Congratulations Class of 2019 + Senior Design Honorees
On an unusually snowy May afternoon, the Class of 2019 turned their tassels and celebrated commencement. The Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences held its 2019 recognition ceremony Thursday, May 9th, under a canopy on the Business FieldÌýadjacent to the Engineering Center.Ìý
The Keynote Address was given by Evan Thomas, a ²ÊÃñ±¦µä aerospace graduate (BS/MS '06, PhD '09) who is director of Mortenson Center and an Associate Professor. Video of his speech is posted below.
In addition to the degree candidates, numerous students were recognized for special achievements, including 2019 Outstanding Senior Jack Toland. Toland is a member of the University of Colorado Triathlon team and served as project manager on the GHOST senior design team. This summer he will complete an internship at The Aerospace Corporation before returning to campus in the fall for the master's portion of his BS/MS.
Individual and team winners of the 2019 Senior Design awards were announced during the ceremony. The distinctions highlight outstanding achievement by students and teams in specific areas of the capstone design projects.
Senior Design Team Awards
- Best Build Quality – ARGUS (Trevor Barth, Anahid Blaisdell, Adam Dodge, Geraldine Fuentes, Thomas Fulton, Adam Hess, Janell Lopez, Diana Mata, Tyler Murphy, Stuart Penkowsky, Michael Tzimourakas)
- Best Engineering Understanding – SPECS (Cedric Camacho, Yuzhang Chen, John Cutler,ÌýGreg Frank, Markus Fuernkranz, Preston FitzRandolph, Dan Harthan, Matt Knickerbocker, Madison Junker, Daniel Castillo Oropeza, Sam Piper)
- Best Systems Engineering Process – HERMES (Brindan Adhikari, Colin Chen, Katelyn Griego, Junzhe He, Ashley Montalvo, Marcos Mejia, Quinter Nyland, Chase Pellazar, Alexander Sandoval, Brandon Santori, Alexis Sotomayor, Michely Tenardi)
- Best Technical Communication – GHOST (Kira Altman, Ginger Beerman, Lucas Calvert, Connie Childs, Blaine Covington, Seth Hill, Rachel Mamich, Duncan McGough, Connor Ott, Jack Toland, Jacob Vendl)
- Best Verification and Validation – ARES (Matt Alexander, Carson Brumley, Will Butler, Alejandro Corral, Elliott Davis, Ryan Davis, Cody Goldman, Thomas Kisylia, Connor Myers, Erika Polhamus, Alec Stiller, Yuma Yagi)
In addition, Dr. Donna Gerren announced that Team HERMESÌý earned 1st Place in the Society of Allied Weight Engineers International Paper Conference.
Senior Design Individual Awards
- Outstanding Leadership: Electrical – Dan Harthan and Quentin Moore
- Outstanding Leadership: Manufacturing – Colin Chen and Michely Tenardi
- Outstanding Leadership: Mechanical – Aaron Aboaf
- Outstanding Leadership: Modeling and Simulation – Nicholas Renniger and Jiarui Wang
- Outstanding Leadership: Project Management – Hailee Baughn
- Outstanding Leadership: Software – Madison Junker
- Outstanding Leadership: Systems Engineering – Erika Polhamus
- Outstanding Leadership: Testing – Samuel Piper
Five graduate student awards were also presented, including the John A. Vise Graduate Student Excellence Awards, which were established in 1999 by Mildred Vise. It honors the memory of her son, John A. Vise, a graduate of the ²ÊÃñ±¦µä. The award, which consists of a certificate and a $3,000 fellowship, is presented annually to two PhD students who have demonstrated excellence in academics and research, and who have contributed communityÌýservice.
Graduate Student Awards
- John A. Vise Award #1 - Mike Lotto
- John A. Vise Award #2 - Kirsten Strandjord
- Outstanding Graduate Student for Research - Benjamin Bercovici
- Outstanding Graduate Student for Service - Jordan Maxwell
- Outstanding Graduate Student for Teaching - Joseph Karl Sanchez
Watch Evan Thomas'ÌýKeynote
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkSdTNAr4H4]