Awards and honors were presented by Dean Philippe Fauchet May 9 to 36 seniors at the School of Engineering’s annual Commencement Reception.
Curtis George Northcutt, from Lexington, Ky., is the recipient of the 2013 Founder’s Medal for the School of Engineering. He is graduating with a bachelor of science in computer science and mathematics. He will attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this fall to pursue a Ph.D. in computer science as a National Science Foundation fellow.
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. Cornelius Vanderbilt endowed the Founder’s Medal, which “signifies first honors,” and the engineering recipient is named by Dean Fauchet after consideration of faculty recommendations as well as grade point averages of the summa cum laude graduates.
In the last four years, Northcutt has worked at NASA, GE, a National Science Foundation REU, Microsoft, and three research universities, and earned numerous awards including the NSF Graduate Fellowship, a Goldwater Scholarship, and the James Geddes Memorial Scholarship.
Northcutt has devoted himself to improving his community as a mathematics guest lecturer, student mentor, respected researcher, and president of Tau Beta Pi, the scholarship fraternity in engineering. He has served the Vanderbilt and Nashville communities in myriad ways through the Vanderbilt Prison Project, Engineers Without Borders, and Vanderbilt Students Volunteering for Science.
Anton Lee Cottrill, from Gallatin, Tenn., is this year’s Banner Bearer. Cottrill is graduating with a bachelor of engineering in chemical engineering. In the fall he will pursue a Ph.D. in chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 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. The Banner Bearer also is selected from the summa cum laude graduates.
Devin Marquette Brooks, from Memphis, Tenn., received the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Scholarship. This award goes to a senior who has remarkable leadership qualities and who has made the greatest contribution in personal service to the school.
Brooks will graduate with a bachelor of engineering degree in computer engineering and a minor in engineering management. At Vanderbilt he served as president of the National Society of Black Engineers and Student Relations co-chair of the Senior Class Fund. He has held various internships, including working for Goldman Sachs and Microsoft. Brooks has accepted a position to work for Microsoft in Seattle.
Dean Fauchet recognized 21 students who achieved summa cum laude distinction:
Stephen Wells Bailey, Nashville, Tenn.
Naveed A. Bakh, Lexington, Ky.
Alayna Victoria Boland, Lexington, Ky.
Anton Lee Cottrill, Gallatin, Tenn.
Nikhil Goel, Huntsville, Ala.
Peter Eugene Holly, Ballwin, Mo.
Jessica Enju Kim, Huntsville, Ala.
Elizabeth Rae Michel, Hopkinton, Mass.
Khairani Iyliani Mohamed Sahari, Sitiawan, Malaysia
Curtis George Northcutt, Lexington, Ky.
Zachary Aaron Roth, Miami, Fla.
Ryan Christopher Russell, Houston, Texas
Timothy James Schutz, Morganton, N.C.
Brock Earl Smethills, Denver, Colo.
Chelsea Elizabeth Stowell, Sandy Springs, Ga.
Sani Sulaiman, Klang, Malaysia
Syed Muhsin Syed Abdul Hamid, Ampang, Malaysia
Brett Dylan Taylor, Columbia, S.C.
Erica Leah Von Stein, Madeira Beach, Fla.
Ray Yiqing Wang, Mason, Ohio
Douglas Scott Woodcock, The Woodlands, Texas
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: Chelsea Elizabeth Stowell, Sandy Springs, Ga.
Chemical Engineering: Anton Lee Cottrill, Gallatin, Tenn.
Civil Engineering: Khairani Iyliani Mohamed Sahari, Sitiawan, Malaysia
Computer Engineering: Nikhil Goel, Huntsville, Ala.
Computer Science: Zachary Aaron Roth, Miami, Fla.
Electrical Engineering: John Everett Lantz, Greenwood Village, Colo.
Engineering Science: Kendra May Williamson, Houston, Texas
Mechanical Engineering: Ryan Christopher Russell, Houston, Texas
Austin Daniel Conner, Brentwood, 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.
