Anna Olson (B.S. ’16, M.S.’18, Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University) was named the second recipient of the John McMordie Spirit Award at the PRL Commencement Dinner on June 12. PRL Directors David Beach, Craig Milroy, and Marlo Kohn established the award to honor the memory of Product Realization Lab Course Assistant John McMordie (BS ’16, MS ’17 awarded posthumously), who died of injuries suffered while running a marathon. The John McMordie Spirit Award was bestowed on Olson because she embodies John’s spirit of generosity, joy, and intellectual rigor. Like McMordie, Olson always looks for ways to be helpful beyond the obvious, and eager to volunteer to make good things happen for our community. Olson has been a force for technical innovation in our tools processes, and teaching. Like McMordie, Olson has been courageous in challenging long help assumptions and investing energy to take us to a better future. The McMordie Award includes a monetary award and acknowledgment on a permanent plaque in the PRL.
