2026 ECE Undergraduate Awards Announced

The Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department congratulates the following 2026 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 May 5^th.

The ECE Chair’s Award in Computer Engineering in recognition of outstanding academic performance is awarded to Quinn Renaghan, Samantha Rodriguez, and Susan Shollenberger.

Quinn Renaghan is a senior in computer engineering with a minor in sustainability and has earned a 4.0 GPA. He is a member of the QUEST Honors program. He served as an undergraduate teaching fellow for CMSC216 and ENEE244 and conducted data analysis research with a UMD climate sociology researcher. This fall, Quinn will begin his career as a Software Engineer at Uber in New York City.

Samantha Rodriguez is a senior computer engineering student and an Honors Humanities alumnus. Samantha is an undergraduate teaching fellow for the ENEE101, and she is on the leadership team for the electrical and computer engineering peer mentor program. She has studied abroad in Madrid and New Zealand, and was a research assistant working with drones to demonstrate swarming capabilities. Over the summer, she interned at John Hopkin’s Applied Physics Laboratory, where she will continue after graduation.

Susan “Susie” Shollenberger is a senior computer engineering student with a 4.0 GPA. She is a University Honors student fellow working to crochet and donate blankets to Johns Hopkins Hospital. In the QUEST Honors Program, her team won Best Capstone while working with ST Engineering, a leading airplane nacelle manufacturer, to design a customized platform to enhance communication on the warehouse floor. Susie is a Keystone tutor for Calculus III and an electrical and computer engineering peer mentor. She will begin work at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in the fall.

The ECE Chair’s Award in Electrical Engineering in recognition of outstanding academic performance is awarded to Prithwish Dasgupta, Jameson Lau, and Jonathan Moses.

Prithwish Dasgupta is a senior electrical engineering student at the University of Maryland with a minor in robotics. He is a recipient of the UMD Presidential Scholarship and a member of the Engineering Honors Program. Prithwish is active in research and leadership in sensing systems and biomedical electronics through the IBIS Lab and the VIPs Program. He serves as an undergraduate teaching fellow for ENEE205 and is a peer mentor for engineering students. After graduation, Prithwish plans to pursue a Ph.D. in electrical engineering.

Jameson Lau is a senior electrical engineering student with a 4.0 GPA, completing his undergraduate degree in three years. For two semesters, he was an undergraduate teaching fellow for ENEE205. This past summer, he interned at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, working to develop cryoelectronic reflow soldering. After graduation, he plans on pursuing a career in controls or energy.

Jonathan Moses is a senior electrical engineering student and a Banneker/Key scholar. He has served as an electrical and computer engineering peer mentor for first-year undergraduate students. As an officer of the Amateur Radio Association, he has helped dozens of students succeed in obtaining their amateur radio licenses and has helped improve the radio communication capabilities of the University of Maryland community. For several summers, he has interned at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. After graduation, Jonathan will be attending graduate school.

The ECE Outstanding Academic Performance Award in recognition of outstanding academic performance as a junior is awarded to Christopher Parker for electrical engineering and Frederick Zheng for computer engineering

Christopher Parker is a junior in electrical engineering with a minor in robotics and autonomous systems. He is part of the Clark Scholars Program and is an ECE peer mentor. Chris has served as an undergraduate teaching fellow for ENEE150 for two semesters and has worked as an intern for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association at National Weather Service Headquarters in Maryland since 2023. This summer, he will intern at MITRE in the Advanced Maritime and Acoustic Technologies department.

Frederick Zheng is a junior studying computer engineering and mathematics. He also received an honors citation from the Design Cultures & Creativity Honors Program. He has served as a teaching fellow for ENEE244 for the past year. Having worked on wireless communications software as an intern at the Army Research Lab, Frederick hopes to pursue a career in signal processing.

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 Friedrich Alvarez and Carsten Portner.

Carsten Portner is a senior computer engineering student pursuing a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree. Under the guidance of Professor Cunxi Yu, he conducts research in electronic design automation with a focus on Boolean satisfiability solving. He is a recipient of the prestigious Banneker/Key Scholarship and serves as an undergraduate teaching fellow for ENEE150, an intermediate course in Linux and C programming. Carsten also serves as the initiation chair for Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society.

Friedrich Alvarez is a senior electrical engineering student minoring in robotics and autonomous systems. He serves as president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) student branch, which he helped revitalize in 2024. Friedrich is a Clark Ambassador and has mentored within the Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering and WIE Program. He conducts robotics research in the Motion and Teaming Lab and has conducted microelectromechanical research at the Army Research Laboratory (ARL). This summer, he will intern at Army Research Laboratory in robotics research.

Friedrich Alvarez also received the A. James Clark School of Engineering Dean's Award, which is presented 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.

August van Geertruyden The Women in Engineering Mentorship Award is presented to those engineering students who have gone above and beyond to encourage, motivate, and guide their peers and increase student engagement in Women in Engineering (WIE) and other engineering programs and organizations while upholding the values of the WIE Program. This award was presented to August van Geertruyden

August van Geertruyden is a junior computer engineering major with a minor in science, technology, ethics, and policy. He is a graduate of Virtus and a past member of its programming board. He is currently the navigation team lead on the Testugo Vertically Integrated Projects team and was a teaching fellow for ENEE101. August is the treasurer for the UMD student branch of the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and is the technical coordinator of the Terrapin Works woodshop. This past summer, August worked with Tech Ops.

The Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering Leadership Award is presented to an undergraduate student who through service and leadership provides outstanding support to the initiatives and programming of the Center. This award was presented to Chinazam Nwosu

Chinazam “Zam” Nwosu is a senior computer engineering major. She serves as president of the Black Engineers Society and previously held roles as programs chair and academic excellence chair. Zam also served as the student representative on the electrical and computer engineering department's DEI Committee and mentored students as a Girls Who Code teaching assistant. She served as a mentor/tutor with the Latino Student Fund and Higher Achievement programs, served on the National Scholarships Office Student Advisory Council, is a member of the QUEST Honors Program, and works as an additive technician at Terrapin Works.

Published May 1, 2026