2023 Dean's Awards Dinner: Recipients

Dean’s Awards Dinner

Overbrook Golf Club Villanova, Pennsylvania

Thursday, April 13, 2023

TABLE of CONTENTS

Award Descriptions...........................................................................................1 Undergraduate Students Chemical Engineering.........................................................................3 Civil Engineering.................................................................................5 Computer Engineering.........................................................................9 Electrical Engineering........................................................................11 Mechanical Engineering....................................................................13 Graduate Students..........................................................................................17

Award Descriptions DEAN’S AWARDS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT The Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement recongnizes outstanding academic performance. To be a recipient of this award, a student must be an undergraduate engineering major graduating within the current academic year, at the top 10% of their major at the end of the fall term.

The awards are presented by the Dean of the College of Engineering.

MERITORIOUS SERVICE The Dean’s Award for Meritorious Service recongnizes exceptional service to the College of Engineering by undergraduate engineering students. To be eligible for this award, nominees must be senior engineering majors who are involved in extracurricular and/or service activities within the College for a sustained period. Preference is given to students who demonstrate noteworthy leadership in one or more activities. Recipients may be self- nominated or nominated by fellow students, faculty or administrators and are selected by the Dean of the College of Engineering.

COLLEGE AWARDS ROBERT D. LYNCH AWARD Instituted in 2003 in honor of Dr. R.D. Lynch, Dean of the College of Engineering from 1975 until 2000, this award is presented on behalf of the College of Engineering Alumni Society and acknowledges a graduating senior for their outstanding academic achievements and exemplary dedication to serving the community, thus representing the highest values of Villanova University and the College of Engineering.

GRAND CHALLENGES SCHOLARS The National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges Scholars Program (GCSP) is an engineering education supplement that broadens the reach of undergraduate study by preparing students to think in international terms; developing the perspectives and skills needed to find solutions to real and urgent problems; and offering a clear view to future jobs that matter and the opportunities in engineering. At Villanova University, the GCSP focuses on five challenges that build upon the College’s research expertise: making solar energy economical; providing access to clean water; engineering better medicines; securing cyberspace; and restoring and improving urban infrastructure.

ENGINEERING ENTREPRENEURSHIP STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Instituted in 2022, this award is presented to a graduating engineering student with a minor in Engineering Entrepreneurship, who has achieved distinction through the demonstration of exceptional entrepreneurial pursuit both inside and outside the classroom.

HUMANITARIAN ENGINEERING STUDENT AWARD Instituted in 2023, this award is presented to a graduating engineering student who exemplifies a commitment to serving communities in need through applied engineering, technical support on sustainable development projects, and ethical engagement in a global context.

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DEPARTMENTAL AWARDS — UNDERGRADUATE ROBERT E. WHITE CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AWARD Presented to a graduating senior who best combines performance in his or her Chemical Engineering studies with scholarship, dedication, leadership, and other qualities desirable for the successful application of an engineering education CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING FACULTY AWARD Presented to a graduating Civil Engineering student who has achieved academic excellence and has freely given of his or her time, energy, and talents to fulfill the mission of the University.

COMPUTER ENGINEERING OUTSTANDING STUDENT AWARD Presented to a graduating senior who has shown evidence of superior academic performance in his or her studies as a Computer Engineering student, along with outstanding commitment and leadership demonstrated in co-curricular activities such as engineering student organizations and project teams.

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING OUTSTANDING STUDENT AWARD Presented to a graduating senior who has shown evidence of superior academic performance in his or her studies as an Electrical Engineering student, along with outstanding commitment and leadership demonstrated in co-curricular activities such as engineering student organizations and project teams.

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING OUTSTANDING STUDENT AWARD Presented to a graduating senior in Mechanical Engineering who has shown professionalism as evidenced by exemplary effort, character, and service, combined with academic achievement. Society and acknowledges a graduating senior for their outstanding academic achievements and exemplary dedication to serving the community, thus representing the highest values of Villanova University and the College of Engineering.

