Minju O’Rourke is being recognized for her community-building contributions to the Columbia Space Initiative, the SEAS community, and to Morningside Heights. As a Junior studying Mechanical Engineering and the Co-President of the Columbia Space Initiative, Minju worked to increase inclusion within the campus aerospace community, by both increasing female+POC leadership within CSI, and expanding public events for the larger Columbia community. In just one year, Minju’s team hosted three NASA astronauts to campus, hosted a live call with the International Space Station, and increased access and inclusion for aerospace opportunities.   Minju is currently leading an interdisciplinary team of students to build an autonomous vehicle that will measure and treat toxic algal blooms in Morningside Park—a project that grew directly out of the input and interests of local community members. Minju has truly crossed the town-gown divide by building community connections in weekly gardening time with the Friends of Morningside Park, late night sessions in the makerspace, and deep commitment to centering community needs throughout the design process, embodying Columbia’s “Engineering for Humanity” mission.