Grace Ciarniello has been fascinated by the world of inner space for as long as she can remember. As an introverted child, she spent hours peering into tidal pools near her home, mesmerized by their complexity.
Grace Ciarniello (right) receives the Order of the White Rose award from Polytechnique Montréal president Maud Cohen. (Photo: Polytechnique Montréal)
That fervent attention to the tiniest of details eventually propelled Ciarniello to the top of her graduating class in engineering physics at the University of Alberta, with a focus on nanotechnology and photonics. Now she has received one of Canada's most prestigious honours for young women in engineering - the Order of the White Rose from Polytechnique Montréal.
Established in 2014 to pay tribute to the 14 women killed on Dec. 6, 1989, the order comes with a $50,000 scholarship. It celebrates 14 women from across the country, aiming to "create a world in which women contribute fully to advances in the sciences and engineering, becoming role models and leaders who transform society through their engagement and vision."
Sharing the honour with other accomplished recipients in Montreal on Dec. 1 made the experience all the more meaningful, says Ciarniello.
"We were all a little scared," she admits. "We've all got a little imposter syndrome, so it's nice to share in that, and be part of a community of female engineers across Canada who are in so many different areas.
"It's incredibly validating to see my hard work in academics and extracurriculars all come together," she says, adding that an award recognizing the 14 women so tragically killed in 1989 underscores the leadership responsibility that comes with it.
In the words of the adjudicating committee at Polytechnique Montréal, Ciarniello was acknowledged for her "unique form of leadership, fuelled by empathy, discipline and creativity."
As a master's student in photonics this year, she hopes to directly switch into a doctoral program in 2026. Working in the U of A's nanoFAB facility, she describes her research as "making really small things and then shooting lasers at them to see how they respond."
"I really enjoy the precision and technicality of that. There are so many global implications. It's in your phone, it's in your medicine - nanotechnology is everywhere."
During her undergraduate degree, Ciarniello maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA, receiving numerous awards for academic excellence and community service, including the Peter Lougheed Scholarship for achievements in leadership and the APEGA Past Presidents' Medal in Engineering Physics.
Her group capstone project - describing the design of a new antenna for terahertz frequencies - culminated in a first-author publication in the journal Optics Letters.
She spent five years with the Student Team for Alberta Rocketry Research (STARR), overseeing the design of cube satellite payloads that study atmospheric microbes, an achievement that won first place in the payload design challenge at the 2022 and 2023 Launch Canada Competitions.
Under her leadership as president of STARR, the group won first place in the 2024 Launch Canada Competition and third place in the global Spaceport America Cup.
Ciarniello has also volunteered with DiscoverEs FEM+ Engineering Mentorship Program for women and gender-diverse students since 2023 and with the WISEST Choices conference, where she mentored 60 Grade 6 girls and gender-diverse students in introductory circuitry and electronics.
Simaan AbouRizk, dean of the Faculty of Engineering, says Ciarniello "exemplifies remarkable intellectual capability ... centred on uplifting others. Grace's impressive achievements to date are merely a glimpse of her potential to contribute positively to society."
