Unconventional students at Rice 2017: Senthil Natarajan

Senthil Natarajan, a Will Rice College senior majoring in electrical engineering, used his four years at Rice to explore his passions for sports and technology. “I think the number one thing I describe about my time at Rice is the fact that it’s allowed me to not be restrictive by what my degree is.” Natarajan said. “I came into Rice as an engineering student but I’ve never been forced to follow the traditional path.”

Natarajan has his own startup, Ziel Solutions, that is developing a sensory sleeve for baseball pitchers to help reduce their risk of injury. He also teaches a class on basketball analytics. “It’s really cool every time you introduce a new concept; the students get wide eyed over the realization of just how many complexities there are of analyzing a concept— like rebounding,” he said.

Natarajan has accepted an analyst position after graduation and plans to continue working on Ziel Solutions.

“I wanted to make these four years a time of growth and self-discovery and evolution as a person in my academic and personal interests,” he said.