Hempfield graduate receives engineering award at University of Akron

A former Hempfield student was one of 10 students to receive an award from the University of Akron, where she expects to graduate this year with a degree in electrical engineering.

Kelly O’Neill, a Hempfield Area High School graduate, received the Trajectory Award, which gives students $10,000 to help with bills after graduation. The award is given to senior engineering students who have high grades, work experience and have contributed to the well-being of others.

O’Neill is president of the university’s NASA Robotic Mining Competition Design Team, a group that designs and builds a mining robot that can “traverse a simulated Martian chaotic terrain” and dig into rocky material, according to a news release.

O’Neill is a member of the College of Engineering Dean’s Team, serving as a school ambassador by providing tours and attending outreach events at local high schools where she gives presentations to students and parents.

She has held internships at Kent Displays Inc., where she designed circuit layouts and made liquid crystal displays, and at Delta Displays, where she built prototypes for digital displays.

After graduation, O’Neill plans to work at Rockwell Automation in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, as a hardware test engineer.

The Trajectory Awards are granted to 10 students each year as a result of a financial gift made by Bill and Karen Feth, Akron-area philanthropists.