Tomas William Edward Salazar, Summit, N.J., 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 Lauren Nicole Johnson, Treasure Island, Fla.
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 El Mehdi El Hailouch, Rabat, Morocco.
The Walter Gill Kirkpatrick Prize in Civil Engineering is given to the most deserving third-year student majoring in civil engineering. The recipient is Theodore J. Lawrence, Collegeville, Pa.
The Thomas G. Arnold Prizes for Biomedical Engineering Systems Design and Research is shared by Sean Thomas Fitzpatrick (research), Berwyn, Pa., and for design: Alayna Victoria Boland, Lexington, Ky.; Michelle Elizabeth Goodman, Houston, Texas; Jessica Enju Kim, Huntsville, Ala.; Monica Leigh Kruse, Huntsville, Ala.; Haley Wentworth Nesmith, Homewood, Ala.; and Chelsea Elizabeth Stowell, Sandy Springs, Ga.
Brett Dylan Taylor, Columbia, S.C., and Douglas Scott Woodcock, The Woodlands, Texas, 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 Daniel Lee Kish, Salem, Ohio; Christopher John Osman, Glen Head, N.Y., and Christopher Windmann Watkins, Saint Louis, Mo.
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 Naveed A. Bakh, Lexington, Ky.
The Walter Criley Prize is awarded for the best paper written on an advanced senior project in electrical engineering. The award is shared by Devin Marquette Brooks, Memphis, Tenn.; Nikhil Goel, Huntsville, Ala.; and Luke Alexander Steensen, Hilliard, Ohio.
Class of 2013 members of Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society are:
Ilyasa Syun Asha’ari, Segamat, Malaysia
Stephen Wells Bailey, Nashville, Tenn.
Alayna Victoria Boland, Lexington, Ky.
Alexander Noel Breg, Watertown, Conn.
Devin Marquette Brooks, Memphis, Tenn.
Britney Lane Broscher, Johns Creek, Ga.
Austin Daniel Conner, Brentwood, Tenn.
Francene Wagner Corradetti, Linwood, N.J.
Erica Leigh Curtis, Atlanta, Ga.
Sonja Mei Davenport, Nanuet, N.Y.
Nikhil Goel, Hunstville, Ala.
Michelle Elizabeth Goodman, Houston, Texas
Peter Eugene Holly, Ballwin, Mo.
Lauren Nicole Johnson, Treasure Island, Fla.
Ryan Bijan Khodadadi, Auburn, Ala.
Jessica Enju Kim, Huntsville, Ala.
Daniel Lee Kish, Salem, Ohio
John Everett Lantz, Greenwood Village, Colo.
Nur Nabilah Mahfuz, Klang, Malaysia
William Joseph Matloff, Paradise Valley, Ariz.
Elizabeth Rae Michel, Hopkinton, Mass.
Khairani Iyliani Mohamed Sahari, Sitiawan, Malaysia
Curtis George Northcutt, Lexington, Ky.
Ryan Francis Planchard, Boulder, Colo.
Nor Diana Ramli, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia
Ryan Gary Robe, Antioch, Tenn.
Zachary Aaron Roth, Miami, Fla.
Tomas William Edward Salazar, Summit, N.J.
Brock Earl Smethills, Denver, Colo.
Chelsey Anne Smith, Jasper, Tenn.
William Hall Stokes, Memphis, Tenn.
Noor Azizi Suboh, Muar, Malaysia
Sani Sulaiman, Klang, Malaysia
Syed Muhsin Syed Abdul Hamid, Ampang, Malaysia
Muhammad Faiz Talib, Durian Tunggal, Malaysia
Brett Dylan Taylor, Columbia, S.C.
Ryan James Thompson, Greenlawn, N.Y.
Violetta Vylegzhanina, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Ray Yiqing Wang, Mason, Ohio
Christopher Windmann Watkins, Saint Louis, Mo.
Douglas Scott Woodcock, The Woodlands, Texas