2009-2010 ChBE Undergraduate Awards

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE) undergraduates were among the award recipients at the 2009-2010 A. James Clark School of Engineering's Honors and Awards Ceremony, held April 21. The event honors students from all departments who have demonstrated outstanding academic performance, research, and contributions to their departments or fields. ChBE Professor and Chair F. Joseph Schork presented the awards.

This year, the awards and their recipients were:

Department and Clark School Honors and Awards

David Arthur Berman Memorial Award
Presented to the student majoring in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering with the highest cumulative scholastic average at the end of the first semester of his or her junior year, and who has been elected to Tau Beta Pi.

Awarded to Jennifer Au.

Jennifer, a junior, was recognized for her excellent academic record as well as her contributions to the department. Jennifer is one of the initiation chairs for the Maryland Beta Chapter of Tau Beta Pi and has served as a mentor for the Women in Engineering program. She is also a student in Gemstone, a four-year, multidisciplinary team research program, and was a section leader for GEMS100. She has been on the Dean’s list since the fall 2007 semester and was a recipient of the Tau Beta Pi Maryland Beta Electee Scholarship and the Charles E. and Joan M. Waggner Endowed Scholarship. Jennifer was also an REU student at the NSF Engineering Research Center for Biorenewable Chemicals.

Chairman's Award
Presented for excellence in academics, outstanding service to the department, or outstanding leadership in the department.

Awarded to Marina Feric.

Marina, a graduating senior, was recognized for her academic excellence as well as her contributions to the department. This past summer Marina interned at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where she researched the phosphoproteomics of rat renal proximal tubules using mass spectrometry. She also did an internship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where she researched the electrical properties of novel organic molecules for applications in organic electronics. At the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), she completed a literature review of the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of approved antimicrobials for use in swine and cattle. On campus, she has been involved in the following engineering societies, AIChE student chapter, the Tau Beta Pi engineering society, and the Alpha Omega Epsilon engineering sorority. This year, she was an undergraduate teaching fellow for courses in Fluid Dynamics and Heat & Mass Transfer. She has received the following scholarships and awards: ExxonMobil–NCS AIChE Award, Charles E. and Joan M. Waggner Endowed Scholarship, University Honors Citation and is on the Dean’s List. Marina plans to attend graduate school in the fall.

Outstanding Senior Award

Awarded to Rebecca Roehmer.

Rebecca was recognized for her outstanding scholastic achievement and demonstrated service and leadership to the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. She is the current vice president of AIChE, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. She has also been the co-president of the UMD Softball Club for two years. She is a member of SWE (the Society of Women Engineers_ and the University Honors College. She is a Maryland Distinguished Scholar and has received numerous scholarships including the Michael P. Murad President’s Scholarship in Chemical Engineering and the H. Russel Knust Memorial Scholarship. She interned with NASA after her freshman year and with W. L. Gore and Associates after her sophomore and junior years. She will be working full time for W. L. Gore and Associates when she graduates.

Outstanding Junior Award

Awarded to Allison Elder.

Allison was recognized for her academic excellence as well as her contributions to the department. She is involved with several engineering societies including Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honors fraternity and Alpha Omega Epsilon, the professional women in engineering sorority. She began working with Dr. Panos Dimitrakopoulos in the microfluidics simulation laboratory in Fall 2009. She is enrolled in the university honors program and received honors citations in Fall 2009. This summer she will be interning with ExxonMobil at their Baytown Texas location. Allison has been on the Dean’s List every semester, and has received numerous scholarships including the University of Maryland Deans Scholarship, the Maryland Distinguished Scholar award, and the Charles E. and Joan M. Waggner Endowed Scholarship.

Outstanding Student Service Award
Presented to a graduating senior for outstanding service to the department.

Awarded to Michael Talanov.

Michael was recognized for his outstanding contribution to the department. He is currently the President of the student chapter of American Institute of Chemical Engineers at the University of Maryland. He has had internships at Air Products (plant engineering), W.R. Grace (R&D engineering), and Mactec (engineering). Michael was also an undergraduate research assistant for Dr. Raghavan as well as for Dr. Vedernikov in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Study Abroad Scholarship
Presented to the two rising seniors with the highest scholastic achievement who are participating in the chemical and biomolecular engineering-oriented Study Abroad in London program.

Awarded to Aaron Aziz and Edward Toumayan.

In addition to these students recognized at the ceremony, the following undergraduate students have also won honors and awards this academic year:

Undergraduate Researcher of the Year
Presented by the University of Maryland's Center for Undergraduate Research.

Awarded to Emily Lin.

Emily Lin, a junior advised by Assistant Professor Ganesh Sriram, was recognized her accomplishments in chemical and biomolecular engineering and biochemistry. She was selected from a highly competitive group of nominees working in diverse fields throughout the university. She received her award at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Undergraduate Research Day on April 27. Read the related story »

The Keystone Design Challenge Award
Presented to the freshman engineering design teams that build an autonomously controlled hovercraft that completes a specified course in the minimum amount of time.

• Adam Bickerstaff, part of Team Zubr, was a winner in the Spring 2010 Keystone Design Challenge.
• Yong Liang, part of Team Red October, was a winner in the Fall 2009 Keystone Design Challenge.

Congratulations to all of our students!

Published April 26, 2010