UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS
Academic Achievement
This award is given to students who excel in academics in the Department.
A tie in this category! Josh Gottlieb and Katie Hall rocked it with high GPAs, an impressive feat in the CEE program. Besides his excellent GPA, multiple students have shared how generous Josh has been with his time to go over questions related to EnvE courses, career advice, and more. Katie's professors describe her has focused, organized, and determined - and her ability to receive constructive feedback and adapt quickly and calmly to changes were instrumental to her success. Congratulations, Josh and Katie!
Department Service
This award is given to students who demonstrate exceptional service to the Department and other students.
Tina Ngo has been a student leader in multiple organizations during her time at PSU: including the Hong Kong Student Association; Chi Epsilon, the Civil Engineering Honor Society; Engineers Without Borders; and of course ASCE, where she has held officer positions for two consecutive years. Tina’s multiple nominations note that “she is always willing to take on responsibility for student groups - and that her dedication and institutional knowledge were instrumental in organizing the ASCE conference” this year. Beyond her work with student organizations, she is also recognized for her effort and ability to organize successful remote study groups in Spring 2021, which greatly helped her cohort both academically and socially during the peak of the pandemic. As one faculty member said perfectly, “Tina's energy and enthusiasm will be missed.” Congratulations, Tina!
Outstanding Undergraduate
Award is given to the student who demonstrates through any combination of academic achievement, character, or presence as modeling the ideal Viking CEE undergraduate
A tie in this category! Heather Clegg and Anthony Donahoe are truly outstanding students.
Faculty describe how Heather “brings a burst of enthusiastic sunshine to any classroom and her zeal for learning is contagious”. She “is an incredibly engaging, highly professional, committed, and motivated student - one of the best I have ever had in my classes! Her collaborative skills are remarkable and her passion for our engineered environment especially as it connects to multiple STEM disciplines makes her a shining star in our college. Her classmates respect her, our faculty have incredibly high regard for her, and we should be proud to call her alumni!”
Faculty describe Anthony as an "absolute pleasure to have Anthony in our program. He is always prepared, even-keeled, and clearly puts a ton of time into his school work, despite significant work and family commitments.” He is “willing to put in the energy to master new concepts; he conveys a sense of calm determination but sprinkles in humor to lighten the mood”. One standout faculty nomination described Anthony as “one of the most professional students I have ever taught; the combination of his military background with engineering is a perfect symbiosis. He asks a lot of questions--really good questions-- and I notice all of his classmates wait with bated breath when he raises his hand in class. He is highly respected and highly regarded among his classmates and all of our faculty!” Congratulations, Heather and Anthony!
GRADUATE AWARDS
Academic Achievement
This award is given to students who excel in academics in the Department.
Another tie! Rachel Bassil and Erin Evans are graduating with perfect GPAs!! Both are known in the CEE community for being reliable, thoughtful, sharp, and of course, academically gifted.
Rachel's adviser, Dr. Peter Dusicka, describes how Rachel "has been incredible in balancing her full-time job as a bridge engineer with a steady diet of graduate level courses and a challenging Masters research project. I admire her planning ability, her self-drive for success, and her dedication. Over the last 3 years, she excelled in her part-time pursuit of a research-based MS degree, all while maintaining her 4.0 GPA. I wish someone could convince her to pursue a doctoral degree, but in the meantime, we can recognize her academic achievement with this award."
Erin's experience in engineering consulting really shines as she is self-motivated and truly committed to the profession. Her engineering and critical-thinking skills are incredible, to the point where instructors describe feeling “short-changed” by only having met her for the first time in a 400-level course. As one faculty nomination said, “to witness Erin tackle challenges along her engineering career path reminds me of why I adore my career as a professor! and makes me wish I could forever use her as the 'example of a model student”. Congratulations, Rachel and Erin!
Department Service
This award is given to students who demonstrate exceptional service to the Department and other students.
Jake Schulte is an MEng student and a fantastic teaching assistant. Jake arrived from Pennsylvania ready to get thoroughly immersed in his work as a teaching assistant. He greeted every question and challenge with a calm curiosity and a steady hand. Students love his positive attitude and his responsiveness, which make them feel well-supported and able to tackle complex problems. He has spent extra time working with Tom Bennett to experiment with new ways to run the labs - rethinking processes from start to finish and getting creative with finite resources - and during the Great Lab Remodel of 2022, he was a tremendous help in getting through the move out of and back into EB 130. His hard work has made fluids and hydraulics labs a much better experience for our students, the effects of which will be felt for many cohorts to come. Congratulations, Jake!
Outstanding Graduate Student
Award is given to the student who demonstrates through any combination of academic achievement, character, or presence as modeling the ideal Viking CEE graduate.
One more Tie! Cameron Bennett and Bashar Al-Daomi are CEE legends.
Cameron is a fantastic student and researcher in the MS program, whose research focuses on facilitating the use of active transportation and promoting a shift away from single-occupancy vehicles. He has received multiple awards in his MS program (NITC, Walter H Kramer Fellowship), and has received the Dwight D Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship not just once, but TWICE! Faculty who’ve had Cameron in class describe him as a “very engaged and a positive classmate - conscientious in working with other students, dedicated to the ideas and principles of sustainable transportation, and very active in local bike advocacy and community activities”. Cameron has also served two terms as President of the Institute of Transportation Engineers student chapter (ITE-STEP), and his work in re-energizing the chapter post-COVID won them the ITE Student Chapter Momentum Award under his watch. His upbeat, can-do attitude and his commitment to his personal and professional values are laudable; wherever he goes next is lucky to have him. Congratulations, Cameron!
Bashar has been a pillar of the CEE community since starting at PSU in 2013. In working with his adviser, Dr. Bill Fish, Bashar's PhD research focuses on environmentally friendly wastewater solutions - with the help of Development Engineer Tom Bennett, Bashar built his own large and elaborate lab equipment with limited financial resources, a project which contributed to him winning the 2018 PSU Cleantech Challenge in 2018. While all of our student researchers faced difficulties during COVID, Bashar was trying to perform complex biological experiments in the lab at a time when access to the building was severely limited - but he faced every hardship with determination and positivity. Beyond his impressive research, Bashar is known for his charm, cheer, kindness, and curiosity. As a teaching assistant for multiple courses, his genial nature and genuine passion for the subject have single-handedly inspired students who otherwise wouldn’t have pursued a career in wastewater. And of course, he is held in high regard by faculty and staff both in the college and across campus. Congratulations, Bashar!