2025 ECE Undergraduate Awards Announced

The Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department congratulates the following 2025 Clark School’s Honors and Awards recipients for excellence in academics, leadership, and service across all disciplines of the college. Awards were presented at a ceremony on April 24^th.

The ECE Chair’s Award in Computer Engineering in recognition of outstanding academic performance is awarded to Eliav Hamburger, Lawrence Rhoads, and Jason Walter.

Eliav Hamburger is a senior computer engineering student and University Honors graduate. He served as the engineering representative and Speaker of the Legislature in student government, working on the ShuttleUM electric bus fleet conversion and the expansion of kosher and halal food in the University's diners. Eliav has also worked as an undergraduate assistant and as a teaching fellow for the introductory electrical and computer engineering course. During the past two summers, Eliav interned at the Applied Research Lab for Intelligence and Security.

Lawrence Rhoads is a senior computer engineering student. He has a passion for robotics and outside of class is part of Robotics @ Maryland, the university's student robotics team. Lawrence plans to work at Northrop Grumman near Baltimore.

Jason Walter is a senior computer engineering student and a Banneker/Key scholar. He is the electronics and testing sub-team leader for the Terps Racing Baja SAE student team. He has also previously served as both an undergraduate teaching fellow for Digital Logic Design and as an electrical and computer engineering department tutor. Following his graduation, Jason will work as an embedded software engineer at Apple.

The ECE Chair’s Award in Electrical Engineering in recognition of outstanding academic performance is awarded to Alexander Seidts, Imaad Syed, and Nicholas Venginickal.

Alex Seidts is a senior electrical engineering student with a 3.99 GPA. He is a teaching fellow for Technology and Consequences: Engineering, Ethics, and Humanity. He has also worked as a tutor for the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.

Imaad Syed is a senior electrical engineering major and nuclear engineering minor. He is a member of the Gemstone Honors College, working on a more cost-effective stereo camera system for ember flight data measurements. He is also a part of the QUEST Honors Program and is pursuing an electrical and computer engineering honors. Imaad is a teaching fellow for Electric Circuits in the department of electrical and computer engineering. He is part of the Photonics Research Lab, where he is working on non-iterative polarization control for applications eventually in single photon systems.

Nicholas Venginickal is a senior electrical engineering student with a 4.0 GPA and has earned the University Honors citation. In the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space club, he is the avionics subteam lead, working on a cube-satellite payload that will launch into space this year with the US Naval Academy. Nicholas is an Electrical and Computer Engineering Peer Mentor for first-year undergraduate students and also works as an undergraduate teaching fellow for ENEE101.

The ECE Outstanding Academic Performance Award in recognition of outstanding academic performance as a junior is awarded to Prithwish Dasgupta for electrical engineering and Andrew Pavlosky for computer engineering

Prithwish Dasgupta is a junior electrical engineering student with a minor in robotics and autonomous systems. He is a recipient of the UMD Presidential Scholarship and a member of the Engineering Honors Program. Actively engaged in research with Dr. Pamela Abshire, he is developing LiDAR testing platforms to enhance high-precision sensing for autonomous navigation and environmental mapping. Prithwish has served as an undergraduate teaching fellow for four semesters and is currently an undergraduate teaching fellow for ENEE205. After graduation, he plans to pursue a career in medical electronics and prosthetics.

Andy Pavlosky is a junior studying computer engineering and mathematics with a 4.0 GPA. He is a member of University Honors and was a computer science teaching assistant for two semesters. He interned at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Capital One over the last two summers and will work at Amazon Web Services in summer 2025.

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Service Award for graduating seniors who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and service to both their fellow students and the department is awarded to Vincent Pham and Matthew Weirich.

Vincent Pham is a computer engineering major and a participant in his department’s BS/MS program. Vincent has served as president of IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu Gamma Xi Chapter, event coordinator for the ECE Peer Mentoring Program, a student-athlete tutor, an engineering orientation advisor, and a longtime undergraduate teaching fellow for ENEE101. A recipient of the Clark Legacy and Charles E. Sydnor III Senatorial Scholarships, he aims to be an innovator in computer architecture by designing, verifying, and optimizing processor technologies.

