Graduate student Rory Clune is winner of Britain and Ireland’s most prestigious award for science and engineering undergraduates: the GKN Award for the Science, Engineering and Technology Student of the Year. The GKN Award (named for the British engineering firm) is given to the top student out of 15 winners of Science, Engineering & Technology Student (SET) Awards. Clune won the SET award in the mechanical engineering category–Bentley Motors Award for the Best Mechanical Engineering Student–for his undergraduate work at University College Cork on shape optimization of stainless steel coronary stents. He and his research advisor, Denis Keliher, who was named Lecturer of the Year, received their awards at a ceremony in London Sept. 26 attended by more than 500 people. Clune began his graduate study in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in September on an MIT Presidential Fellowship. More information.