On Tuesday, April 13th, 2023, the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) held the Roger P. Webb Awards Program at the Klaus Advanced Computing Building Atrium to honor its outstanding students, staff, and faculty. The event recognized over 50 students, five staff members, and four faculty members.
The Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award, which acknowledges the significant contributions of a senior faculty member throughout their career, was among the prestigious honors. This year's recipient, Justin Romberg, joined the Georgia Tech ECE faculty in 2006 and was acknowledged for his outstanding contributions to research, education, and service.
During his acceptance speech, Romberg praised the collaborative culture at Georgia Tech that few institutions can match. He also expressed his appreciation for the exceptional post-docs he has had the pleasure of working with over the years.
This year’s Roger P. Webb Awards Program was also a chance to celebrate an important recognition bestowed outside of the School. During the event, the Georgia Tech IEEE-HKN chapter received a 2021-2022 Outstanding Chapter Award. The award was presented to IEEE-HKN student leadership by Prof. Tom Gaylord. This distinguished award was only granted to 21 Chapters nationwide, in recognition of their exceptional accomplishments during the 2021-2022 academic year.
The following is a list of the recipients of the 2023 Roger P. Webb Awards. The event was recorded and is available to watch online and you can view photos on Flickr.
Undergraduate Student Awards
HKN Outstanding Electrical Engineering Sophomore Award
Hong Ray Teo
Eta Kappa Nu (HKN), the honor society for ECE, recognizes the electrical engineering student who is in their second year and who has the highest scholastic average by presenting a check for $500 and a plaque.
HKN Outstanding Computer Engineering Sophomore Award
Ethan Fox
Eta Kappa Nu (HKN), the honor society for ECE, recognizes the computer engineering student who is in their second year and who has the highest scholastic average by presenting a check for $500 and a plaque.
Electrical Engineering Junior Scholar Award
Ashley Goodnight
This award recognizes the academic excellence and outstanding involvement in co- and extra- curricular activities of an electrical engineering student who is about to enter their senior year of study. The recipient will be awarded a $500 check and a plaque.
Computer Engineering Junior Scholar Award
Anthony Popa
This award recognizes the academic excellence and outstanding involvement in co- and extra- curricular activities of a computer engineering student who is about to enter their senior year of study. The recipient will be awarded a $500 check and a plaque.
Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Research Award
Huijin Chung
This award recognizes an electrical engineering undergraduate student who has demonstrated an unusually strong aptitude for research. The recipient will be awarded a $500 check and a plaque.
Computer Engineering Undergraduate Research Award
Xinpei Ni
This award recognizes a computer engineering undergraduate student who has demonstrated an unusually strong aptitude for research. The recipient will be awarded a $500 check and a plaque.
HKN Outstanding Electrical Engineering Senior Award
Felix Pei (not pictured)
Eta Kappa Nu (HKN), the honor society for ECE, recognizes the senior electrical engineering student who has a very high scholastic average and who plays an active role in extracurricular activities. The award consists of a plaque, engraving the name of the individual on a plaque in the Van Leer (ECE) Building, and awarding a check for $1,500.
HKN Outstanding Computer Engineering Senior Award
Ethan G. Weinstock
Eta Kappa Nu (HKN), the honor society for ECE, recognizes the senior computer engineering student who has a very high scholastic average and who plays an active role in extracurricular activities. The award consists of a plaque, engraving the name of the individual on a plaque in the Van Leer (ECE) Building, and awarding a check for $1,500.
ECE Outstanding Service and Outreach Award
Theodore Lambert
Georgia Tech has a responsibility to serve its local, national, and international communities. This award reflects the importance of improving people’s lives in the surrounding Georgia community and beyond. Investing time in such activities can have significant rewards for Georgia Tech in the future, and recognizing students who participate in and organize such activities helps to motivate other students to do the same. This award consists of a $500 check and a plaque.
ECE Faculty Award
Lydia Wuqiong Han
This award is given to the electrical or computer engineering student who, in the opinion of the ECE faculty, has done the most to improve the educational environment within ECE or Georgia Tech and has contributed significantly to both student welfare and student-faculty interactions. The recipient will be awarded a $500 check and a plaque.
