Awards and honors were presented by Dean Kenneth F. Galloway May 10 to 36 seniors at the School of Engineering’s annual Commencement Reception.
Kathryn Elizabeth Maxwell, from Saltillo, Mississippi, is the 2012 Founder’s Medalist for the School of Engineering. She is graduating with a bachelor of engineering in chemical and biomolecular engineering.
Since 1877, a gold medal has been awarded to the student graduating at the top of his or her class from each of Vanderbilt’s schools. The recipient is named by the Dean after consideration of faculty recommendations as well as grade point averages of the summa cum laude graduates.
A recipient of the A. Max and Susan Souby Honor Scholarship, Kathryn worked with chemical engineering professor Kane Jennings for the research component of her Honors degree. She studied the synthesis of thin polymer films, including those for superhydrophobic applications.
Last summer, she attended an international scientific conference on nanotechnology in Portland, Oregon, and heard about current research initiatives from around the world. That experience inspired her to pursue a career in research.
She has served as co-president of engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi, vice president of the student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, secretary of Sigma Phi Lambda, and a volunteer at a local elementary school.
This fall, Maxwell will attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to pursue her Ph.D. in chemical engineering.
Zachary John Diggins, from Hoover, Alabama, is this year’s Banner Bearer. Diggins is graduating with a bachelor of engineering in electrical engineering. The honor of Banner Bearer is awarded to a senior who has been judged by the faculty to have excelled in all aspects of the undergraduate career and is considered an outstanding example of a well-rounded engineering student.
Diggins is a Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholar. His research focus is radiation effects on integrated circuits. He has worked on this project with the Vanderbilt Radiation Effects Research Group, and at Los Alamos National Lab and Uppsala University in Sweden.
Dean Galloway recognized 15 students who achieved summa cum laude distinction:
- Muhammad Asyraf Abdullah, Pasir Mas, Malaysia
- Aaron Edward Coonley, Paoli, Pa.
- Zachary John Diggins, Hoover, Ala.
- Kirstin Celeste Early, Ooltewah, Tenn.
- Sally Ann Ingham, Lincoln, Nebr.
- Daniel James Johnson, Towson, Md.
- Junyu Lei, Bengbu, China
- Bowman Cooke Malpass, Larchmont, N.Y.
- Kathryn Elizabeth Maxwell, Saltillo, Miss.
- Travis Andrew Meyer, Houston, Texas
- Harvey Pendell Meyers III, Maryville, Tenn.
- Scott Thomas Nill, Fort Wayne, Ind.
- Zachariah William Whelchel Smith, Raleigh, N.C.
- Wan Mohd Syafiq Wan Sulong, Puchong, Malaysia
- Harry Alexander James Watson, Brentwood, Tenn.
Other awards and honors
Program awards go to seniors who, in the opinion of the program faculty, made the greatest progress in professional development during the undergraduate careers.
The recipients are:
- Biomedical Engineering: Travis Andrew Meyer, Houston, Texas
- Chemical Engineering: Kathryn Elizabeth Maxwell, Saltillo, Miss.
- Civil Engineering: Aaron Edward Coonley, Paoli, Pa.
- Computer Engineering: Ross Mitchell Montague, Memphis, Tenn.
- Computer Science: Kirstin Celeste Early, Ooltewah, Tenn.
- Electrical Engineering: Zachary John Diggins, Hoover, Ala.
- Engineering Science: Harvey Pendell Meyers III, Maryville, Tenn.
- Mechanical Engineering: Zachariah William Whelchel Smith, Raleigh, N.C.
Kirstin Celeste Early, Ooltewah, Tenn., received the Wilson and Nellie Pyle Miser Award, which is given to the senior who has excelled in all aspects of mathematics during the student’s undergraduate career.
DeAndre Lemond Jones, Memphis, Tenn., and Erin Adams McManus, Potomac, Md., received the Stein Stone Memorial Award, which is given to a senior who has earned a letter in sports and who is judged to have made the most satisfactory scholastic and extra-mural progress as an undergraduate.
The Arthur J. Dyer Jr. Memorial Prize is awarded to a senior who has done the best work in the study and/or design in use of structural steel, and who is a member of the American Society for Civil Engineers. The recipient is Annette Rose Fleishman, Pikesville, Md.
The Greg A. Andrews Civil Engineering Memorial Award goes to an exemplary senior who plans to do graduate work in environmental and water resources engineering. The recipient is Jacob Choi, Irvine, Calif.
The Walter Gill Kirkpatrick Prize in Civil Engineering is given to the most deserving third-year student majoring in civil engineering. The recipient is Kahairani Iyliani Mohamed Sahari, Sitiawan, Malaysia.
The Thomas G. Arnold Prizes for Biomedical Engineering Systems Design and Research is shared by Cheryl Lau (research), Savannah, Ga., and for design: Mallette Mary Asmuth, Chevy Chase, Md.; Margaret Joan Means, Louisville, Ky.; Joel Ryan McManness, Shawnee, Kan.; Harrison Michael Shapley, Western Springs, Ill.; and Raheel Salim Thobhani, Lilburn, Ga.
Stephen Robert Schumacher, Saint Louis, Mo., and Justin Reynard Smith, Nashville, Tenn., are recipients of the American Institute of Chemists Award, given on the basis of leadership, ability, character, scholastic achievement and potential for advancement in the chemical professions.
The W. Dennis Threadgill Award is given for outstanding achievement in chemical engineering in honor of a former faculty member and department chair. The award is shared by Sally Ann Ingham, Lincoln, Neb., and Harry Alexander James Watson, Brentwood, Tenn.
The Robert D. Tanner Undergraduate Research Award is given to a senior who has conducted the best undergraduate research project in chemical engineering. The recipient is Harry Alexander James Watson, Brentwood, Tenn.
The Walter Criley Prize is awarded for the best paper written on an advanced senior project in electrical engineering. The award is shared by Ziad Moufid Aboulmouna, Tullahoma, Tenn.; Zachary John Diggins, Hoover, Ala.; Zachary Evan Fleetwood, Brentwood, Tenn.; Dylan Benjamin McQuaide, Gettysburg, Pa.; and Kyle Joseph Rewick, Cincinnati, Ohio.