Students
The Sky's the Limit
Two students from Columbia Engineering are recognized as outstanding next-gen leaders in the aerospace field.
Columbia engineers Srihari (Hari) Balaji and Kathryn Lampo are ready for takeoff.
Hari, who graduated in February with an MS in mechanical engineering, and Kathryn, a mechanical engineering senior, have recently been honored with Aviation Week Network’s 20 Twenties Class of 2025 award at its 67th Annual Laureate Awards in Washington, DC.
The award, in partnership with Accenture, recognizes the top 20 aerospace-bound students from an international pool of candidates–skilled in STEM and dedicated to applying their skills to drive real innovation in aerospace.
“It was an honor for me to represent our university at this grand stage,” says Hari. “At the [awards] event, I had the privilege of meeting several industry leaders, including executives at SpaceX and Boeing—an eye-opening experience that reinforced my passion for the aerospace industry and the limitless possibilities ahead.”
Hari, who pursued his MS thesis in the lab of James Schuck, credits the School’s Professional Development & Leadership (PDL) program with helping him achieve this recognition, remarking that his experience in PDL formed the “cornerstone” of his awards essay. In the Schuck lab, Hari devised a novel real-time feedback technology for nighttime lunar landings and also led the optimization of a 2D-material exfoliation process to fabricate cutting-edge optoelectronic devices with high-quality monolayers.
Kathryn, who is set to graduate in May, is the current co-president of the popular Columbia Space Initiative (CSI), where she leads over 250 students working on 13 projects related to space science and engineering. Advised by former NASA astronaut and Columbia Engineering Professor Mike Massimino, Kathryn was named a 2025 Marshall Scholar this year and intends to pursue a MSc at the University of Oxford in the fall.
“Getting to meet the other laureates and learn about the work that they are doing in their respective fields was inspiring, and I'm excited to see what they each accomplish in their own careers,” says Kathryn, who also conducts research in Matei Ciocarlie’s Robotic Manipulation and Mobility lab. “I'm proud of Columbia's history of recognition through the program, and can't wait to watch as the aerospace community here continues to grow for many years to come.”
This year, the 20 Twenties program considered 90 nominees from 46 different colleges and universities representing 14 countries. Since its launch in 2013, the cohort in the 20 Twenties program has grown to 200 recipients. The program is a key part of Aviation Week Network’s workforce initiative that cultivates, informs, and aims to inspire the next generation of aerospace and defense professionals.
Lead Photo Caption: Kathryn Lampo (left) with Hari Balaji at Aviation Week’s Annual Laureate Awards ceremony held in Washington, D.C.
Lead Photo Credit: National Press Club