Sheehan receives 2023 Ralph S. Quatrano Prize
Emily Sheehan is president of Hack WashU
Emily Sheehan, who will earn a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the McKelvey School of Engineering May 15, has been chosen to receive the 2023 Ralph S. Quatrano Prize, given in honor of Ralph Quatrano, the Spencer T. Olin Professor Emeritus, dean of Engineering from 2010 to 2015 and former chair of the Department of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis.
Established through a generous donation by Katherine Day Reinleitner, the prize is sponsored by The Mindlin Foundation, which presents two prizes annually, one in Engineering and one in biology, both honoring Quatrano’s exemplary leadership as Engineering dean and his important work as a researcher in biology.
As a sophomore, Sheehan, who also has a minor in Spanish, helped to restart the Hack WashU student club, which sponsors a hackathon, and serves as club president. Previously, she served as the club’s director of finance, focusing on sponsor relations and event planning. She was instrumental is raising $37,000 from five corporate sponsors and planned several social events for Hack WashU, as well as a five-club formal event. She also managed the club’s social media accounts, contributed to its website and helped with technology development.
In addition, Sheehan has been the section lead teaching assistant in CSE 247, Data Structures and Algorithms, for the past four semesters and a teaching assistant for CSE 437, Software Engineering Workshop. She is a member of the McKelvey Academic Integrity student council. She has been a member of the Dean’s List every semester.
As a BS/MS student in computer science, Sheehan completed her bachelor’s degree in three years and will pursue a master’s degree in the next academic year working with Michelle Oyen, associate professor of biomedical engineering, and the Center for Women’s Health Engineering to improve pregnancy outcomes using image analysis on ultrasounds.
This summer, Sheehan will be an intern with Microsoft. She worked for Zillow in summer 2022.