GRADUATE AWARDS OUTSTANDING GRADUATE STUDENT AWARDS Presented in recognition of outstanding graduate research, leadership and service to the College.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING OUTSTANDING MASTER OF SCIENCE GRADUATE STUDENT AWARD Presented to a graduating master’s degree student who has achieved distinction through outstanding graduate academics and research and through exemplary leadership and service to Villanova University and the College of Engineering.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING OUTSTANDING DOCTORAL STUDENT AWARD Presented to a graduating PhD student who have achieved distinction through outstanding scholarship in the Doctoral Program and through exemplary leadership and service to Villanova University and the College of Engineering.

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CHEMICAL ENGINEERING Joe Andraos ’23 ChE

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, Villanova Men’s Ultimate Frisbee Team, Rock Climbing Club, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service, Chess Club Future Plans: After graduating this May, I will be pursuing a career in Chemical Engineering. I hope to find a position in the pharmaceutical industry as I have really enjoyed the research I have done in Villanova’s Drug Discovery and Development Laboratory.

Favorite Villanova Memory: My favorite Villanova memory happened last year during the men’s basketball team Final Four run. The whole campus was so excited for the team, and for the Final Four game against Kansas, we got to watch it in the Finn.

The atmosphere in there was electric as everyone went crazy whenever the team scored. Even though the final outcome wasn’t what we hoped for, it was still such an amazing time, and I will never forget it.

Thomas Briscoe ’23 ChE

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: American Institute of Chemical Engineers Future Plans: Officer in U.S. Navy Favorite Villanova Memory: Basketball tournaments

Ryan Loftus ’23 ChE

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: Engineering Student Council, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, CASA Tutoring, Intramural Soccer and Basketball, Special Olympics Future Plans: Working for Infineum as a Plant Contact Engineer in Linden, N.J. Favorite Villanova Memory: Watching Villanova beat Kansas at the Wells Fargo Center my freshman year.

3.

Karoline Menze ’23 ChE

Dean’s Award for Meritorious Service Groups and Activities at Villanova: Villanova Special Olympics, Villanova Band, Villanova Engineering DEI Committee, Anne Welsh McNulty Institute for Women’s Leadership Ambassadors, Society of Women Engineers Future Plans: I will be working in the Graduate Rotational Program at Johnson Matthey starting in August.

Favorite Villanova Memory: My favorite Villanova memory is getting to travel with the Villanova Band to the Women’s March Madness tournament in Michigan in 2022!

Cole Moros ’23 ChE

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: Special Olympics Committee, Best Buddies, RUIBAL, American Institute of Chemical Engineers Future Plans: After traveling to Tanzania to volunteer and climb Kilimanjaro, I will be working at Merck within their Manufacturing Leadership Development program.

Favorite Villanova Memory: During freshman year I joined Special Olympics as a Local Program Host, which sparked my passion for inclusion and service. I will always remember the magic of each Fall Festival at Villanova!

Robert Spinnler ’23 ChE

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: Villanova Club Ultimate Frisbee, Intramural sports, Chess Club Future Plans: I’m going to be working at Thermo Systems in East Windsor, N.J., as a Control Systems Engineer.

Favorite Villanova Memory: My favorite Villanova memory was traveling to New Orleans with all my friends to watch the team play in the Final Four in the Superdome.

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Anna Catherine Unser ’23 ChE

Robert E. White Chemical Engineering Award Dean’s Award for Meritorious Service Groups and Activities at Villanova: Villanova Chapter of American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Society of Women Engineers, Delta Gamma Future Plans: Upon graduation from Villanova University, I plan to pursue my doctorate degree in Biomedical and Translational Sciences. I am currently deciding on which school and program I will be choosing to enroll in for Fall of 2023!

