallows. Teams must register in advance.

Visit the Society of Women Engineer’s website to learn more about this campus group.

Glass Pavilion (Levering Hall) | 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Design Team Group Dynamics Workshop

Design teams bring together different learning styles, communication preferences, and working habits—which can sometimes lead to conflict. In this highly interactive workshop, students will identify their own conflict management style and practice strategies for navigating challenging, real-world conversations with teammates. Through discussion, reflection, and design-team–specific scenarios, participants will leave with practical tools to improve collaboration, communication, and overall team effectiveness.

Imagine Center | 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 25

Candid Conversations with Engineering Recruiters

Join engineering company recruiters to learn about strategies for students to best position themselves to be selected for an internship or job in industry.

Virtual on Zoom | 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

WSE’s 16th Annual Speed Networking Night

The Whiting School of Engineering invites you to attend the 16th annual Speed Networking Night. During this event, students will meet with different alumni as they rotate through a series of seven-minute, in-person, one-on-one, speed-networking sessions. These sessions offer students the opportunity to practice their “elevator pitch” and receive feedback on how to improve and make the best possible first impression.

Glass Pavilion (Levering Hall) | 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 26

ORISE Internships & Fellowships Information Session

Discover exciting opportunities with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)! ORISE internships and fellowships provide paid experiences at leading national labs and research facilities, partnering with 20+ federal agencies across the U.S. As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) asset, ORISE offers STEM students, graduates, and postdocs a best-in-class experience featuring hands-on learning, cutting-edge technology, impactful mentorship, and professional development.

Open to U.S. citizens and foreign nationals in STEM and STEM-support fields, this session is your chance to learn how ORISE can help you gain real-world experience, grow your network with its global community, and advance your career. Don’t miss this opportunity to take the next step toward your future!

Virtual on Zoom | 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Bloomberg BPuzzled

You’re invited to join Bloomberg for an in-person competition where teams of up to 4 use creativity, lateral thinking, and teamwork to solve logic puzzles themed to cities around the world! The first-place team @ JHU will win a round-trip ticket, and expenses-paid trip to NYC to compete against other university teams in our global competition later this semester!! You must register using the external link to participate. Dinner will be served!

Imagine Center | 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Night at the Museum for WSE EP and Homewood Residential Graduate Students, Faculty, and Alumni hosted by Hopkins Engineering Student Affairs

This event is specifically designed for EP and Homewood residential graduate students for an evening of connection with the Whiting School of Engineering community during National Engineers Week.

Join WSE leadership, faculty, alumni, staff, and Engineering for Professionals and Homewood residential graduate students for a dynamic networking experience at the Maryland Science Center. While exploring the museum’s fascinating exhibits, you’ll have the opportunity to build new relationships, exchange ideas, and share expertise across disciplines and career stages within the Hopkins network.

This event is for graduate students only!

Maryland Science Center | 6:00 p.m.