2019 AE awards banquet recognizes excellence

The Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois recognized faculty, staff, undergraduate and graduate students this spring with awards for scholastic achievement and other contributions on Monday, April 15 at the iHotel and Conference Center.

Faculty and staff awards:

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Teacher of the Year Award is selected by students in the organization—Professor J. Craig Dutton

 

 

The Staff Member of the Award is selected by AE faculty—Staci L. McDannel, coordinator of academic programs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Undergraduate student departmental awards:

 

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Scholastic Achievement Award, awarded to the seniors graduating with the highest GPA— John F. Stecker, Bettendorf, Iowa (Spring 2019); and Hussein T. Al-Rashdan, Chicago Ridge, Illinois (Fall 2018)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dale Margerum Memorial Award, presented to the undergraduate who exemplifies outstanding leadership qualities by participation in departmental extracurricular activities— Benjamin D. O’Hearn, Maple Grove, Minnesota

 

 

 

H. Everett Sutter Passion for Flying Scholarship, presented to a junior-level Aerospace Engineering student who exhibits a passion for flying— Varun Bhargava, Basking Ridge, New Jersey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

H.S. Stillwell Memorial Scholarship, presented in memory of Professor H.S. Stillwell, founder and head of the Dept. of Aerospace Engineering from its inception in 1944 until his death in 1976. The scholarship is presented to an undergraduate student in recognition of scholastic achievement and extracurricular activities— Avery K. Moore, Clinton, Illinois and Emily J. Williams, Plainfield, Illinois

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

H.S. Stillwell Problem Solving Scholarship was established by a generous alumnus as a tribute to H.S. Stillwell and the role he played as a mentor to students. It is given to a junior-level or first-semester senior majoring student majoring in aerospace engineering who exhibits exemplary problem-solving skills— Franco S. Cubas Pastor, Lima Peru

 

 

 

 

    

 

Robert W. McCloy Memorial Award, presented in memory of Prof. R.W. McCloy, who served on the faculty from 1945 to 1977, and was the first faculty member hired in the new Department of Aeronautical Engineering. He was known for his research and teaching in propulsion and for his pioneering work in jet propulsion. The award is presented to a junior or first-semester senior student in recognition of outstanding academic performance— Jacob R. Hawkins, Plainfield, Illinois and Linyi Hou, Brookline, Massachusetts

 

 

 

 

 

Lee H. Sentman Memorial Scholarship, presented to an aerospace engineering student in recognition of excellent academic performance—Kathleen S. Xu, Plano, Texas 

 

 

 

Roger A. Strehlow Memorial Award, presented to an undergraduate student in recognition of outstanding academic performance— Michael R. Paradise, Bartlett, Illinois

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Graduate student departmental awards:

 

Faculty Outstanding Graduate Student Award, in recognition of outstanding contributions to the department’s teaching and/or research missions— Neil A. Mehta, Mumbai, India

 

 

 

 

AE Alumni Advisory Board Fellowship, presented annually to a graduate student in recognition of outstanding research, academic performance, and research accomplishments— Javier Puig-Navarro, Valencia, Spain

 

 

 

 

 

Kenneth Lee Herrick Memorial Award, given to an AE graduate student based on outstanding academic and research performance in the AE department— Revathi Jambunathan, Mumbai, India

 

 

The Preston A. Henne Aerodynamics Fellowship, established to fund a graduate student in the area of aerodynamics— Armando Collazo Garcia, III, Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding Graduate Student Awards

            Gabrielle E. Wroblewski, LaSalle, Illinois

            Rohit Gupta, Kolkata, India

            Nicholas J. Zuiker, Crestwood, Illinois

            Olivier Massicot, Gonesse, France

            Javier Puig-Navarro, Valencia, Spain

            Sriramya Bhamidipati, Rajahmundry, India

            Soumendu Bagchi, Konnagar, West Benga, India

 

 

Aerospace engineering undergraduate students were also recognized for non-departmental awards they received.

Knights of St. Patrick

            Katherine M. Carroll, Urbana, Illinois

            Sara Legg Dopico, Naperville, Illinois

The David and Catherine Thompson Space Technology Scholarship,  AIAA

Central Illinois Resident Scholarship, Society of Women Engineers

General James H. Doolittle Scholarship, Communities Foundation of Texas

            Destiny Fawley, Bloomington, Illinois

Ford Blue Oval Scholarship

Robert S. Landauer Scholarship       

            Alexandru Kirr, Munster, Indiana

PULSE 2019 Build-a-thon First Place Winner

            Birdal Serbest, Wilmette, Illinois

Society of American Military Engineers Award

            John Birkett, Bolingbrook, Illinois

Wilbur L. Walker Memorial Award

            Justin L. Roskamp, Sutter, Illinois

Pathways Engineering Scholarship

            Brian T. Borcean, Palatine, Illinois

President’s Award AE Academic Scholarship

            Leela N. Herena, Streamwood, Illinois

Boeing Women in Engineering

            Leela N. Herena, Streamwood, Illinois

            Violet A. Kamber, Elgin, Illinois

Illinois Engineering Achievement Scholarship

Robert M. Stephens Engineering Scholarship

            Robert M. Zajac, Lake Zurich, Illinois        

Illinois Enhanced Engineering Scholarship

            Justin J. Herman, La Grange Park, Illinois

Boeing Scholarship

Illinois Space Grant Consortium Scholarship

Dwight D. Wilkey Scholarship (Monticello local)

            Suzanne R. Peterson, Monticello, Illinois

Chancellor’s Scholar Scholarship

            Audrey E. Godsell, Crystal Lake, Illinois

Primus Engineering Scholarship

            Violet A. Kamber, Elgin, Illinois

Engineering Scholarship Endowment

Legacy Scholarship

David and Mary Bloom Scholarship

Randy and Sue Taylor Scholarship

            Landon C. Gingerich, Arthur, Illinois

 

 

Aerospace engineering graduate students were also recognized for non-departmental awards they received, including:

Mavis Memorial Fund Scholarship for Future Faculty Fellows

            Neil Mehta, Palash Sashittal, and Hao Chen

The Walter R. Lempert Student Paper Award in Diagnostics for Fluid Mechanics, Plasma Physics, and Energy Transfer         

            Jonathan E. Retter, Warren Center, Pennsylvania

Outstanding Student Paper Award from the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society at the 45th IEEE International Conference on Plasma Science          

            Revathi Jambunathan, Mumbai, India

Editor's Choice from The Journal of Chemical Physics

 Weaver Thermophysics Best Student Paper

            Robyn Macdonald, Chicago, Illinois

Best Presentation of the Session at the Institute of Navigation GNSS+ conference

            Ashwin Kanhere, Bhopal, India

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program

            Hang Woon Lee, Pleasanton, California

Winner of the JEC World Composites Challenge

            Polette Centellas, North Springfield, Virginia

College of Engineering SURGE Fellowship

            Vanessa G. Awate, Charlottesville, Virginia         

            Michelle N. McClary, Rancho Cucamonga, California       

AE Stillwell Fellowship--Vanessa G. Awate, Onalli Gunasekara, Ankita Humne, Michelle N. McClary, and Jose Rodriquez         

SIAM Student Travel Award to attend the 2019 SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering (CSE19)

            Nirmal Jayaprasad Nair, Kerala, India

Oak Ridge Associated Universities Journeyman Fellowship

            David W. Fellows, Hicksville, New York

Computational Science and Engineering Fellowship

            Soumendu Bagchi, Kolkata, India