I have specific interests in Reproductive and Developmental Biology and hope to further pursue and advocate for research that creates and improves health care and therapeutics for women.

Favorite Villanova Memory: My favorite Villanova memory was attending the Big East Championship in New York City (Nova vs. Creighton) in 2022 with my friends and being able to celebrate after!

CIVIL ENGINEERING Eleanor Bilotta ’23 CE

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: New Student Orientation Program, CEER PEERS, RUIBAL, Delta Gamma, Villanova Center for Resilient Water Systems Future Plans: I will be pursuing a Civil Engineering graduate degree focused on water resources and water sustainability.

Favorite Villanova Memory: My favorite Villanova memory is my time abroad with many fellow civil engineers and one of our Civil Engineering professors, Dr. Dinehart. It was a unique experience traveling around Italy with my classmates, especially when the 22 students on the trip and the two professors all shared dinner together, whether it be soup or pasta. Additionally, we were able to study and see engineering across 13 different Italian cities.

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Sarah Burghardt ’23 CE

Dean’s Award for Meritorious Service Groups and Activities at Villanova: Villanova Women’s Rowing, Alpha Phi Omega, Villanova Engineering Service Learning (VESL), Student Athlete Advisory Committee, BBQ Club Future Plans: After graduation, I will be working as a Geotechnical Engineer at GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. in Philadelphia. I am also planning to pursue my master’s degree in Civil Engineering with a geotechnical concentration.

Favorite Villanova Memory: My favorite Villanova memories are studying and hanging out on inflatable couches outside with friends and placing second at rowing conference championships sophomore year.

Maxwell Burkett ’23 CE

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: Fall Fest, RA, Pi Kappa Phi Future Plans: I will be working for Kimley-Horn in Development Services in Austin, Texas.

Favorite Villanova Memory: One of my favorite memories from Villanova was my first Fall Fest Weekend and seeing how the entire school and community joined together to make it an amazing weekend for everyone involved.

Hailey DeVita ’23 CE

Engineering Entrepreneurship Student Achievement Award Groups and Activities at Villanova: Villanova Women’s Club Lacrosse, American Society of Civil Engineers, BBQ Club, Villanova Leadership Program, Special Olympics Future Plans: Complete master’s in Civil Engineering at Villanova.

Favorite Villanova Memory: My favorite memory is going to watch parties on campus during March Madness last year and having fun with everyone watching our team.

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Megan Fitzpatrick ’23 CE

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Dean’s Award for Meritorious Service Groups and Activities at Villanova: During my time at Villanova, I have been involved with Campus Ministry, service, research, and performing arts. I have served with the RUIBAL program and NOVAdance, and have attended and led the Escape retreat, the Search retreat, and several Service and Justice Experiences (SJEs). I am also a Faith and Learning Scholar and a Peer Minister involved in the faith-sharing and storytelling clusters.

I have been involved with research since my freshman year when I participated in the Match research program. I published my work in Veritas, Villanova’s research journal. Following this, I conducted an independent research project through the Villanova Undergraduate Research Fellowship (VURF) program. I won the Villanova Research Symposium for this work and went on to present it at the Big East Research Conference and the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) conference. I have also been involved in the Villanova Engineering Service Learning (VESL) program, through which I have worked on water, sanitation and hygiene projects in Madagascar and the Dominican Republic.

I also studied abroad in Cadiz, Spain, this past summer. As a Villanova Presidential Scholar, I have been involved with the Interview Program and Summer Academy through which I help to welcome incoming students. Finally, I am a founding member of NOVAnoise, Villanova’s tap dance group. I served as the Social Chair for three years, most notably organizing a club-wide trip to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular in NYC. I am also involved with Villanova Student Musical Theatre (VSMT) and have performed in two musicals, Singin’ in the Rain and Legally Blonde. I will be performing in A Chorus Line this April.

