By Staff Reports
(Oahu)– Justin Yoshimoto, a University of Hawai`i at Mānoa electrical engineering student, has been honored with the 2015 Student Engineer of the Year Award by the Hawai`i Council of Engineering Societies. This annual award is presented to a single undergraduate from among all engineering majors throughout the state.
Yoshimoto is in his final semester as an UHM undergraduate with a 3.95 GPA. He has been active in a variety of projects, initially serving as the software team lead and project manager for a micromouse project, followed by a stint as ground station software lead for a student-built nanosatellite that was launched into orbit in 2013. He also gained research experience investigating the applications of liquid metal.
During his senior year, Yoshimoto co-founded and served as assistant program manager for the UH Drone Technologies Program involving more than 20 students from the high school through graduate level. He is the program’s flight control system lead for a quadrotor drone for search-and-rescue applications.
Yoshimoto interned at InSynergy Engineering, where he designed lighting and photovoltaic system layouts. He also serves as a teaching assistant for a sophomore-level circuits class.
The Kaneohe resident is the president of the UH Mānoa chapter of IEEE-HKN, the international electrical engineering honor society. He has been active in IEEE, the EE Student Advisory Board and the Golden Key International Honour Society.
Yoshimoto was recognized at the Engineers Week Banquet at the Grand Ballroom at the Ko’olau Ballrooms and Conference Center in Kaneohe on February 28.