ECE Undergrads Honored at Clark School Awards Ceremony

ECE Chair Award winner John Wyrwas (center) with his mother (right) and ECE Chair Dr. Patrick O'Shea (left).
ECE undergraduates were honored tonight at the A. James Clark School of Engineering Honors and Awards Ceremony, an annual event that recognizes undergraduates for excellence in academics, leadership and service. Seven students from the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department received awards, which were presented by ECE Chair Dr. Patrick O'Shea, and an eighth student was recognized for her team's outstanding performance in the Clark School's Keystone Design Challenge.

The ECE Department’s Outstanding Academic Performance Award, presented to juniors for academic excellence, was awarded to computer engineering major Scott Watson and electrical engineering major Dilshan Godaliyadda.

Scott Watson has maintained a 4.0 GPA at UMD and earned his University Honors program citation. He is a Clark School ambassador, member of the Robotics Club, Terp Runner Club and Eta Kappa Nu member. He has interned at Black and Decker during the summers. This summer, he and his fellow Robotics Club students will compete in a national competition held in San Diego to successfully design an autonomous underwater vehicle.

Dilshan Godaliyadda is currently a member of Etta Kappa Nu, the ECE Honor Society. He has maintained a 4.0 GPA at UMD. He is a transfer student from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore where he was president of the IEEE student chapter. He has worked as an undergraduate research assistant and tutor.

ECE Chair Award winner Imran Shamim (center) with his parents (right) and ECE Chair Dr. Patrick O'Shea (left).
The ECE Service Award, presented to a student who has shown commitment and service to his fellow students, was awarded to Eric Germann, an electrical engineering major who is currently president of the student chapter of IEEE. Under his leadership, student involvement in the organization has increased as a result of more programming and events, improved organizational image, and increased recruitment efforts. Eric is public relations committee co-chair of the SGA. He has interned with Motorola and conducted research in the optics area. He plans to work in the field of optical system design upon graduation before attending graduate school.

The ECE Chair’s Award, presented to senior students for outstanding academic performance, was awarded to Kyle C. Beckhardt, Imran Shamim , John M. Wyrwas, and Travis M. Young.

Kyle Beckhardt, an electrical engineering major, has maintained a 4.0 GPA at UMD and earned his University Honors program citation. He is a member of the Gemstone program and IEEE. He was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi and Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society. He plans to work at Argon ST in digital signal processing upon graduation before attending graduate school.

Imran Shamin has maintained a 4.0 GPA at UMD, majoring in electrical engineering with a minor in physics. He is a member of IEEE. He has worked as an undergraduate research assistant in several labs and has co-authored several journal publications. He also served as an undergraduate teaching fellow for the Programming Concepts for Engineers course. He plans to attend graduate school at MIT to pursue a Ph.D. after graduation.

John Wyrwas has maintained a 4.0 at UMD pursuing a double major in electrical engineering and physics. He earned his University Honors citation. He is a member of the Hinman CEOs program and earned second place in the 2006 MTECH business plan competition. He is a member of Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society. He also enjoys ballroom dancing at Maryland. He plans to attend graduate school at UC-Berkeley to pursue a Ph.D. in quantum optics after graduation.

Outstanding Academic Performance Award winner Scott Watson (center) with his parents (right) and ECE Chair Dr. Patrick O'Shea (left).
Travis M. Young has maintained a 4.0 GPA at UMD, majoring in electrical engineering and minoring in international engineering and Spanish language and culture. He earned his University Honors program citation. He is a member of the Gemstone program. He engaged in a Study Abroad experience at the Polytechnic University of Valencia. He was a member of the Maryland Engineering Research Internship Team (MERIT) program in 2005 and continues to pursue research in the controls area. He traveled to Thailand to work on a water project for the Engineers Without Borders program He is a member of Etta Kappa Nu , the ECE Honor Society and Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society. He plans to attend graduate school and pursue a Ph.D. after graduation.

Finally, Maria Cowan, a member of the ECE class of 2010, received the Keystone Design Challenge Award for her work on a team that won a competition to build an autonomously controlled hovercraft that completes a specified course in the minimum amount of time.

Photos from the event can be seen at: http://www.ece.umd.edu/News/images/07_undergrad_awards/.

Published April 20, 2007