UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS
Academic Achievement
This award is given to students who excel in academics in the Department.
Garrett Duncan is an exemplary student, whose academic performance extends beyond the classroom through his efforts and commitment to ASCE and the Steel Bridge Team. His strong leadership and organizational skills as Steel Bridge Captain for the last two years have established a foundation for future teams' success, especially since COVID paused year-over-year knowledge transfer between teams. Due in no small part to Garrett's efforts, next year's team is well prepared. Great work, Garrett!
The Civil & Environmental Engineering program is challenging, and we want to mention some other students who had above 3.9 GPAs. Academic Achievement Honorable mention goes to Connor Fabris, Josephy Lyon, and Joshua Harris. Congratulations on this extraordinary achievement!
Department Service
This award is given to students who demonstrate exceptional service to the Department and other students.
Caitlin Jacobson as the ASCE prez led the trip up to Vancouver for the 2024 Pacific Northwest Student Symposium & Competition, organized Meet a Civil Engineer Day, engaged in geotech research during her senior year, and recently accepted a dream job with the Army Corp of Engineers in Dam Safety Analysis. She's broken a lot of bones (literally) while in the program but is graduating with a strong finish. Caitlin's hours of service to the CEE student body have not gone unnoticed. Throughout her time at PSU, she has looked for opportunities to innovate operations within student groups to better align with the often busy lives of PSU students. She has put tremendous effort into her leadership role within ASCE by helping connect CEE students at all levels with other students and working professionals through technical presentations, social events, and conferences. Congratulations, Cailin!
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
Jovanna Quezada-Montano tackles every task regardless of the level of difficulty with professionalism. Whether in the classroom, completing tasks on behalf of ASCE, or in a chance meeting on the street, Jo exemplifies the qualities of a PSU Viking through her commitment to making a positive and purposeful impact on the community wherever she goes. Jo's impact and service will be felt for years to come. Congratulations, Jo!
GRADUATE AWARDS
Academic Achievement
This award is given to students who excel in academics in the Department.
Cameron Bennett graduated in Winter 2024 with a 4.0 GPA after successfully defending his research in E-bikes as a crucial part of the future of transportation. He is a dedicated researcher now working in the field as a transportation analyst at Kittleson & Associates. Cameron is also a leader who helped revive STEP (students in Transportation Engineering and Planning) post-COVID. We appreciate his dedication to the ideas and principles of sustainable transportation and bike advocacy. Congratulations, Cameron!
Departpartment Service
This award is given to students who demonstrate exceptional service to the Department and other students.
Chelle Guckenheimer completed her BS CE in 2019 and came back for more joining the MS program. As an undergraduate, she was the coffee cart manager for Engineers Without Borders (EWB) and was instrumental in passing on her historical knowledge to new student group officers. As a graduate student, she has gone above and beyond to organize group travel down to Corvallis for the geotech graduate student symposium and assisted the Department with the move of new lab equipment from PCC to PSU. Chelle is a joy and gets things done - a jane of all trades who can plan events, work complicated machinery, manage labs, and fully dive into challenging academic topics. She makes processes and labs better without ever being asked, sees small details that make a big difference, and is an overall shining star. Congratulations, Chelle!
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.
Jeffery Roberts has shown tremendous self-motivation and perseverance during his graduate studies. He originally joined PSU in 2007, but as he was also working, completing the PhD took him on a longer pathway. He earned his Master's Degree in 2014 and started working on his final dissertation topic in 2016, successfully defending it in 2023. During his time at PSU, he also served as a Teaching Assistant and instructor for multiple classes. Jeff is an incredibly kind and curious person who is highly supportive of his peers and always shows an interest in what others are working on. His PhD dissertation proposes a novel way to evaluate bridges more accurately, offering notable benefits to infrastructure owners and the public. His advisor Thomas Schumacher says: "It was such a pleasure working with Jeff, and I'm so proud of him for completing his research, which offers an outstanding contribution to bridge evaluation. Congratulations on this well-deserved award, Jeff!"