The George Elwood Rhoads Award for Outstanding Sophomores recognizes a sophomore-level Mechanical Engineering student for outstanding contribution to the department, demonstrated leadership, and academic excellence, selected from a School of Mechanical Engineering spanning both the West Lafayette and Indianapolis campuses, over 2,000 ME students combined. Named for 1900 Purdue ME graduate George Elwood Rhoads and funded by his son Albert B. Rhoads (BSME 1933), the award carries a $1,000 prize and marks recognition as the top sophomore across that entire pool.