Awards and honors were presented by Dean Philippe Fauchet May 10, 2018, to seniors at the School of Engineering’s annual Commencement Reception.
Crystal Marie Loehman, from Downers Grove, Illinois, is the recipient of the 2018 Founder’s Medal for the School of Engineering. She graduated May 11 with a bachelor of engineering in chemical engineering with minors in scientific computing, chemisty and communication of science and technology.
Loehman, a first generation college graduate, served as executive board secretary for two years for the Vanderbilt chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineering, and four years as a panel member and adviser to the undergraduate Honor Council. Loehman was a resident adviser for two years.
She also has served as a teacher for Code Ignite and Vanderbilt Students Volunteer for Science. Other volunteer activities include Vanderbilt’s Alternative Spring Break and Engineering for Kids. Loehman was an undergraduate researcher in the Cliffel Research Group with Professor David Cliffel in the Department of Chemistry. This fall, she joins Mars Petcare in Franklin, Tennessee, as a research and development process engineer.
Thushara Gunda, from Alexandria, Virginia, is Founder’s Medalist for the Graduate School. She graduated with a doctor of philosophy in environmental engineering. In her graduate research, Gunda examined the complex factors influencing farmer decision-making in Sri Lanka. She enjoyed sharing her work with elementary and middle school students, and founded the annual Engineering Day event, which brings students to campus for a day of hands-on engineering activities. Gunda lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she is conducting research at Sandia National Laboratories.
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. These awards are called “Founder’s Medals” in honor of university founder Cornelius Vanderbilt, who made a specific contribution to endow the awards in their first year.
Sam Patrick Hurd, from Lebanon, Tennessee, is this year’s Banner Bearer. He graduated May 11 with degrees in electrical engineering and computer science with a minor in corporate strategy Shortly, he will begin working as a software developer on a cloud database team at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington.
At Vanderbilt, he has been a member of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society and has served as President of Eta Kappa Nu, the electrical and computer engineering honor society. He was an undergraduate researcher with the Vanderbilt Institute for Software Integrated Systems, and he published a paper on quality assurance in additive manufacturing. Hurd also has an affiliate broker license and he is a real estate investor.
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 is selected from the summa cum laude graduates.
Christian Motyczka received the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Service, which is given to the graduating senior who has shown remarkable leadership qualities and who also has made the greatest contributions in personal service to the School.
Motyczka, of Lumberton, N.J., is graduating with a degree in computer science. While at Vanderbilt, Mendoza served two consecutive terms as the president of the Engineering Council. As a member of the service organization Alpha Phi Omega, he has continued his volunteer work.
Motyczka, in conjunction with two graduate researchers, developed of a suite of therapeutic tools for use in Virtual Reality to aid those suffering from alcohol and opioid addiction. After graduation, he will be joining Optum Health in Raleigh, North Carolina, as a software engineer.
Dean Fauchet recognized 21 students who achieved summa cum laude distinction:
Imran Bin Anoar, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Marie Elizabeth Armbruster, Lexington, Kentucky
Jessica A. Banasiak, Scotch Plains, New Jersey
Phillip Michael Byrd, Westmoreland, Tennessee
Emily Laura Daley, Ashburn, Virginia
Nicholas Joseph Galioto, Urbandale, Iowa
Derek A. Gloudemans, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Natalie Marie Hawken, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Sam Patrick Hurd, Lebanon, Tennessee
Irfan Iskandar Bin Jasmi, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kamal Muhammad Hisyam Kamal Azmi, Shah Alam, Malaysia
Joshua Klag, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania
Crystal Marie Loehman, Downers Grove, Illinois
Kristen Loren Mancini, Batavia, Illinois
Jonathan Charles McDowell, San Carlos, California
Fletcher Lee Prouty, Kula, Hawaii
Andrew Stephen Ragan, Marietta, Georgia
Victoria G. Yao, College Station, Texas
Xingnan Xia, Shenzhen City, China
Ziqi Yang, Guangzhou, China
Jiazhi Zhang, Qingdao, China
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 their undergraduate careers.
