Announcing the 2026 Kahlert Impact Prize Honorees

We are proud to recognize the recipients of the 2026 Kahlert Impact Prize.

The Kahlert School of Computing offers the Kahlert Impact Prize to students who, whether through research or service, show a track record of success and a compelling story of the societal impact of their work.

Two graduate student honorees receive a scholarship valued at $2,000 each, with honorable mentions receiving scholarships valued at $250 each.

Undergraduate student honorees receive a Gold, Silver, or Bronze-tiered scholarship valued at $1,000, $500, or $250, respectively.

The Kahlert School of Computing hosted a celebration for our honorees and their guests on March 31, 2026, attended by Director Mary Hall, Dean Charles Musgrave, and other members of Price College of Engineering’s leadership team.

Thank you to The Kahlert Foundation, whose generosity has made the Kahlert Impact Prize possible. The Foundation’s mission focuses on improving the quality of life and well‑being of communities. Their commitment extends throughout Utah, supporting organizations and initiatives that empower individuals and drive meaningful change.

Kahlert Graduate Impact Prize Recipients

All Graduate Impact recipients submitted a one-page impact statement portraying a compelling story of the societal impact of their work and a track record of success. Included are key quotes from each honoree’s impact statement.

Kalina Borkiewicz

Kahlert Impact Scholarship Winner

“Scientific data visualization shapes public understanding of science at scale. By combining large audience production experience with empirical research and tool development, I aim to improve both the quality and responsibility of how complex data is communicated.”

Ashley Lujan

Kahlert Impact Scholarship Winner

“I am a student who has been intentional during her school years to be a pillar in her community and who plans to use her own academic and career success to benefit the world.”

Mahnoor Fatima Saad

Kahlert Impact Scholarship Honorable Mention

“Helping build and lead Grad CS Women has been one of the most meaningful impacts of my graduate career. It has changed how women show up in our department, how they connect with one another, and how their voices resonate in important spaces. I hope the foundation we built will continue to thrive long after I graduate.”

Md Dilshadur Rahman

Kahlert Impact Scholarship Honorable Mention

“By making annotations a first-class part of these grammar-based workflows, my work makes it easier to create portable, reusable explanations that can travel from analysis notebooks to papers, reports, dashboards, and teaching materials, benefiting interdisciplinary visualization authors and the audiences who depend on their charts.”

Rahman would like to additionally recognize the Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute (SCI Institute).

Soham Bagchi

Kahlert Impact Scholarship Honorable Mention

“I realized that to foster the community I yearned for, I would have to build the infrastructure myself. My service has been dedicated to transforming a collection of talented individuals into a heterogeneous, cohesive, supported ecosystem.”

Adhitya Kamakshidasan

Kahlert Impact Scholarship Honorable Mention

“By reducing uncertainty in deep-ocean transport and variability, this work strengthens the foundation beneath climate projections, ocean stewardship, and our understanding of how Earth redistributes heat through its largest reservoir.”

Kahlert Undergraduate Impact Prize Recipients

All Undergraduate Impact recipients submitted a 30–60 second video highlighting a compelling story of the societal impact of their work and a track record of success, be it through community engagement, professional experience, service, or research. Included are each honoree’s video submissions.