Computer engineering undergrads win 2026 Hydro One awards
Congratulations to Naima Samale and Mithursha Arulmohan, both third-year computer engineering students at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), for receiving 2026 One Awards from Hydro One. The students were recognized for their academic excellence and community contributions, alongside select recipients from across Ontario. Thanks to the One Awards program, Naima and Mithursha will start their upcoming summers with a paid work term at Hydro One, getting hands-on experience with the latest energy and sustainability technology.
Mithursha Arulmohan
2026 Women in Engineering Award
Community has always been at the heart of Mithursha Arulmohan’s engineering journey. At TMU, she led events for the IEEE Computer Society TMU and the TMU Women in Engineering group, organizing industry nights, workshops and conferences that unite students and professionals. At this year’s Women in Engineering Conference, she had the opportunity to network with woman-identifying leaders and students across engineering fields. “The student groups I am part of, along with my friends, all provide a great community.” she said. “They inspire, challenge, and remind me why I love this field so much.”
Leading up to her summer work term at Hydro One, Mithursha is excited to learn more about how technology supports critical infrastructure. She wants to explore how AI can be used to improve performance and innovation in the energy sector. As she continues stacking experiences, Mithursha credits her family for supporting her journey – from helping to push her outside her comfort zone to cheering her on every step of the way.
“It meant a lot to me to know that my work supporting students and my community is being recognized. It makes me more motivated to continue contributing to my community. I am proud to be part of a large community of driven female-identifying engineers.”
Naima Samale
William Peyton Hubbard Memorial Award
Naima Samale has long envisioned her engineering journey being about more than just academics. At TMU, she’s made her vision a reality by volunteering at the Ontario Universities Fair, serving as a First-Year Engineering Ambassador for the ECESTORMS course union and helping incoming students transition to university life. Most recently, she was an engineering intern at TMU’s Sustainability Office, where she analyzed large datasets on energy use to help inform the university’s carbon reduction strategies. “That experience helped me understand what engineering looks like in practice,” she said. “It gave me real-life experience and really expanded my horizons.”
Naima is excited to build on her experience during her summer work term and see first-hand how computer engineering applies to renewable energy systems and carbon reduction strategies. Naima wants to pursue a career in the energy sector and help build and maintain the clean technologies that will support the transition to renewable systems. “I aspire to be an engineer who combines technical skill with ethics, advancing solutions that strengthen communities while building a more sustainable future,” she shared. “This work term is an important step toward becoming that engineer.”
Naima thanks her mentors for championing her on this journey, including Minakshi Suri from TMU Engineering Outreach and Animesh Roy, her co-op manager at TMU’s Sustainability Office, as well as the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science Co-op Office.
“I plan to reinvest it into my engineering education by developing hands-on skills in PCB design and sensor integration with data logging. These skills will help me move from theory to a functional prototype for my capstone project.”
Learn more about the One Awards and apply. (external link) The deadline for applications is November 1, 2026.
Related story: TMU student uses energy, emissions data to reveal $500K in savings.