Meet the 2025 Honorees

Sara Denison ’25

Sara Denison is an accomplished environmental engineer and Ph.D. candidate who leads innovative research on oil-contaminated soil remediation, advocates for diversity in STEM and actively mentors and teaches the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Denison, who earned a B.S. in environmental engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, joined Rice University’s Ph.D. program in environmental engineering in 2020. Her research focuses on pyrolytic treatment of oil-contaminated soils, a cost-effective and scalable strategy for reducing pollution. She has presented her work at local and national conferences, including those organized by the Superfund Research Program, which is part of the National Institutes of Environmental Health Science, and the American Chemical Society.

In addition to her research, Denison completed her leadership coaching certification through Rice’s Doerr Institute for New Leadership. She received additional leadership training through the Center for Teaching Excellence, where she now serves as graduate liaison, and participated in interdisciplinary reading groups with Rice faculty to strengthen her teaching and mentoring practices.

Leveraging her training and research experiences, Denison is a strong advocate for diversity in STEM. She has mentored students from middle school through college — many from underrepresented backgrounds — through programs such as Research Experience for Teachers, Research Experiences for Undergraduates and NEWT GEMS (Girls Empowerment in STEM), which she helped launch and continues to support. She also volunteers at events like the Girl Scout Climate Challenge and mentors young women through the EcoLogik Institute. She frequently shares her STEM journey at public science events. 

Khoi Nguyen ’25

While an undergraduate student at Rice, Khoi Nguyen has served in various leadership roles at Duncan College, including Orientation Week coordinator, legislative vice president and peer academic advisor. In these roles, he was passionate about fostering student support, building community and improving student experiences for his peers. Through these positions, he worked to create a more inclusive, supportive environment where all students could feel empowered to succeed both personally and academically.

In addition to his leadership at Duncan, Nguyen has been deeply committed to celebrating cultural heritage, serving as co-president of the Rice Lions dance team and an officer of the Rice Vietnamese Student Association. As co-president, he expanded the Rice Lions’ reach by organizing more than 30 cultural performances both on campus and throughout the Houston community, creating welcoming spaces that celebrated identity, fostered cultural pride and strengthened connections among underrepresented students.

Among his numerous commitments, Nguyen has remained deeply dedicated to service beyond campus through his role as co-director of Camp Kesem Rice. In this position, he helped guide the organization in providing a free, life-changing summer camp for over 100 children in the Greater Houston area affected by a parent's cancer. Leading a team of coordinators, Nguyen provided vision, support and direction to ensure that fundraising, outreach and programming efforts came together to create a supportive community where children could find comfort, healing and lasting friendships. This mission has been especially meaningful to him, reflecting his deep belief in the power of community and compassion during life’s most challenging moments.