Zuelsdorff recognized with Ginsberg Family Award for leadership and service

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering is proud to recognize graduating senior Laney Zuelsdorff as a recipient of the 2026 Ginsberg Family Award, a prestigious honor for students who exemplify outstanding leadership and service at UW–Madison.

Zuelsdorff was selected for her record of academic excellence, campus involvement and commitment to strengthening the UW-Madison community. The award, presented each spring by Student Affairs, highlights undergraduate seniors whose leadership, service and scholarship have made a lasting impact.

Within the department, Zuelsdorff has distinguished herself as a dedicated student leader. She serves as Co-President of the American Foundry Society within the Materials Advantage and American Foundry Society Club on campus, where she has helped expand professional development opportunities and represented the university at conferences and industry visits.

Her leadership extends across the College of Engineering. Zuelsdorff is a board member for the Grainger STAR and LEED Scholars program and co-led the Cast in Steel team, which performed exceptionally well in a national competition hosted by the Steel Founders’ Society of America.

She has also been active with departmental research. For the past two years, she has worked in the Nuclear and Applied Materials group. “Laney is a highly organized and proficient researcher with a strong knack for integrating theory with experimental work and applications,” said Grainger Professor and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor Kumar Sridharan.

Zuelsdorff said she is grateful for the support of her professors and mentors and is honored to be recognized for her work both inside and outside the classroom.

The department congratulates her on this well-deserved achievement and looks forward to seeing the impact she will make as she begins the next chapter of her career.