DaVinci Medallion for Excellence in Biomedical Engineering

Hayley Jankowski 

Sponsored by the Department of Biomedical Engineering, this award is presented to the most outstanding graduating senior in the department. Endowed by Dr. Mark Byrne, Founding Biomedical Engineering Department Head, and his wife, Mrs. Susan Byrne.

Criteria:

Outstanding Cumulative GPA Demonstrating Academic Excellence
Demonstrated Excellence in Creative Scholarship and Research
Professional Leadership
Exceptional Character and Outreach Leadership

Bio:

Hayley Jankowski will graduate in May 2025 with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and a Certificate of Undergraduate study (CUGS) in Biomaterials Engineering. In the Fall of 2022, she transferred to Rowan from a four-year institution and began training in Dr. Vega’s lab the following Spring. During her time in the Vega lab, Hayley worked on developing novel hydrogel platforms aimed at overcoming the barriers of current stem cell manufacturing techniques. With this project, she was able to present her research at several events and conferences including the 2024 Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting. Outside of the classroom, she was an active member of the Rowan women's soccer team and held memberships in BMES and Tau Beta Pi. After graduation, she aspires to pursue her graduate studies in Biomaterials Engineering which will allow her to continue contributing to the advancement of soft matter and engineering materials that can expand our understanding of the complex mechanisms in which materials engage biology.

Clarence Slater Award for Excellence in Chemical Engineering & the Thomas E. Robinson Leadership Award

Steven R. Roth

Established by Dr. C. Stewart Slater, the founding Chair of the Chemical Engineering Department, this medallion is awarded to an outstanding graduating senior in the department. The award is named in memory of Dr. Slater’s father, Clarence, who was an eminent educator in Southern New Jersey, with 40 years of service as a teacher, department head and administrator at Atlantic City High School.

Criteria:

Student GPA (Chemical Engineering courses weigh heavily)
Undergraduate research (i.e., the student’s ability to excel in their junior/senior clinic project)
Activities in support of the Chemical Engineering Department

Bio:

Steven Roth is from Washington Township, NJ and will graduate from Rowan with a degree in Chemical Engineering and with a minor in Spanish. At Rowan, he worked under multiple professors within the Chemical Engineering Department, namely Dr. Robert Hesketh, Dr. Kirti Yenkie and Dr. Gerard Capellades. During this time, he worked on different processing and crystallization projects. He has presented research under these advisors at the 2023 AIChE National Student Conference, 2024 AIChE MidAtlantic Regional Conference, and the 2024 Pharma Crystallization Summit. Outside of classes, he plays football and baseball with friends and is a part of the Rowan AIChE Student Chapter.

Elizabeth Slater Award for Excellence in Chemical Engineering Graduate Studies

Michael Chauby

The Elizabeth Slater Award for Excellence in Chemical Engineering Graduate Studies is awarded to an outstanding Chemical Engineering graduating graduate student each year. The medal is named in memory of the mother of Dr. C. Stewart Slater, the Founding Chair of the Chemical Engineering Department. His mother worked as a Secretary for the Music Department at Atlantic City High School, where she met Dr. Slater’s father. She served the country as an American Red Cross “Gray Lady” during WW II, helping wounded servicemen at Thomas England General Hospital.

Criteria:

Must be graduating in May of the year of the award, or have had degree conferred earlier in the given academic year
Leadership / independent work on graduate project(s)
Creativity in research pursuits
Quantifiable scholarly outputs (examples: co-authorship of journal papers, conference presentations, corporate seminars, invited talks, assistance with corporate or federal agency reports, interactions with grant sponsor, assistance with proposal preparation, etc)
Mentorship of undergraduate clinic and/ or summer students
Positive team dynamics in research group

Bio:

Michael Chauby is a research chemical engineer at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH where he specializes in the synthesis and processing of advanced polymeric materials for aerospace applications. He has been working there since he graduated with his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Rowan University in August of 2024. His dissertation focused on thermosetting polymers as the precursor to carbon/carbon-composites. Before joining Rowan, Michael received his MS in chemical engineering from Drexel University and his BS in chemical engineering from the University of Cincinnati.