Future Plans: This summer, I will be working as a Water Resources Engineering Intern at Jacobs in Boston, Mass. I am attending graduate school this fall to get my master’s degree in Environmental Engineering. I will focus my degree on water treatment and reuse as well as sustainable development. After graduate school I hope to go into industry to improve sustainable access to clean and safe drinking water worldwide.

Favorite Villanova Memory: My involvement with Campus Ministry’s Search retreat has been a highlight of my Villanova experience. I attended the retreat in the spring of 2022, led the retreat in the fall of 2022, and now serve on Head Team for the retreat this semester. Each Search retreat, as well as the planning process leading up to it, is a beautiful journey of both engaging fun and challenging vulnerability. Through this program I have grown significantly in my faith, formed lifelong relationships, and made countless memories from singing and dancing to our theme song to throwing around a frisbee outside.

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Catherine Marino ’23 CE

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: Villanova Band, Villanova Engineering Service Learning, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society Future Plans: Following graduation, I will be staying at Villanova to earn a master’s degree in Civil Engineering, while working as a Graduate Assistant in Geotechnical Engineering.

Favorite Villanova Memory: During March of my junior year, I traveled with the Villanova Band several weekends for the Big East and NCAA tournaments.

I followed the women’s basketball team to Connecticut and Michigan, and the men’s team to San Antonio. I also got to cut down the net after the team’s win in the Elite Eight!

Laura Moore ’23 CE

Grand Challenges Scholars Dean’s Award for Meritorious Service Groups and Activities at Villanova: Villanova Engineering Service Learning (Panama), CEER PEERs, APO Future Plans: Master of science in Sustainable Engineering with a focus on Water Resources Sustainability.

Favorite Villanova Memory: My favorite Villanova memory is when I was in Panama on my first VESL trip freshman year. All of the group, from freshmen to alumni, were sitting on a dock at a tilapia pond that the partner had built, sharing stories about what brought us together. This is my favorite memory because I saw what it meant to be a part of the Villanova community: veritas, unitas, and caritas.

Sarah Slabe ’23 CE

Civil Engineering Outstanding Student Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: I am a very active member of the Villanova club swim team and a member of their executive board as well. I am very involved with American Society of Civil Engineers as I served as the president in my time at Villanova. I am a part of the National Honors Fraternity, Phi Sigma Pi (PSP). I also have been a participant in Special Olympics, NovaDance, and Villanova Day of Service. I am an SBI ambassador, a member of SWE (Society of Women Engineers), and NovaCANE. I performed research in the geotechnical soils lab and was a TA for the soil mechanics course. I also had a lot of fun playing basketball, tennis, softball, soccer, and many more intramural games! Finally, I love being part of the Nova Nation student fan group to cheer on all of our many sports!

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Future Plans: I will be joining Skanska in Washington, D.C., working on project/ construction management.

Favorite Villanova Memory: Oh there are so many! One of my favorite memories is going to Georgia Tech for club swimming nationals. We had to take an over 12-hour bus ride together, but we did not dread it and instead had a lot of fun and made some awesome memories. It is so fun to cheer each other on and bond through a sport we love!

COMPUTER ENGINEERING Christopher Caraluzzi ’23 CpE Dean’s Award for Meritorious Service

Groups and Activities at Villanova: Formula SAE (NovaRacing) - 2019-2023; Villanova Club Running 2019-2021 Future Plans: I will be working as a Hardware/Software Test Engineer at ASML in Wilton, Conn. ASML is the world’s largest manufacturer of photo-lithography machines used in the production of semiconductors (computer chips).

Favorite Villanova Memory: Traveling to Michigan International Speedway for Formula SAE competitions with the NovaRacing team. Getting to work together with friends and peers to help build a racecar.

