ECE Undergrads Honored at Clark School Award Ceremony

The A. James Clark School of Engineering held its annual undergraduate Honors and Awards Ceremony on April 9 at the Stamp Student Union, recognizing excellence in academics, leadership, and service across all disciplines of the college. Six students in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department were presented with awards by ECE Chair Dr. Patrick O’Shea.

The ECE Department’s Outstanding Academic Performance Award, which is presented to juniors for academic excellence, was presented to Christopher J. Waclawski, an Electrical Engineering Major. Christopher has been enrolled in the University Honors program and ECE Honors program, and maintained a 3.96 GPA. He interns at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab during winter and summer breaks. He enjoys refereeing and playing soccer, and also plays on intramural football and volleyball teams.

Kyle Thomas Weber received the ECE Department’s Service Award, an award presented to a student who has shown commitment to service to his fellow students. Kyle is an Electrical Engineering major, minoring in Computer Science and has maintained a 3.93 GPA. He has interned at NASA each summer and has served as an Undergraduate Teaching Fellow for ENEE 117 for several terms, going above and beyond his assigned duties to help students understand beginning programming concepts. He has been a member of the Leaders of ECE where he is very involved in organized undergraduate recruitment activities as well as meeting one-on-one with students and families. He has also been an active member of IEEE and Eta Kappa Nu. He participates in the Gemstone program and was a member of the Maryland Men’s Crew Club. He will be joining the Space Department at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab after graduation.

Recognized for their outstanding academic performance as seniors, Rose Taj Faghih, G.M. Dilshan P. Godaliyadda, Christine Elizabeth McKay, and Ermin Wei, all received the ECE Department’s Chair’s Award.

Rose T. Faghih is an Electrical Engineering major who has maintained a 4.0 GPA while participating in the ECE Honors program, IEEE, SWE, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu and the Golden Key International Honor Society. She participated in two summer research internships programs and was the winner of the Outstanding TREND Project Award in summer 2007. She has been writing poetry since the first grade and has published two books of poetry, “Our World and Our Words” and “The Beauty of Nature.” She plans to attend MIT in the fall to pursue a Ph.D.

Dilshan Godaliyadda is an international student from Kandy, Sri Lanka, who is majoring in Electrical Engineering. He is a transfer student from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. He has maintained a 4.0 GPA. He has worked as an undergraduate research assistant and Undergraduate Teaching Fellow. He is a member if IEEE and Eta Kappa Nu. He plans to work for a year before attending graduate school.

Christine E. McKay is a Computer Engineering major who is doubling in Mathematics. She has maintained a 4.0 GPA while participating in the Inventis program and Eta Kappa Nu. She has earned her University Honors Citation. She serves as treasurer of the Society of Women Engineers. She participated in two summer research internship programs and was the winner of the Outstanding MERIT project award in 2007. She plans to pursue graduate study at Stanford or UC, Berkeley.

Ermin Wei, an international student from China, will earn three degrees this May in Computer Engineering, Mathematics, and Finance. She has maintained a 3.97 GPA while participating in the University Honors program, ECE Honors program and Business Honors program. She is the Treasurer of Eta Kappa Nu and Finance Committee Member of Primannum Honor Society. She has worked as a Research Assistant in the Intelligent Servo System Lab and interned at Microsoft. She plans to attend MIT to pursue a Ph.D.

Luis Hurtado was awarded the Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering Leadership Award. This award is presented to the student who has demonstrated a strong commitment to leadership, academics, teamwork, diversity and participation in student engineering organizations. Luis is a senior in Electrical Engineering with a minor in International Engineering. He is the current president of The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) where he has been an active member since his sophomore year. This year he raised funds for the renovation of a more appealing SHPE lounge, which consisted of the purchase of computers, desks, and chairs. One of his goals for next year is to establish a SHPE JR. chapter in a local area high school.

The Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering Service Award, presented for dedicated service to the Center of minorities in Science and Engineering, the university community and commitment to promoting diversity in engineering, was awarded to Fernando Ramirez. A junior majoring in Electrical Engineering, Fernando has been heavily involved since his freshman year in a number of organizations on campus, including the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, the Latino Honors Caucus, the Maryland Table Tennis Team, and the University of Maryland Contemporary Art Purchasing Program. In addition, he served as a Resident Assistant and mentor for a group of students at the Hispanic Youth Symposium in the summer of 2007. Through these activities, Fernando hopes to motivate and encourage high school students from diverse backgrounds to further their education.

Malcolm Wells, a senior in Computer Engineering, received the Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering Director's Award. This award is presented to the student that has demonstrated excellence in academics, outstanding service to the Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering and a strong commitment to promoting diversity in engineering. As a member of the National Society of Black Engineers and member of the Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering's student council, Malcolm has put forth a courageous effort in trying to recruit underrepresented minorities into the STEM majors. He helped organize recruitment events such as the Black Engineers Society's shadow day; he has assisted in student panels and participates in the CMSE's Gear-Up program as a mentor. He is an active member of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program where he participated in the Bridge Program and the Undergraduate Research Program.

Published April 11, 2008