In late 2017, S. Rao (Ph.D. ‘68, Aeronautics & Astronautics) and Usha (Ph.D. ‘68, Organic Chemistry) Varanasi made a significant estate commitment to the UW. This planned gift enhances the legacy they have already created across the university with various endowments to support graduate students.

Rao and Usha, who met as master’s students at CalTech before earning their doctorates at the UW, benefitted greatly from the educational opportunities they received from great institutions in the U.S., Rao explains. He adds, “Since the gift of education is eternal, it’s a joy for us to be able to give back to the country and the community some of the benefits we enjoyed.”

Initially, their giving focused on their home departments, where they established endowed fellowships. Over time, however, their scope broadened to supporting a variety of units to “promote an interdisciplinary approach, and provide opportunities for under-represented communities,” Usha says. “We want to provide seeds of imagination and incentives to students to open up new interdisciplinary careers, because as the planet is changing, we need more global thinking.”

The Varanasis’ support of and involvement with the UW goes far beyond their generous philanthropy; following distinguished careers at Boeing (Rao) and NOAA’s Fisheries Northwest Science Center (Usha), they are now both affiliate professors at the UW, and are very active as volunteers in the College of Engineering and the College of the Environment.

For EcoCAR 3, part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Vehicle technology Competition series, universities across North America formed teams to redesign a Chevrolet Camaro to reduce energy consumption and emissions while maintaining production readiness.

The UW EcoCAR team comprises students from many different disciplines, both within engineering and across the UW. For EcoCAR3, teams worked together for four years on their reimagined “green muscle-car,” culminating in a multi-city competition at which vehicles are evaluated by industry leaders and talent recruiters. This spring, the UW team received the 1st place Siemens PLM Software Excellence Award for their technologically complex vehicle architecture and design.

EcoCAR participation complements the knowledge our students gain in the classroom with opportunities for team members to hone their engineering abilities and develop marketing, public speaking and teamwork skills. Says Electrical Team lead Dylan Day, “EcoCAR provides us with a community of fellow students with shared goals — a place where we can apply our technical skills to a relevant, real-world issue.”

Marcella Li, BS Civil & Environmental Engineering, ‘20
Recipient of the Boeing Civil Engineering Scholarship

“My parents immigrated to Seattle from rural China 25 years ago. Now, they work labor-intensive jobs to support me and my two older sisters. With the help of several scholarships, including the Boeing scholarship, my parents don’t have to worry about paying for my tuition, and I love being able to give them that peace of mind.

“The Boeing scholarship has been more than just financially beneficial. Receiving a scholarship like this, and from Boeing no less, brings about a sense of accomplishment and self-worth. Last summer I had the amazing opportunity to be a Boeing engineering intern with 777X Flight Deck Design. That hands-on experience, along with this scholarship, has really re-affirmed for me that engineering is the right choice.” – Marcella Li