Ifeanyi Ibeanusi ’23 CpE

Dean’s Award for Meritorious Service Groups and Activities at Villanova: Student Government Association, National Society of Black Engineers, Edward Collymore Honor Society, CASA, Villanova Leadership Program, Resident Assistant, Writing Center Tutor, Learning Studios Tutor, Tech Assistant, Sophomore Service Learning Community, INNOVATE with L3Harris Technologies, Villanova Engineering Service Learning Program, Martin Luther King Day of Service, LEVEL, Back On My Feet.

Future Plans: Incoming Software Engineer at SoFi Technologies in Seattle.

Favorite Villanova Memory: My favorite Villanova memory has been being a Resident Assistant in Stanford Hall. I made connections with my fellow RAs and my residents that will last beyond college. I remember playing Among Us, buying gifts for Secret Santa, and playful banters at spit with my fellow RAs. My year at Stanford Hall is a memory that I will surely cherish.

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Taylor McDermott ’23 CpE

Dean’s Award for Meritorious Service Groups and Activities at Villanova: NovaRacing (Formula SAE), Undergraduate Research Future Plans: Data Analyst at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Favorite Villanova Memory: The first time we drove VU13, NovaRacing’s 2022 competition car. It was incredible to celebrate that moment with my friends knowing that I had met them through the team. That drive represented all the great memories I had made with them building our car, as well as my excitement for where we would go next while making our car better and preparing to compete.

Ryan McNamara ’23 CpE

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: The Honors Fraternity, Phi Sigma Pi. Residence Life through being an Resident Assistant.

Future Plans: Attend graduate school at Villanova University in the Computer Engineering program.

Favorite Villanova Memory: Coming back to campus after quarantine and seeing all the familiar faces.

Mitchell Murtha ’23 CpE

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: St. Augustine Scholar, Tau Beta Pi, Resident Assistant, Intramural Volleyball and Basketball, OCF (Orthodox Christian Fellowship), Spikeball Club Future Plans: Incoming Software Engineer at Lockheed Martin Favorite Villanova Memory: My favorite Villanova memory was living on campus for the first time as I had previously been off campus. The increased opportunity to be around friends and to be more involved really heightened my college experience.

Becoming more ingrained within the Villanova community was essential to my growth as a young adult.

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Ana Ramos Guimaraes ’23 CpE

Computer Engineering Outstanding Student Award Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: Society of Women Engineers, Tau Beta Pi and Villanova International Student Organization Future Plans: Currently looking for a Software Engineering full-time job Favorite Villanova Memory: Seeing snow for the first time from a window in CEER and then building a snowman on the soccer field.

Caroline Ross ’23 CpE

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: I was very involved in the Society of Women Engineers; I had the honor of being the President this past year and the Secretary my junior year.

I was also a member of CEER PEERs, Blue Key Society, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, and many intramural sports teams.

Future Plans: After graduation I will be joining IBM full time as a Back End Software Developer working on their Data AI products in Massachusetts. I am hoping to move into downtown Boston and eventually continue my education at graduate school part time. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to pursue my passion for software engineering and I am looking forward to all that’s to come.

Favorite Villanova Memory: My favorite Villanova memories have been cheering on the basketball team with my best friends. We’ve watched games on campus at the Pavilion, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, at Madison Square Garden, and in the Final Four. The games are always so much fun and bring everyone together.

We looked forward to them each year, and those memories will always be a highlight of my time here.

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING Evan Beers ’23 EE

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society Future Plans: I am continuing my education at Villanova University to achieve a master’s in Electrical Engineering.

Favorite Villanova Memory: 2022 Hoops Mania 11.

Nathan Onyejiaka ’23 EE

Electrical Engineering Outstanding Student Award Dean’s Award for Meritorious Service Groups and Activities at Villanova: I volunteered with Villanova Engineering Service Learning (VESL) program in my freshman year as the lead electrical engineer for their collaborations in Madagascar. I have been a member of NSBE since my freshman year. During this period, I have served as a previous secretary and I am the current senator. I have been a member of the IEEE club since my freshman year and I took part in the sumo bot competition in 2022 where I placed second. I have been an RA for two years. I was previously with sophomores in Sullivan, and am currently with freshmen at Stanford. I’m a member of the African Caribbean Villanovan’s (ACV) club as a student model for its annual fashion shows. I was a member of the VU Measure Up acapella group as a bass singer. I was also an elected initiate for the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society.