ECE Senior Scholar Awards
Computer Engineering Senior Scholars
Bottom row (L-R): Yichen Ni, Michael C. Berry, ECE School Chair Arijit Raychowdhury, Siyu Wu. Second row (L-R): Xinpei Ni, Xiaoyu Huang. Third row (L-R): Zeyu Chen, Nicholas Schantz, Nathan L. Johnson, Nathan Yam. Fourth row (L-R): Theodore Lambert, Isabella R. Poage, Joshua Joseph Wong, Jingsong Guo, Ethan Weinstock. Not pictured: Jingtian Dang, Grace Koh, Daniel Bain McHale, Karthik Ramamoorthy, Naman Sarda, Henry Laird Stewart, Riley Wilkins, and Nicholas E. Witten.
2022 Computer Engineering Awardees Honored at the 2023 Webb Awards: Vincent Chow, Andrew Kim, Siddhanta Panda, Arthur Siqueira, Thomas Talbot, Connor Truono, Sangjin Yun
Electrical Engineering Senior Scholars
Bottom row (L-R): Cory Wang, ECE School Chair Arijit Raychowdhury, Phuong Minh Vu. Second row (L-R): Hujin Chung, Hong Z. Khor. Third row (L-R): Michael Probst (2022 awardee), Daniel Hudadoff (2022 awardee), Mohamed A. Ghanem, Bradley D. Sisk. Top row (L-R): Marko Eduard Stepniczka, David Young. Not pictured: Aditya Munagapati and Felix Pei.
2022 Electrical Engineering Awardees Honored at the 2023 Webb Awards:
Daniel Hudadoff, Austin Pitts, Dean Plaskon, Michael Probst, Yue Teng, Nathan Wong
Graduate Student Awards
Colonel Oscar P. Cleaver Awards
Fabia Athena & Yuan-Chun Luo
The Colonel Oscar P. Cleaver Awards are given to the Ph.D. students who presented the most outstanding Ph.D. dissertation proposals in the previous year. This award consists of a $1,000 check and a plaque.
ECE Graduate Teaching Assistant Excellence Awards
Daniel Canales & Diego Fratta
Teaching undergraduates is one of ECE’s most important missions. Teaching assistants are necessary to ensure that every student has the opportunity for personal attention during their course of study. The recipient will be awarded a $1,000 check and a plaque.
ECE Graduate Research Assistant Excellence Awards
Anni Lu, Ahmad Mustafa (not pictured), Zishen Wan, & Mohammadreza Zandehshahvar
Research is the cornerstone to ECE’s success. Nurturing bright and hardworking graduate research assistants (GRAs) are among the most important factors in ensuring that ECE remains a leader in the research community. These awards will be given to the GRAs who have demonstrated particular excellence in performing their duties. The recipients will each be awarded a $1,000 check and a plaque.
Staff Awards
Hats Off Performance Award
Nikkia Green, Dylan Summer, & Tasha Torrence (not pictured)
These awards, each consisting of a $2,000 check and a plaque, recognize the classified staff members who have demonstrated exceptional job performance and/ or service to ECE above and beyond the call of duty.
Research Spotlight Award
Joseph Benzaquen
This award is presented to a researcher who has made a significant contribution to the research efforts in ECE. The awardee will receive a $2,000 check and a plaque.
Academic Spotlight Award
Julie Ridings
This award is presented to the researcher, classified employee, or general faculty member who has made a significant contribution to the ECE teaching or academic program. The awardee will receive a $2,000 check and a plaque.
Faculty Awards
D. Scott Wills Mentoring Award
Maryam Saeedifard
This award, consisting of a $2,000 and a plaque, whose mentoring of junior faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and Ph.D. students — in connection with teaching or research activities — over an extended period of time is judged to be exceptional.
Outstanding Junior Faculty Member Award
Daniel Molzahn
This award, consisting of a $2,000 check and a plaque, recognizes the most outstanding assistant professors and/or associate professors in ECE with less than 10 years since their initial faculty appointment.
Outstanding Mid-Career Faculty Member Award
Morris Cohen (not pictured)
This award, consisting of a $2,000 check and a plaque, is presented to an associate professor or full professor no more than 10 years past his/her appointment as, or promotion to associate professor. The award recognizes exceptional performance in research, teaching, and service.
Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award
Justin Romberg
This award, consisting of a $5,000 check and a plaque, is presented to the senior faculty member who has made significant contributions throughout his/her career.
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