Ralph Alan Dusseau Award for Civil & Environmental Engineering

Jillian Jankowski

This medallion is presented to a student who has established an outstanding record of service, scholarship, leadership, hard work and dedication in the field and is donated by Dr. Ralph A. Dusseau, founding chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Criteria:

Hard work and dedication
Ability to overcome obstacles
Service and scholarship

Bio:

Jillian Jankowski is a senior graduating with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Throughout her time at Rowan University, she excelled both academically and athletically, balancing a rigorous course load while competing for four years on the Rowan Women’s Soccer team, where she helped secure an NJAC Championship. Beyond academics and athletics, Jillian was involved in community service, volunteering for initiatives such as Back the Boro, Fresh For All, and various on-campus athletic events. She also conducted research under Dr. Zhiming, developing educational activities and modules designed to help younger students gain a stronger understanding of climate change, renewable energy, and their environment. Complementing her academic and extracurricular achievements, Jillian gained extensive hands-on experience through four internships with French and Parrello Associates, contributing to projects in GIS, geotechnical, water resources, and transportation divisions. After graduation, she will return to French and Parrello Associates full-time working as a Structural and Transportation engineer.

Jamilur Reza Choudhury Award for Civil & Environmental Engineering

Mikayla C. Jones

The Choudhury medallion is presented to a student who has established an outstanding record of academic achievement, interest in public policy and international affairs, and exceptional service in the field and is donated by Dr. Kauser Jahan.

Criteria:

Excellence in Academics
Interest in Public Policy and Global Affairs
Outstanding Service

Bio:

Mikayla Jones is a native of Vineland, New Jersey. She is completing her senior year as a Civil and Environmental Engineering student at Rowan University and plans to graduate in May 2025. With a 4.0 GPA, she has consistently earned recognition on the President’s List from Fall 2021 to Spring 2025.

From the beginning of her Freshman Year, Mikayla has been a dedicated Laboratory Assistant at the Center for Research and Education in Advanced Transportation Engineering Systems (CREATEs). She contributes to research focused on testing and analyzing asphalt binders to enhance the durability and sustainability of transportation infrastructure. Her accomplishments include co-authoring the research paper “Quantifying Self-Healing Capability, Thermodynamic, and Chemical Changes of Two Nano Modified Asphalt Binders under Short-Term Oxidation Conditions,” published in collaboration with Debzani Mitra and other researchers.

Though Mikayla excels academically, she also exhibits excellent leadership and service qualities in the community. She currently serves as President of the National Society of Black Engineers and Parliamentarian for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Mikayla also works and serves as a Youth Leader at her church, Glory Tabernacle Empowerment Center. She successfully assists with organizing community events and creating multimedia presentations. Additionally, she is a member of the American Society of Engineers and the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society.

Passionate about service, mentorship, and making an impact in engineering, Mikayla strives to use her skills and leadership to inspire others and make a meaningful impact in the advancement of the Field of Engineering.

Y. Mehta Excellence in Graduate Studies in Civil and Environmental Engineering

Ruqaya Alfaris

This medallion is presented to a student who has excelled in graduate studies in Civil Engineering and is awarded to a graduating graduate student each year. It was donated by Dr. Yusuf Mehta, director CREATES.

Criteria:

Leadership / independent work on graduate project(s)
Creativity in research pursuits
Quantifiable scholarly outputs (e.g. co-authorship of journal papers, conference presentations, corporate seminars)
Mentorship of undergraduate clinic and/ or summer students, and other graduate students.
Positive team dynamics in research group

Bio:

Ruqaya Alfaris is a PhD candidate and research assistant in civil and environmental engineering at Rowan University with extensive experience in transportation safety research. She has led multiple projects and presented her work at major conferences. Her work advocates for equitable and safe transportation solutions. Ruqaya has been selected as a recipient of several awards and she is an active member in multiple professional societies and committees, including WTS, ITE and ASCE.

C. Ernest O’Neal Award for Electrical & Computer Engineering

Craig Droke

Presented to an electrical & computer engineering student with an outstanding academic record and who has demonstrated strong leadership in professional societies, this award is sponsored by Dr. John L. Schmalzel, founding chair of the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department.

Criteria:

Top 5% GPA of graduating seniors
Strong leadership
Active in Student Chapter of IEEE

Bio:

Craig Droke is a Senior Electrical and Computer Engineering Student at Rowan University. Last year, he was the Chair of the IEEE Student Branch. Craig has had a plethora of internship experience while at Rowan, having worked two summers as a Systems and Software Engineer at Lockheed Martin, as well as one at Exelon. He enjoys continually learning more about the fields of AI/ML, programming, and hardware. As a passionate eboard member that held several positions in the IEEE Chapter, Craig assisted in the planning of meetings, events, and Rowan's annual ProfHacks Hackathon. This is an event that hosts over 150 people from a variety of schools. He strives to create an educational and fun environment for all student members and offer several opportunities to network with professionals in industry.