Future Plans: I will be attending Cornell University’s NYC campus for my master’s in Electrical Engineering. I hope to continue leveraging my Villanova education in a tech-related field.

Favorite Villanova Memory: Hoopsmania in 2019 and this year’s winter gala are definitely moments I will never forget.

Andrew Steenvoorden ’23 EE

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: Treasurer of Villanova IEEE, Villanova University Tech Crew, and Villanova Day of Service Future Plans: Starting in September, I am going be an Engineer at Jaros, Baum, and Bolles in the Electrical department.

Favorite Villanova Memory: The Villanova IEEE Sumobot competition: Our robot was barely working days before the competition but somehow on competition day we won our first match and we went crazy.

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Peter Todd ’23 EE

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: I am a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity where I served as both the President and an Executive Body member. I am also part of the Engineering Honor Society, Tau Beta Pi. In the ECE department I enjoyed working as a research assistant for Dr. Peyton-Jones.

Future Plans: After finishing up my master’s degree in Electrical Engineering at Villanova in the fall, I plan to work for the MITRE Corp. as a resilient communications engineer before heading to business school to pursue my MBA. Favorite Villanova Memory: My favorite Villanova memory was winning the Sweet 16 against Houston to head to the Final Four and celebrating with the student body at the Oreo.

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Nicholas Chandler ’23 ME

Dean’s Award for Meritorious Service Groups and Activities at Villanova: President of NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers), Wazobia Dance Company, CEER PEERs Future Plans: I will be working for CMTA Energy Solutions as a Mechanical Engineer postgrad.

Favorite Villanova Memory: Watching and celebrating the basketball team go to the Final Four last year.

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Zoe Faulkner ’23 ME

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: I am part of the Villanova FSAE Team, NovaRacing, where I work on both the design side with suspension and the business side with social media and events. I am also part of NOVANoise, Villanova’s Tap Ensemble, where I was the public relations manager and a choreographer. I am also a member of Tau Beta Pi and Pi Tau Sigma Honor Societies. I was part of Ruibal my freshman year, and I have volunteered at Special Olympics and NovaDance as well.

Future Plans: I will be working at AT&T as a network engineer as part of their Technology Development Program starting in July.

Favorite Villanova Memory: My favorite Villanova memory was winning second place with the Formula SAE team in May 2022. It was an amazing experience to compete at the international competition and bring home the trophy!

Olivia Hall ’23 ME

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: Mechanical Engineering Education Research, Robotics research, Pi Tau Sigma, Tau Beta Pi, Best Buddies, Honors Peer Mentor Future Plans: Systems Engineer Favorite Villanova Memory: Grabbing breakfast from Holy Grounds with friends and walking around campus.

Colin Hanley ’23 ME

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: Villanova Men’s Club Volleyball, Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, Sports Analytics Club, Pi Tau Sigma and Tau Beta Phi Future Plans: Systems Engineering at L3Harris Technologies Favorite Villanova Memory: Watching Villanova Basketball in the Final Four.

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Max Huber ’23 ME

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: Pi Tau Sigma Honor Society, NovaCANE Future Plans: In June I will begin working as a Mechanical Engineer in the Space & Airborne Systems segment of L3Harris Technologies.

Favorite Villanova Memory: Watching the Wildcats beat No. 1-ranked Kansas at the Wells Fargo Center.

