STANFORD, Calif – Bessie Noll was named the first Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year in Stanford softball history, as announced Monday by the conference.
Noll continues to collect academic accolades after being named a CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 selection for the second time in her career earlier this season. She is also a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection. Noll earned an on-field accolade Monday morning, being named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive team.
Noll has excelled in the classroom as a mechanical engineering major and holds a 3.73 GPA.
A four-year starter, Noll played in 186 games and made 180 starts. She registered career highs in batting average (.311), doubles (13) and walks (40) during her senior season. Her 40 walks rank as the second-most by a Stanford player in a single season in program history.
Noll is an elite outfielder and provided numerous highlight catches and big plays defensively. She earned NFCA All-West Region third team honors in 2016.
Upon graduation this spring, Noll will remain on campus to get her master's degree in mechanical engineering with a concentration in dynamics and fluid mechanics.
This summer Noll will be working as a teacher's assistant for a seminar on the jet engine as well as working for a startup, leading the mechanical design and manufacturing of the product as it moves into commercial development.
Below is a sampling of Noll's academic accomplishments and projects during her four years at Stanford. Summer Research Intern (Stanford BDML Lab) » Worked and researched under Professor Mark Cutkosky in the Stanford Biomimetic Dexterous Manipulation Lab, where she assisted various PhD students in the lab, working with them to further their own research as well as pursue personal interests.
Research topics included mechatronics, prototyping and design, and Computer Aided Design and practice. Specific projects included testing and evaluating a Free-Flying Space Gripper for NASA via gecko adhesive strips and a bistable grasping mechanism. She created a fully actuated curved gripper prototype for testing and analysis.
Robotic Kangaroo » Designed and constructed a robotic kangaroo that modeled the actual pentapedal walking motion of a kangaroo when it uses its tail as a fifth leg. Using a four bar linkage design and electric gear train analysis to propel the robot.
Computational Model of Honda Airbus » Modeled and coded a fully integrated computational analysis of a Honda Jet Turbofan Engine. Using Matlab as the digital platform, each engine component was modeled and coded to produce accurate thrust and power performance readings for steady level flight during cruise conditions at 30,000 feet.
Kendama Project » Spent 10 weeks drawing, designing, CAD'ing (computer aided design), prototyping, and manufacturing a traditional Kendama wooden ball and stick game out of 6066 stock aluminum and maple wood. The manufacturing processes included primarily metal lathe work, milling, and wood lathe work and the final product was hard coat anodized. The entire project was constructed from scratch and stock materials were all hand-cut.
Wooden Bridge Project » Constructed a model truss bridge out of wood strips and fully analyzed the stress, strain and bending moment of each truss to withstand a specified load within a designated safety factor. Finished in the top 10 in the class for final performance metrics.
Greek Mythology Short Film » Wrote a script, directed and produced a short 20 minute film for a Greek Mythology class. The film premise was a couple's therapy session for Zeus and Hera, the King and Queen of the Greek Gods, that diagnosed and analyzed their marital discord. The film highlighted flashes to various supporting characters (other Greek Gods/Goddesses) for context, controversy, and humor.