Tirupathi Reddy Chandrupatla Award for Excellence in Mechanical Engineering

Kathy Trieu

Sponsored by the Department of Mechanical Engineering, this award is presented to the student who best demonstrates character, leadership achievements and potential, the attitude of a team player, and a strong GPA.

Criteria:

Student must be academically strong, as shown by his or her cumulative GPA
Student is of outstanding character, as noted by the faculty in the department
Student exemplifies the goals, aspirations and spirit of the department

Bio:

Kathy Trieu is excited to be graduating this May with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. She is honored to be a recipient of the Catherine and James Ni Scholarship (2024-2025) in recognition of her academic excellence, awarded by the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering. Over the past two academic years, Kathy has dedicated herself to advancing Soft Robotics education through her involvement in the Cultivate Soft Robotics Clinic, a project aimed at developing educational modules for undergraduate engineering courses. One of her most significant accomplishments was co-authoring and presenting a conference publication at the 2024 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference in Portland, OR. Additionally, Kathy has designed and led multiple workshops for the College of Engineering’s Outreach program, expanding Soft Robotics education to middle and high school students. After graduation, Kathy is dedicated to driving innovation and leading collaborative projects that make a real-world impact in the industry.

Robert D. Bole Humanitarian Award

Raaha Kumaresan 

Sponsored by Barbara Bole Williams and Edie Huston. Dr. Bole served as a dean and faculty member in the Department of Educational Leadership from 1952 to 1979. The Bole Hall and Bole Hall Annex were named in his honor.

This award is presented to an individual whose lifestyle and activities display compassion and concern for the well-being of others. This person’s commitment should be evident through involvement in and service to the university.

Criteria:

Senior who is graduating this May, last December, or this upcoming Summer
Exhibits compassion in working with others
Outstanding service to the university community
GPA of 2.5 or higher
Letter of nomination from an administrator, faculty, staff member, or student

Bio:

Raaha Kumaresan is a senior graduating with a degree in Biomedical Engineering and a Certificate of Undergraduate Study (CUGS) in Medical Social Science. Over the last two years, Raaha has been a BLAST mentor with the Honors College, mentoring 27 new honors students. She is also the President of Engineers Without Borders, leading several local projects and outreach initiatives. Most notably, she has spearheaded improvements to community gardens in food deserts to improve access to fresh produce and developed an outreach program, SEED (Student Engineers Empowering Dreams), to inspire children from underprivileged backgrounds to create their own future. In BME, Raaha is actively involved in research focusing on advancing non-invasive pediatric conductive hearing aids and has presented her research at several conferences, including a podium talk at a global conference. She is also conducting research on designing hydrogels to enhance bone regeneration. After graduation, Raaha will be attending Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, where she hopes to combine her knowledge in medicine and engineering to maximize patient care.

Nicholas A. Peppas Sc.D. Medallion for Excellence in Doctoral Studies

Darby Riley

Sponsored by Anthony Lowman, Ph.D. in honor of Dr. Lowman’s Ph.D. mentor.

Criteria:

Excellence in doctoral studies

Bio:

Darby Riley is a doctoral candidate pursuing her third consecutive degree at Rowan University. Her research focuses on identity development in engineering education—specifically, how engineering students construct their sense of self through their academic journey and how personal identities shape this process. As a disabled researcher, she brings both academic and lived experience to her work, with a particular interest in how students with disabilities navigate the engineering field. Beyond research, she is passionate about teaching and strives to create an inclusive, accessible, and engaging learning environment. She believes that education should empower all students, and she continually seeks ways to make her classroom as welcoming as it is impactful.”

Irene Elizabeth Tracey Award for Excellence in Engineering

Matthew J. Conway

Awarded to an engineering student who has demonstrated excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. This award is presented by faculty in the College of Engineering in memory of Irene Tracey, mother of Dr. James Tracey, founding dean of the College of Engineering.

Criteria:

Academic excellence
Service to profession and institution
Exemplary character and strong leadership qualities

Bio:

Matt Conway is from Haddon Township, NJ and is graduating with chemical engineering and Spanish majors. Throughout his time at Rowan, he has carried out research under Drs. Rashanique Quarels (Chemistry and Biochemistry), Kirti Yenkie (Chemical Engineering), and Robert Hesketh (Chemical Engineering). In 2024, he was named a Barry Goldwater Scholar, a congressionally-endowed award for excellence in research. In addition to his academic pursuits, Matt has been a member of Rowan's cross country and track and field teams, advancing to the national NCAA meet in cross country in 2024 and winning the conference 10k (outdoor, 2024) and 5k (indoor, 2025). Upon completion of his undergraduate degree, Matt plans to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry.