College of Engineering
2021 Engineering Eminence and Spectrum award winners announced
The College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech recently announced its 2020-2021 Eminence and Spectrum award winners for students, teaching assistants, student groups, and instructors.
The Engineering Eminence Award recognizes outstanding students for superior academic
accomplishments in several categories. The Engineering, Computing, and Technology
Spectrum Award recognizes diverse junior and senior students for their achievements
in education, research, and experiential educational activities. Winners for the awards
were recognized at a ceremony on the Tech campus.
Winners of the Eminence award for the Bachelor of Science Best Paper published in a conference or journal were Calland Agresta, Austin Lewis, Makayla Logan, Lucas Redden, and Megan Wesemann, all majoring in Mechanical Engineering, for their co-authored paper titled, “Reduction of Noise Emission from Air Filtration System.”
Eungkyun Kim, majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering, won for his paper titled “Material Selection Method for a Perovskite Solar Cell Design Based on the Genetic Algorithm,” published in the 18th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference Journal.
George Rucker, majoring in Chemical Engineering, won for co-writing a paper with faculty titled, “Molecular Dynamics Simulation on Vegetable Oil Modified Model Asphalt,” published in “Construction and Building Materials.”
And, Sina Sontowski, majoring in Computer Science, won for a paper on “Cyber Attacks on Smart Farming Infrastructure,” published in 2020 IEE 6th International Conference on Collaboration and Internet Computing.
The Eminence Distinguished Design Award was presented for the best senior design projects combining conceptual and technical innovation with entrepreneurial possibility. Winners were Lexie Carrier, Emily Carroll, Gabriel DaSilva, and John Wagner, all majoring in Mechanical Engineering, for their project, “Dynamics of Machinery: Autism Sensory Swing.”
Also, winning a Distinguished Design Award were Alyssa Elliott, Christopher Elson, Martha Karl, McKenzie Morelock, and Jacqueline Rodriquez, all majoring in Chemical Engineering, and
Ethan Guinn, majoring in Manufacturing and Engineering Technology, for a 3D printing project with metal casting.
The Eminence Doctor of Philosophy Best Paper award was presented to Seymur Hasanov, majoring in Manufacturing and Engineering Technology, for his paper “Mechanical Characterization of Functionally graded materials produced by the Fused Filament Fabrication Process,” published in the Journal of Manufacturing Processes.
Mohamed Ibrahem, majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering, won for a paper titled, “Efficient privacy preserving electricity theft detection with dynamic billing and load monitoring for AMI networks,” published in IEEE Internet of Things Journal, September 2020.
Reza Nouri, majoring in Mechanical Engineering, won for a paper titled, “The Coriolis Force and the Direction of Rotation of the Blades Significantly Affect the Wake of Wind Turbines,” published in Applied Energy, Volume 277, November 2020.
Bulbul Sharif, majoring in Computer Science, won for a paper titled, “Performance Evaluation of a Two-Dimensional Flood Model on Heterogeneous High-Performance Computing Architectures,” published in Proceedings of the Platform for Advanced Scientific Computing Conference, (PASC ’20).
Prince Turkson, majoring in Civil and Environmental Engineering won for a paper titled, “Unsaturated Soil Model Effects on the Propagation of the Saturated Zone in Levees During Flooding,” published in Dam Safety 2020, ASDSO.
The Eminence Exceptional Teaching Assistant Award was presented for significant contributions graduate students make to the instructional mission of the College. The award was presented to Ankit Gupta, in Manufacturing and Engineering Technology; Jonathan Haynes, in General and Industrial Engineering; Robert Tyler Hughes, in Civil and Environmental Engineering; Saanyol Igbax, in Mechanical Engineering; Mohammad Khan Mamun, in Electrical and Computer Engineering; Steffano Oyanader-Sandoval, in Chemical Engineering; and Raunak Shakya, in Computer Science.
The Eminence Innovation Award honors undergraduate students who disseminate, commercialize, or publish intellectual property created by their research, creative activity, or experiential learning. This year’s winners were Austin Tice, majoring in Computer Science, for “soarCTF” a competition platform used for outreach events in the Center for Education, Research, and Outreach in Cybersecurity. Shelby Kilgore, Nickaleus Ridner, Reagan Skelton, and Daniel Thorton, all majoring in Mechanical Engineering, won for their Neo-Natal Intensive Care Contact Simulator. And, Kiersten Maxwell, majoring in Chemical Engineering, won for her new designs for pill-minders with 3D-printed prototypes.
The Eminence Outstanding Senior Award was presented to senior students who have excelled through academic achievement, extra-curricular honors, service and leadership, scholarships, and work ethic. This award was presented to Maci Arms, Civil and Environmental Engineering; Phillip Brown, Computer Science; Daria Foster, Chemical Engineering; Cameron Jones, Electrical and Computer Engineering; Leanne Turpin, Mechanical Engineering; and Ethan Wyatt, Manufacturing and Engineering Technology.
A new Eminence Award was presented this year for Outstanding Student Group, which recognizes groups that serve as leadership models for the college and participate in acts of service to the community. This year’s award went to the National Society of Black Engineers for their exceptional work insuring the College of Engineering and Tennessee Tech is a welcoming and supportive community for students of color and for its service projects both on and off campus.
The Student Ambassador Appreciation Award is given to students who serve in a leadership role promoting all majors at activities and events on and off campus. This year’s Ambassador awards honored Terrie Askew, Jr., Jaycie Bellamy, William Broyles, Jacklynn Bryant, Emma Cornell, Viviana Cruz, Elizabeth Davini, Daniel Drexler, Darius Eury, Thomas Leisure, Ivey Limbaugh, Shataydrian Marshall, Kiersten Maxwell, Alyssa Meadows, Mohera Narimetla, Niko Prase, Ella Rogers, Jymon Scott, and Triston Whitescraver.
The final Eminence award recognized Supplemental Instructor award, for instructors who embrace their role as mentor, facilitate engaging sessions, accommodate varying learning styles, and build relationships with faculty. Supplemental Instructor Appreciation Awards were given to Yoshinori Agari, Viviana Cruz, Ryan Heath, Justice Kittell, Tolu Oluwalana, Khushi Patel, Mia Shines, and Abigail Wared.
Engineering, Computing and Technology Spectrum Awards were all presented to seniors this year. The winners were Daria Foster and Emmanuel Gumban, from Chemical Engineering; Hugh Harris, from Civil and Environmental Engineering; Brittany Harbison and Shataydrian Marshal,l from Computer Science; Alexis Harvey and Eungkyun Kim, from Electrical and Computer Engineering; Andrew Terhune, from Manufacturing and Engineering Technology; and Jacklynn Bryant and Megan Wesemann, from Mechanical Engineering.
The College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech offers ABET-accredited undergraduate programs in engineering technology, chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science. Tech also has both master’s degrees and a doctorate specializing in these disciplines. Founded in 1915, Tech offers more than 200 academic programs, including liberal arts, education, engineering and nursing, alongside programs in cybersecurity, environmental studies, business and design. Money Magazine has ranked Tech the top public university in Tennessee. Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctorate, and Education Specialists degrees are offered on its 285-acre central campus in Cookeville, Tennessee.
For the past six years, Tennessee Tech students have graduated with the least debt for students from any public universities in Tennessee, as reported by U.S. News & World Report ranking of universities. And, for the past four years, PayScale has listed Tech graduates as earning the highest early career salaries of any public university in Tennessee. It has ranked Tech as providing the highest return on investment based on total cost and alumni earnings since 2017, of any public university in the state.
Lean More About Our Programs
