UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Rebecca Delaney and Emilia Speal-Harris have been named recipients of the Penn State Alumni Association's Alumni Achievement Award.
The award recognizes Penn State graduates who are 35 years of age and younger for their extraordinary professional accomplishments.
Delaney and Speal-Harris are two of a dozen alumni who will be honored with the award March 27 during a ceremony hosted by President Eric Barron at the University Park campus.
Delaney is the youngest mechanical team leader for Skidmore, Owens and Merrill's sustainable engineering studio in Chicago.
She served as lead mechanical engineer for the recently proposed world's tallest office tower in the Middle East and the Chicago Police Department.
Delaney partnered with the Energy Defense Fund to educate commercial professionals on opportunities for energy savings and sustainability.
She mentors engineering students, both locally and globally, through the ACE (Architecture, Construction, Engineering) mentoring program.
A global leader for the nonprofit organization Engineers without Borders, Delaney travels to Kenya and Uganda to teach sustainable practices to local communities.
In 2014, she was recognized as ASHRAE's New Face of Engineering for applying a global perspective to her innovative energy solutions and volunteer service.
Delaney is a founding member of the College of Engineering's Young Alumni Advisory Board.
She received her bachelor and master of architectural engineering degrees in 2006, with honors from the Schreyer Honors College.
Speal-Harris leads the Military Aircraft Intellectual Property (IP) Strategy Team at the Boeing Co. as well as Boeing's Research and Technology's IP Strategy division.
In these positions, she develops and implements strategies to manage the company's IP both nationally and internationally.
Speal-Harris played a significant role in Boeing's development of IP strategy practices and has been recognized at Boeing for her natural leadership ability, technical prowess and business acumen.
She earned her bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from Penn State in 2004 and a master of business administration from Pepperdine University in 2008.
Speal-Harris is a member of the Society of Women Engineers, the Aircraft Owner's and Pilot's Association and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.