2012-2013 ChBE Undergraduate Awards

ChBE Department Awards Winners. Left to right: Lauren Dorsey, Hubert Huang, Michael Harris, and Eitan Lefkowitz. Far right: ChBE professor and chair Sheryl Ehrman. Not pictured: Lisa Liu and Casey Smith.

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE) undergraduates were among the award recipients at the 2012-2013 A. James Clark School of Engineering's Honors and Awards Ceremony, held April 9. The event honors students from all departments who have demonstrated outstanding academic performance, research, and contributions to their departments or fields. Clark School dean Darryll Pines, ChBE professor and chair Sheryl Ehrman, and ChBE Assistant Director of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Kathy Gardinier presented the awards.

This year, the awards and their recipients were:

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 Lauren Dorsey.

Lauren Dorsey, a junior, is currently conducting undergraduate research in Assistant Professor Ganesh Sriram’s lab. She is in the Gemstone Honors Research Program, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute undergraduate research fellow, and has been a teaching assistant since 2012. Lauren is also a member of Tau Beta Pi, the American Institute for Chemical Engineers, and the Primannum Honors Society.

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

Awarded to Lisa Liu.

Lisa Liu, a senior minoring in nanoscience and technology, has earned semester academic honors since she began her studies at Maryland. She is currently a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Fellow studying the effect of mutated dynamin on B cell activation and signaling. She is a member of the Gemstone honors program, the Primannum Honor Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Women’s Table Tennis Team. Off campus, Lisa is an emergency room volunteer at Washington Hospital Center, a mentor for Prince George’s County’s Girls Excelling in Math and Science program, and a volunteer with the Mid-Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue Center.

Outstanding Senior Award
Presented to a graduating senior for scholarship, leadership, and service to the department.

Awarded to Michael Harris.

Senior Michael Harris, who is also majoring in Biochemistry, has earned semester academic honors since he began his studies at the Clark School. Michael has worked in Professor Srinivasa Raghavan’s lab conducting research on enzymatic gelation of polymers, and in Assistant Professor Jeffery Klauda’s lab developing computer simulations of membrane proteins of various bacteria in implicit and explicit environments. Harris has been in the Gemstone honors program since 2009 and is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Mighty Sound of Maryland Marching Band, and the Maryland Basketball Pep Band.

Outstanding Junior Award
Presented to a department junior for academic excellence.

Awarded to Hubert Huang.

Hubert Huang is member of the Gemstone Honors Program, has been on the Dean’s list since 2010, and is the recipient of a University of Maryland Presidential Scholarship. He was inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars in March of 2011. He is the Physical and Applied Sciences Managing Editor for Scientific Terrapin, the university's undergraduate research journal. Huang also works in Professor Srinivasa Raghavan’s lab, where he works with complex fluids and nanomaterials. He was the Logistics Secretary for the Sierra Leone group of Engineers Without Borders and was on a design sub-team that successfully implemented a bio-retention facility on campus.

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

Awarded to Eitan Lefkowitz.

Senior Eitan Lefkowitz is a QUEST Honors Fellow, an yndergraduate teaching fellow for the department as well as for the Smith School of Business, the Vice President for Corporate Affairs for the Clark School's student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and a board member on the Jewish Leadership Council. Eitan studied abroad in China in the Winter of 2012 and spent an Alternative Winter Break in India gaining cultural, social, and economic insights.

A. James Clark School of Engineering Awards

Outstanding Engineering Co-op/Intern Award
Presented by the Clark School's office of Engineering Co-op nd Career Services to selected students who have demonstrated exceptional work performance, strong academic achievement, and remarkable potential for a successful career while participating in a cooperative education or internship opportunity.

Awarded to Casey Smith.

Junior Casey Smith has been an intern for Bechtel since the summer of 2011. According to her supervisor, she has not only served as an excellent example to other interns but also to the full-time junior engineers. Her inquisitive approach ensured that she knew the purpose and function of every component in the system to which she was assigned. She is extremely detail-oriented and motivated to learn. Smith is an exemplary representative of the University of Maryland and the Clark School. Her internship has taught her the importance of collaboration, networking, quality assurance, and drive. Smith is also part of the Gemstone Program and one of the vice presidents of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority.

Congratulations to all of these exceptional students!

Published April 10, 2013