ECE Undergrads Honored at Awards Ceremony

The A. James Clark School of Engineering held its annual undergraduate Honors and Awards Ceremony on April 21, 2010 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 from ECE Chairman Dr. Patrick O'Shea.

The ECE Department’s Outstanding Academic Performance Award, which is presented to juniors for academic excellence, was presented to Abdulaziz Al-Turki, an Electrical Engineering major. Abdulaziz has maintained a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the ECE Honors program. He is also a member of the Saudi Student Association and the recipient of a Saudi Basic Industries Corporation scholarship. He is currently serving as an undergraduate teaching fellow in ECE.

George Luo received the ECE Department’s Service Award, an award presented to a student who has shown commitment to service to his fellow students. George will graduate in May as a double major in Electrical Engineering and Physics and will complete his participation in the Gemstone program. He has served as treasurer and vice president of the ECE Undergraduate Student Council, as well as president of the Eta Kappa Nu honor society. He has pursued research at the university and at the National Institute for Standards and Technology, and has interned at General Electric. He will join GE Aviation after graduation.

Nicholas Asendorf, Elizabeth Kenyon, and Benjamin Tousley were recognized for their outstanding academic performance as seniors.

Nicholas Asendorf is a Computer Engineering major and Mathematics minor with a 4.0 GPA. He has conducted research with the Gemstone and MERIT programs, and worked as a software engineering intern at AAI Corporation. He is the president of the Lutheran Student Association and the treasurer of the Eta Kappa Nu honor society. He will attend graduate school to study digital signal processing.

Benjamin Tousley is a Computer Engineering major with a 4.0 GPA. He has been a clarinetist in the Maryland Marching Band and Pep Band, and saxophone section leader in the student-run Gamer Symphony Orchestra. He has interned at the Clark School's Institute for Systems Research and Booz Allen Hamilton, and has been a member of the Gemstone program. After graduation, he will work for Qualcomm.

Elizabeth Kenyon is an Electrical Engineering major and International Engineering minor graduating with a 4.0 GPA. She has interned at the National Institute for Standards and Technology and Wabtec Railway Electronics, and participated in the Computer Security Scholars Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates program. She is proud to be a Clark School Ambassador, Leader of ECE, tutor for the Flexus program, and an Undergraduate Teaching Fellow. She will join National Instruments after graduation.

Elizabeth was selected as one of two students to receive the A. James Clark School of Engineering Dean's Award. This prestigious award, presented by Dean Darryll Pines, is intended to recognize graduating seniors for academic excellence, leadership, and service to the Clark School.

Elizabeth was also selected as one of two students to receive the International Engineering Consortium’s William Everitt Award.

Joshua Horn was one of three students to receive the Outstanding Engineering Co-Op/Intern Award. Joshua, an Electrical Engineering major, was a full-time intern at PEPCO's System Planning department during the summer of 2009 and continues to work there part-time during the school year. His supervisor describes him as engaged and focused yet with an easy-going and pleasant nature. Joshua states that his academic studies have given him a deeper understanding of his PEPCO work, which in turn has made his coursework more relevant.

Other awards given to ECE undergraduate students included the following:

Mike Cascio received the Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Senior Award for Fall 2009, while Tshikuna Muanankese received the Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Electee Award for Fall 2009. Katie Marcotte received the Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Electee Award for Spring 2009.

Nicole Bohannon was one of two students to receive the IEEE Outstanding Service Award. Peter Phelps also received the IEEE Outstanding Service Award, as well as the Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Senior Award for Spring 2010.

Nick Asendorf, along with Elizabeth Kenyon, received the International Engineering Consortium’s William Everitt Award.

Published April 27, 2010