Matthew Weirich is a senior electrical engineering student in the QUEST Honors Program. As an Academic Peer Coach, Engineering Ethics undergraduate teaching fellow, and ECE Peer Mentor, he has supported students academically and professionally. Through the Snider Consulting Group, he has helped student organizations grow and succeed, and has expanded career opportunities by introducing engineers to patent law. He has interned at Finnegan, ExxonMobil, and the Naval Research Lab, and plans to pursue a career in patent law after graduation.

The A. James Clark School of Engineering Dean's Award awarded to a senior for scholastic excellence and who has demonstrated outstanding service and leadership to the Clark School of Engineering in activities that impact students in all engineering majors. This award is presented to Sierra Raspa.

Sierra Raspa is a senior studying electrical and mechanical engineering. She earned a Gemstone Honors Citation where she led a research team working on swarm robotics, and she is currently a member of the electrical team for Testudog through the Robotics at Maryland Club. Sierra has been a teaching fellow for several engineering courses, and is a competitor for the XFoundry startup competition on the school safety track. She also collaborated with the Women in Engineering (WIE) to create and lead the WIE Code coding bootcamp and she is also a member of the WIE Student Advisory Board. During her time at UMD, Sierra has interned at RCT Systems, NASA Goddard, Quantum Space, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

The Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering Service Award is presented to Gideon Smith in recognition of his dedicated service to the Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering through commitment to promoting diversity in engineering in the college, the university community and through the Center’s recruitment, outreach, and retention programs.

Gideon Smith is a senior electrical engineering student with a minor in computer engineering. He serves as an executive board member and treasurer of the Black Engineers Society and plays a key role in the Students Toward Educational Progress and Philanthropy team. Gideon is an electrical engineering technician for the United States Coast Guard and an undergraduate teaching fellow for the electrical engineering department. Additionally, he is a co-author of an ongoing engineering ethics research paper.

The Women in Engineering (WIE) Leadership Award is presented to the engineering students who have demonstrated leadership, engagement, and impact to Women in Engineering Program initiatives and student organizations. This award is presented to the Women in Electrical and Computer Engineering student organization, represented by Amanda Callaghan and Natalie Venginickal.

Natalie Venginickal is a sophomore electrical engineering student with a 3.93 GPA. She is a member of Ballroom at Maryland and the Women in Engineering Peer Mentoring Program. Through the Letters to a Pre-Scientist program, she is STEM pen pals with an eighth grade student with whom she shares advice and her higher education story. She is the co-president of Women in Electrical and Computer Engineering, which supports women in the ECE department through outreach, social, and professional events.

Amanda Callaghan is a sophomore computer engineering major. She is also pursuing a minor in data science and a honors citation from the Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for Students (ACES) Honors Program. Amanda is co-president of Women in Electrical and Computer Engineering (WECE), working to empower and create a community for underrepresented genders in the ECE department. She is most proud of developing WECE’s outreach program, hosting events for both secondary schools and university events. Outside of WECE, Amanda is secretary of the ACES Student Board, a member of the Terps Racing Baja team, a belayer at the university challenge course, and competes in track and field and cross country through UMD Club Running.

The Women in Engineering Advancement Award recognizes engineering students who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to social change, advocacy, and community service on behalf of the Women in Engineering Program (WIE). This award recognizes the students' lasting contributions which advance and expand the reach of the WIE Program to support all students within the A. James Clark School of Engineering. This award is presented to Owen Mank.

Owen Mank is a senior electrical engineering major and serves on the Gemstone and Honors Student Leadership councils. Working with his peers to revive UMD’s student chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), he prioritizes supporting students, doing everything he can to help them through college. He has been an undergraduate teaching fellow for Flexus & Virtus and ENEE200 Engineering Ethics, and hopes to earn a PhD in Power Systems. Owen is a Banneker/Key and Philip Merrill Scholar and has been accepted into several PhD programs.

The Women in Engineering Service Award recognizes engineering student who have demonstrated outstanding service to the Women in Engineering Program. This award is presented to Friedrich Alvarez.

Friedrich Alvarez is a junior in electrical engineering with a minor in robotics and autonomous systems. He interns at the Army Research Lab and conducts robotics research at the Motion and Teaming Lab. As president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers at UMD, he leads research and industry partnership initiatives. Friedrich is heavily involved in mentor roles in the Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering program. He instructs technical workshops for the Women in Engineering Department pre-college programs and is a Clark Ambassador. This summer, he will intern at Northrop Grumman’s Advanced Technology Lab.