OU Biomedical Engineering Student Named Top Senior

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Top Senior Fall 2021
Emmy Francek in the Gallogly College of Engineering has been selected as an Outstanding Senior at the University of Oklahoma.

Francek, of Suttons Bay, Michigan, is a combined master’s and bachelor’s degree student in the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, one of seven schools in the college. She was selected for her exceptional achievements in scholarship, honors, awards, leadership and service. 

“It is an incredible honor to have been selected as Outstanding Senior for the Gallogly College of Engineering. I am beyond thankful for everyone who has helped me along this journey,” Francek said. 

Francek served as a research assistant in the Wilhelm Lab, a cancer nanomedicine and immunoengineering laboratory. Working with OU researcher Stefan Wilhelm, she helped to start an outreach program called BE4NANO (Bio-nanotechnology Engagement for Native Americans in Oklahoma), an outreach program that focuses on high school juniors, including students who are members of the Kiowa and Wichita tribes, in rural southwest Oklahoma.

“As a National Merit Scholar, Emmy has been outstanding at all academic levels and excelled in her research. For example, she contributed to three published research manuscripts as a co-author and also is involved in many other research projects,” Wilhelm said. “Emmy is excited about community service, outreach to underrepresented minority students and fulfills leadership roles in many student organizations. She is a role model for her peers.”

Francek’s next step is to pursue both a medical degree and a PhD with the goal of becoming a physician-scientist who develops innovative strategies for safe and effective cancer treatment while empowering the next generation of scientists and engineers. 

Francek was recognized at a recent ceremony where OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. and representatives from OU colleges presented each recipient their Outstanding Senior Award. Complete list of this semester’s Outstanding Seniors. 

To learn more about the Gallogly College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, visit www.ou.edu/coe. Find a complete list of Fall 2021 Outstanding Seniors here.

Photo: From left, Randa Shehab, senior associate dean in the Gallogly College of Engineering, Emmy Francek, and OU president Joseph Harroz Jr.


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