2011-2012 BioE Undergraduate Awards

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2012 BioE undergraduate award winners. Photo by Al Santos.

Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BioE) undergraduates were among the award recipients at the 2011-2012 A. James Clark School of Engineering's Honors and Awards Ceremony, held April 19. 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 and BioE professor and chair William E. Bentley presented the awards.

This year, the awards and their recipients were:

Department Awards

The Fischell Department of Bioengineering’s Outstanding Junior Award
Presented by the Chair on the basis of outstanding academic achievement and contributions to the department.

Awarded to Christine O’Keefe and Joshua Thompson.

Christine O’Keefe is a recipient of the Banneker/Key Scholarship. She has been involved with research on the effects of visual feedback on postural control in the Kinesiology Department. Christine has also engaged in teaching through Women in Engineering summer programs and the U.S. Naval Academy. She has been recognized on the Dean’s List every semester since her enrollment. Christine also studied abroad in Australia and coaches youth girls’ softball.

Joshua Thompson is currently studying abroad at University of Sydney. He is involved with the University Honors Humanities Program and has been recognized on the Dean’s List in every semester since his enrollment. Josh is an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. John Fisher’s Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Laboratory and has served as an undergraduate teaching assistant for the Department of Chemistry. He has co-authored a research publication and two presentations.

The Fischell Department of Bioengineering's Outstanding Senior Award
Presented by the faculty on the basis of academic achievement and contributions to the profession and the department.

Awarded to Kelley Heffner and Emmarie Myers.

Kelley Heffner is a Banneker/Key Scholar and is completing the Fischell Department of Bioengineering Undergraduate Honors Program. She was also a 2011 recipient of the Fischell Outstanding Junior Award. Kelley is conducting research in Dr. Adam Hsieh’s Orthopaedic Mechanobiology Laboratory and is involved with the University Honors Gemstone Program. She has delivered numerous poster and research presentations on her research. She has also participated in Engineers Without Borders and is a member of Tau Beta Pi. Kelley engages in peer mentoring through Women in Engineering and tutoring for her local community. Kelley interns at Med¬Immune and serves as a grader/teaching aide for the department.

Emmarie Myers is a recipient of the Banneker/Key Scholarship. She is involved with the University Honors Gemstone Program and has been recognized on the Dean’s List every semester since her enrollment. Emmarie is an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Adam Hsieh’s Orthopaedic Mechanobiology Lab and a research assistant at Children’s National Medical Center. Her campus activities include Engineering World Health, the Society of Biological Engineers, and Alpha Omega Epsilon International Engineering Sorority.

The Fischell Department of Bioengineering's Outstanding Research Award
Presented by the faculty on the basis of significant contributions to research, the department, and the field of bioengineering.

Awarded to Esmaeel Paryavi.

Esmaeel Paryavi, a senior, has conducted research in both Dr. Peter Kofinas’s Functional Macromolecular Laboratory and the FDA’s Office of Device Evaluation. Esmaeel is involved with the University Honors Gemstone Program and has been recognized on the Dean’s List in every semester since his enrollment. Esmaeel has also partici¬pated in Hinman CEOs, Society of Biological Engineers, and Engineers Without Borders (Project Leader and Team Member). Esmaeel’s entrepreneurial interests have led him to start a company, Wesk Medical, to design and prototype unique devices that address shortcomings in patient care.

The Fischell Department of Bioengineering's Outstanding Volunteer Award
Presented to an excellent student who has contributed many hours of service to others.

Awarded to Victoria Stefanelli.

The Fischell Department of Bioengineering's Outstanding Citizen Award
Presented to an excellent student who has contributed significantly to the community, department, university, and profession.

Awarded to Reginald Avery.

Reginald Avery, a senior, is the inaugural winner of the Fred Hampton Scholarship, awarded by the Black Male Initiative at the university’s Nyumburu Cultural Center. Reginald donated the $1,000 award to Greenbelt Elementary School, where he has been serving as a mentor since he was a freshman, and established an extracurricular robotics club for students. Reginald is also involved with the University Honors Program and has been recognized on the Dean’s List every semester since his enrollment. He is the Percy Julian Fellow undergraduate researcher in the Department of Chemistry’s Isaacs Group and an intern at the FDA.

The Jeffrey C. and Sandra W. Huskamp Scholarship
Provides support for undergraduates who are majoring in bioengineering at the A. James Clark School of Engineering and are in their first, second, or third year of study.

Awarded to Megan Halliday.

Megan Halliday, a junior, is a member of Tau Beta Pi (the National Engineering Honors Society) and a Clark School of Engineering Dean’s Scholarship recipient. She is also involved in the University Honors Program and has been recognized on the Dean’s List multiple times. Megan is very active in Hillel at the University of Maryland. She is also an active volunteer in her communities, having served as an EMT mentor and emergency room volunteer.

A. James Clark School of Engineering Awards

The Keystone Design Challenge Award
Presented to the freshman engineering design teams that build an autonomously controlled hovercraft that completes a specified course in the minimum amount of time.

Jessica Gower was a member of The Jetsons, winners of the Spring 2011 competition.

Professional Society Awards

The Institute of Biological Engineering's (IBE) Annual Bioethics Essay Contest

  • Joan Zhang: Second Place
  • Maeve McCoy: Third Place
  • Vanessa Niba and Andrew Wesley: Finalists/Honorable Mentions

To learn more, please see the related news story.

Congratulations to all of these exceptional students!

Published April 20, 2012