The Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) recognized and celebrated the achievements of its students, staff, and faculty with honors from the Roger P. Webb Awards Program. The 2020 awards recognized 35 students, five staff members, and six faculty members in ECE.

Due to the unusual and challenging circumstances caused by the coronavirus outbreak, the 2020 Roger P. Webb Awards Program ceremony was cancelled for this year. However, all honorees will receive their awards. 

Students and faculty who received awards and recognitions through the Georgia Tech Faculty/Staff Honors Luncheon, Women in Engineering Awards Banquet, Faculty & Staff Service Recognition Luncheon, Sigma Xi Awards Banquet, and Georgia Tech Student Honors Celebration are also recognized at the Roger P. Webb Awards Program. These events were either cancelled or postponed as well. 

Below are the recipients of the 2020 Roger P. Webb Awards. Please see the accompanying pdf file of the program listing this year’s award winners from this program and from the other above-mentioned awards programs at Georgia Tech. Congratulations to everyone on another fantastic year!

STUDENTS

Outstanding Electrical Engineering Sophomore Award

Vineeth Voruganti

Eta Kappa Nu, 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 $250 and a plaque.

Outstanding Computer Engineering Sophomore Award

Lucas Kenzo Katayama

Eta Kappa Nu, 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 $250 and a plaque.

Electrical Engineering Junior Scholar Award

Tolga Ustuner

This award is presented to the student who is in their third year and who has the highest GPA in the electrical engineering degree program. The recipient will be awarded a $250 check and a plaque.

Computer Engineering Junior Scholar Award

Andrew Gauker

This award is presented to the student who is in their third year and who has the highest GPA in the computer engineering degree program. The recipient will be awarded a $250 check and a plaque.

ECE Undergraduate Research Award

Baris Volkan Gurses

This award recognizes an undergraduate student who has demonstrated an unusually strong aptitude for research. The recipient will be awarded a $250 check and a plaque.

Most Outstanding ECE Senior Co-op Award

Lillian Anderson

This award is presented to the ECE senior co-op student who is considered of the highest caliber by his/her co-op employer. The recipient will be awarded a $250 check and a plaque. 

ECE Outstanding Service and Outreach Award

Madeline Loui

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 $250 check and a plaque.

ECE Faculty Award

Lakshmi Raju

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 $250 check and a plaque.

Outstanding Electrical Engineering Senior Award

Louise Zhuang

Eta Kappa Nu, the honor society for ECE, recognizes a graduating senior electrical engineering student with a 4.0 GPA with the most Institute hours 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 $750.

Outstanding Computer Engineering Senior Award

Nicholas Joaquin

Eta Kappa Nu, the honor society for ECE, recognizes a graduating senior computer engineering student with a 4.0 GPA with the most Institute hours 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 $750.

ECE Senior Scholar Awards

Daniel T. Bruce, Ji Y. Chun, Olivia A. Crank, Alhad J. Daftardar, Trent M. Hobbs, Justin I. Kalloor, Kathryn A. Leth, Fanzhe Lyu, Matthew J. Marting, Connor C. McMahon, Anina H. Mu, Cameron A. Pepe, Rishov R. Sarkar, Austin A. Terrell, Megha H. Tippur, Jered S. Tupik, Isaac P. Webb, Frederick B. Weis, Lucas B. Wray

These awards consist of plaques and cash awards that are given to the electrical or computer engineering senior(s) with the highest academic average.

Colonel Oscar P. Cleaver Awards

Tianren Fan, Siddharth Varughese

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. Proposals are judged based upon the quality and originality of the proposed work, and the student’s expertise and insight on the subject matter. This award consists of a $1,000 check and a plaque.

ECE Graduate Teaching Assistant Excellence Awards

Kartik Sastry, Matthew Denton

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 $500 check and a plaque.

ECE Graduate Research Assistant Excellence Awards

Mohammad Taghinejad, Siddharth Varughese

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 $500 check and a plaque.

STAFF

Hats Off Performance Award

Ashlee Gardner, Katrina Patton, Ann Terka

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

Dogancan Temel

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

Andrew Stargill

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

Outstanding Junior Faculty Member Award

Mark Davenport

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.

Outreach Award

Christopher Rozell

This award is presented to a member of the academic faculty for leadership and/or participation in outreach activities to the broader community, for example, to interest and involve K-12 students in engineering. The award consists of a $2,000 check and a plaque.

Richard M. Bass/Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Teacher Award

Benjamin Yang

W. Marshall Leach/Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Teacher Award

Aaron Lanterman

These two awards are presented to the most outstanding classroom instructors–one junior faculty member and one senior faculty member–as determined by the ECE senior class.

D. Scott Wills ECE Distinguished Mentor Award

Ajeet Rohatgi

This award is presented to a faculty member whose mentoring of junior faculty–in connection with teaching or research activities over an extended period of time–is judged to be outstanding. This award consists of a $2,000 check and a plaque.

Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award

Sakis Meliopoulos

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.