Andrew Osburn ’23 ME

Dean’s Award for Meritorious Service Groups and Activities at Villanova: Men’s Club Rugby, Villanova Entrepreneurship Society, Finance & Investing for Nonbusiness Students, Blue Key Society, NOVAdance, Rays of Sunshine, New Student Orientation Program, Villanova Engineering Service Learning Future Plans: Danaher’s Operations Leadership Program Favorite Villanova Memory: My favorite Villanova memory was welcoming new students to campus during the Fall ’21 orientation program. New and returning students were all so excited to be back on campus! During the program, I made multiple lifelong friendships, which I would not trade for anything.

Jack Sovich ’23 ME

Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Groups and Activities at Villanova: Rays of Sunshine, Villanova Special Olympics Committee, and Undergraduate Research with Professor Simard and Dr. Nataraj.

Future Plans: Associate Business Analyst with Delta Air Lines.

Favorite Villanova Memory: Studying abroad in Madrid and having the opportunity to travel throughout Europe.

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Daniella Tagliaferri ’23 ME

Robert D. Lynch Award Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Dean’s Award for Meritorious Service Groups and Activities at Villanova: During my time at Villanova, I was the Pi Tau Sigma President for two years; I was inducted into Tau Beta Pi; I did research for two years with Dr. Ural, Dr. Cereceda, and Jessica Hoover in the field of bone microstructure modeling; I participated in Fall Festival, served as a CEER peer, and was a teaching assistant for four different courses. I will be serving as a Resident Assistant in my graduate year.

Future Plans: I will be returning to Villanova University for the 2023-2024 academic year where I will complete the five-year BS/MS program! After graduating with my master’s in Mechanical Engineering in May 2024, I will be moving back to Boston and pursuing opportunities in the biomedical engineering space.

Favorite Villanova Memory: Pinpointing one favorite memory is hard when there are so many incredible ones to choose from! Two of the highlights would be screaming alongside my roommates as we watched the Villanova men’s basketball team make it to the Final Four in March Madness and getting to work with NASA on my senior capstone project.

Maria Tagliaferri ’23 ME

Mechanical Engineering Outstanding Student Award Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement Dean’s Award for Meritorious Service Groups and Activities at Villanova: New Student Orientation Program (Administrative Assistant), Villanova Community Action by New Engineers Club (President), Tau Beta Pi Honor Society, Art and Baking Club, CEER Peers, Society of Women Engineers, Teaching Assistant for ME department Future Plans: Fifth-year MS/BS at Villanova, then seeking a full-time job in the robotics industry Favorite Villanova Memory: Picnics on the west campus lawn with friends and getting on the Jumbotron “bongo cam” at Wells Fargo games.

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Steven Williams ’23 ME

Dean’s Award for Meritorious Service Groups and Activities at Villanova: St. Augustine Scholar, Tau Beta Pi, Resident Assistant, Intramural Volleyball and Basketball, OCF (Orthodox Christian Fellowship), Spikeball Club Future Plans: Master’s program in Aeronautics and Astronautics Favorite Villanova Memory: My favorite Villanova memory was helping run the BeetleBot competition in the fall of my junior year. Due to COVID, my year was not able to fight our robots, so being able to contribute to this event felt necessary to completing the course. Besides being inspired by the other students’ designs and hard work, the energy of the event captured my attention, and I enjoyed every action-packed moment of the event.

GRADUATE STUDENTS Jared Anderson ’23 MSBChE

Outstanding Graduate Student Award, Chemical and Biological Engineering Groups and Activities at Villanova: Novacell, Novacell Cancer Research Awareness walk Future Plans: Full-time gene therapy research position Favorite Villanova Memory: Getting to publish my first research paper.

Nnamdi Chukwunenye ’22 MSME

Outstanding Graduate Student Award, Mechanical Engineering Groups and Activities at Villanova: NovaEdge Diversity in Engineering, BeetleBot Competition, MateROV Competition Future Plans: Completing my PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Villanova University Favorite Villanova Memory: Judging the BeetleBot and MateROV competitions.