The recipients are:
Biomedical Engineering: Natalie Marie Hawkin, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Chemical Engineering: Marie Elizabeth Armbruster, Lexington, Kentucky
Civil Engineering: Derek A. Gloudemans, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Computer Engineering: Yongrui Wang, Shenzhen, China
Computer Science: Ziqi Yang, Guangzhou, China
Electrical Engineering: Phillip Michael Byrd, Westmoreland, Tennessee
Engineering Science: Samantha Seitz Simon, Hewlett, New York
Mechanical Engineering: Lauren Marjorie Branscombe, South Windsor, Connecticut
Ziqi Yang, Guangzhou, China, 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.
Baffour Wiafe Osei, Oxnard, California, 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 Carolyn Aileen Rybecky, Rockport, Massachusetts.
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 Jerom Anthon Theunissen, Rye, New York.
The Walter Gill Kirkpatrick Prize in Civil Engineering is given to the most deserving third-year student majoring in civil engineering. The recipient is Chase Parker Denson, Texarkana, Texas.
The Thomas G. Arnold Prizes for Biomedical Engineering Systems Design and Research is shared by Lauren Danielle Holtslander, Columbia, South Carolina, for research, and the following students for design: Candace Janine Grisham, Lakeland, Tennessee; Shashank Manjunath, Acton, Massachusetts; Benjamin Alexander Perlin, Nashville, Tennessee; Anthony Ferdianate Russo Jr., Park Ridge, Illinois; and Nicholas Ray Wigginton, Troy, Illinois.
Kristen Loren Mancini, Batavia, Illinois, and Irfan Iskandar Bin Jasmi, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 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 Jessica A. Banasiak, Scotch Plains, New Jersey; Emily Laura Daley, Ashburn, Virginia; Crystal Marie Loehman, Downers Grove, Illinois; and Victoria G. Yao, College Station, Texas.
The Robert D. Tanner Undergraduate Research Award is given to a senior who conducted the best undergraduate research project in chemical engineering. The recipient is Emily Catherine McRen, Hendersonville, Tennessee.
The Walter Criley Prize is awarded for the best paper written on an advanced senior project in electrical engineering. The award is shared by Ghassan Alduraibi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Emir Farid Mohd Rodzi, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Shamita Nagalla, Alpharetta, Georgia; and Elizabeth Ann Weber, Bay Village, Ohio.
The William A. Ma Award is given to an outstanding senior majoring in chemical engineering on the basis of a demonstrated record of leadership and scholastic achievement. The recipient is Marie Elizabeth Armbruster, Lexington, Kentucky
Class of 2018 members of Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society are:
Syafiq Abdur Rahman, Subang Jaya, Malaysia
Faruq-Qawiem Bin Ahmad Faizi, Shah Alam, Malaysia
Imran Bin Anoar, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Marie Elizabeth Armbruster, Lexington, Kentucky.
Jessica A. Banasiak, Scotch Plains, New Jersey
Lauren Marjorie Branscombe, South Windsor, Connecticut
Tao Chen, Beijing, China
Putri Binti Desmawardi, Telok Panglima Garang, Malaysia
Dalton Ray Gullett, Windermere, Florida
Sparsh Gupta, Fairfax Station, Virginia
Julita Hornsby, New York, New York
Andrew David Hunt, Birmingham, Alabama
Sam Patrick Hurd, Lebanon, Tennessee
Irfan Iskandar Bin Jasmi, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Nicole Marie Jenkinson, Sherherdstown, West Virginia
Kamal Muhammad Hisyam Kamal Azmi, Shah Alam, Malaysia
Crystal Marie Loehman, Downers Grove, Illinois
Jessica Ann Matos, Bolingbrook, Illinois
Jonathan Charles McDowell, San Carlos, California
Thomas James Metke, Hermitage, Tennessee
Mohamad Iliya Haziq Bin Mohamad Lokman, Sungai Buloh, Malaysia
Nur Kamalia Mohd Hisham, Kajang, Malaysia
Seonghoon Noh, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Brandon Cole Paikoff, Southampton, Pennsylvania
Samantha Seitz Simon, Hewlett, New York
Harrison Rhodes Stall, Greenville, South Carolina
Contact:
Brenda Ellis, (615) 343-6314
Brenda.Ellis@Vanderbilt.edu
Twitter @VUEngineering