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Megan Copsey ’22 MSSE

Outstanding Graduate Student Award, Sustainable Engineering Groups and Activities at Villanova: N/A Future Plans: After graduation in December 2022, I started a position in Environmental Management with BMW Manufacturing Company in upstate South Carolina.

Favorite Villanova Memory: Walks around campus with friends during fall; watching Villanova basketball with friends during March 2022!

Catherine Dager ’21 CE, ’22 MSCE

College of Engineering Outstanding Master of Science Graduate Student Award Groups and Activities at Villanova: When I was an undergraduate student, I was on the Women’s Soccer team. As a graduate student, I was a member of the Villanova Center for Resilient Water Systems (VCRWS).

Future Plans: I graduated from Villanova in December, and I am currently working as a Design Engineer for Menard USA. Favorite Villanova Memory: My favorite Villanova memory was when we won the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship my freshman year.

Hannah Jewess ’23 MSSE

Humanitarian Engineering Student Award Groups and Activities at Villanova: RISE Projects, C4HE VESL, and IM Volleyball Future Plans: I have accepted a full-time Sustainable Engineering position in Colorado to continue the fight against climate change!

Favorite Villanova Memory: Most of my favorite memories are from the Center for Humanitarian Engineering VESL seminars in CEER on Friday afternoons.

In addition to working with amazing NGO partners from around the globe, I had the opportunity to lead teams of undergraduates in traveling to Ghana and providing technical support on clean drinking water projects in rural communities.

I am so grateful to have worked with such amazing people through VESL and to have the memories from those trips as part of my Villanova experience.

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Yue Qi ’22 PhD

College of Engineering Outstanding Doctoral Student Award Groups and Activities at Villanova: I joined CEER Graduate Club and Doctoral Student Council and organized several social and academic events at Villanova.

Future Plans: With a particular interest in wireless communication, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to pursue a research career at Samsung Research America as a Senior Research Engineer after graduation, where I am a WiFi Standard Engineer/Delegator. This field is dynamic, challenging, and constantly evolving, and I am excited to make meaningful contributions to the field. I look forward to leveraging my knowledge and academic training during the entire PhD study to tackle the challenges and opportunities in the next generation of WiFi networks.

Favorite Villanova Memory: During my PhD at Villanova University, I had the honor of serving as the President of the CEER Graduate Club. Through this role, I was able to give back to the community by organizing events such as poster competitions and 3MT presentations. Even during the pandemic, I remained committed to service by volunteering to help other students and serving as a TA to teach them. Throughout my PhD journey, serving the community has been the most fulfilling and rewarding part of my experience.

Mahmid Saminur Rahman ’23 MSCE

Outstanding Graduate Student Award, Civil and Environmental Engineering Groups and Activities at Villanova: I was Vice President of the CEER Graduate Club, a Graduate Research Assistant at Villanova Center for Resilient Water Systems (VCRWS), and participated in intramural sports.

Future Plans: Apply the knowledge and skills I gathered during my master’s program to the industry and aid in improving the livelihood of the community. In the near future, I also intend to return to Villanova for my PhD and my passion for research.

Favorite Villanova Memory: Every single day I spent at Villanova is a treasured memory for me. Yet it was a different type of joy to be able to present my research findings at the Villanova Stormwater Symposium in front of a sizeable audience of academic and industry professionals, be well-received by everyone there, and then get job offers right afterwards.

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Ryan Szlosek ’23 MSEE

Outstanding Graduate Student Award, Electrical and Computer Engineering Groups and Activities at Villanova: As a remote student, I was able to partake in research where I studied carrier synchronization for software defined radios and FPGA applications.

Future Plans: Continue to work at L3Harris Technologies as a DSP digital communications design engineer for spacecraft communications.

Favorite Villanova Memory: My favorite Villanova memory was visiting campus for the first time, seeing the beautiful architecture and campus. I was able to talk in person with professors about my goals and aspirations for my master’s degree. On that trip I saw a basketball game and the atmosphere was incredible.

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