DaVinci Medallion for Excellence in Biomedical Engineering

Sarah Little

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:

Sarah Little will graduate in May 2026 with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, a CUGS in Orthopedic Engineering, and a minor in Business Administration. Since the summer of 2024, she has conducted research with Dr. Brewer and ReGelTec, focusing on biomechanics to advance a spinal implant treatment for lower back pain through its regulatory pathway. Outside of the classroom, Sarah founded and served as president of the Assistive Technologies club, acted as vice president of BMES, and is a member of Tau Beta Pi. Following a product development internship at Medline Industries, she will return to the company full-time after graduation as an Associate Product Development Engineer to continue her work in medical device innovation.

Clarence Slater Award for Excellence in Chemical Engineering

Glenn Johnson

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:

Glenn Johnson is from Oakhurst, New Jersey and will graduate from Rowan University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemical Engineering and a minor in Physics. Glenn is also a member of the John H. Martinson Honors College and the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society.

During his time at Rowan, Glenn has worked on Dr. Ken Lau’s clinics producing clean hydrogen and sustainable batteries. He presented his clinic research at the 2025 AIChE Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference and his NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates work at the 2025 AIChE Annual Student Conference, where his poster presentation on theMechanism of Induction-Heated Acetone Production from Ethanol received a 3rd Place Award in the Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Division III.

Glenn was heavily involved within the engineering community, serving as President, Treasurer, and Class Representative for Rowan’s AIChE chapter. His academic and leadership qualities were recognized through several awards, including the Honors Service Award, AIChE Delaware Valley Section Outstanding Junior and Outstanding Senior Awards, 2025 Marvin L. Harris Safety Award, 2024 AIChE Sophomore Academic Excellence Award,and 2023 AIChE Freshman Recognition Award.

Dedicated to peer success, he served as a Bantivoglio Leadership and Service Training (BLAST) mentor for first-year students, a tutor for the Rowan Academic Support Program, and a student coordinator for the College of Engineering.

Following graduation, Glenn looks forward to beginning his career as a Control Systems Engineer at Proconex. Glenn would like to thank the faculty and staff of Rowan’s Chemical Engineering Department for their hard work and dedication in preparing the 2026 chemical engineering graduating class. In his free time, Glenn enjoys hiking, gaming, and spending time with friends.

Elizabeth Slater Award for Excellence in Chemical Engineering Graduate Studies

Mitchell Paolello

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:

Mitchell Paolello is currently a Senior Scientist at Merck in the Crystallization Laboratory (XLab). His PhD research focused on identifying and addressing how potentially-harmful impurities can incorporate into pharmaceutical crystallization processes with the goal of applying scientific principles to better reject these impurities for the benefit of human and animal health. These impurities are molecules that are structurally similar to the main active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) that have been formed during its synthesis. Mitchell’s dissertation work centered on improving the understanding of the mechanisms by which small levels of impurities, which has been responsible for the recalls of Zantac (Ranitidine) in 2020, are entrapped in growing drug crystals. He has presented both talks and posters at conferences such as the AIChE Annual Meeting, the Pharmaceutical Crystallization Summit (PCS), Johnson & Johnson Engineering Showcase, and the Advances in Process Analytics and Control Technologies (APACT) symposium. Mitchell has been awarded the AIChE DVS Graduate Research award, the William L. Maxwell Scholarship, and 3rd prize in the poster competition at PCS in 2024. In addition to his impressive and immense research accomplishments, Mitchell has served as a graduate mentor to both undergraduate and graduate students in the Crystallization Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering (CSPE) laboratory under Professor Gerard Capellades. He has advised 18 undergraduate students as part of the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering clinics program, and his students have been recognized by the Chemical Engineering department for their excellence in research. 

Ralph Alan Dusseau Award for Civil & Environmental Engineering

Julia Thornton

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:

Julia Thornton is a senior Civil and Environmental Engineering student graduating with a 3.87 GPA. Born and raised in South Jersey, Julia’s passion for Civil Engineering was inspired by her father and her late brother, who also pursued civil engineering at Rowan. Overcoming initial doubts as a woman in a male-dominated field, she has dedicated her time to supporting women in engineering, participating in the Association for Women in Mathematics, and receiving the WTS Foundation Suzanne Axworthy Undergraduate Scholarship.

During her time at Rowan, Julia has balanced a rigorous academic load with impactful research in coastal sustainability. Working under Dr. Cheng Zhang and Dr. Kauser Jahan, she contributed to published research regarding flooding and coastal vulnerability, specifically developing models to predict stormwater impacts on New Jersey’s coastal landfills. Her hands-on experience includes internships in municipal road construction and bridge design. Following graduation, Julia will begin her career at Modjeski & Masters in the Movable Bridge Unit and looks forward to pursuing her graduate degree in Civil Engineering.

Jamilur Reza Choudhury Award for Civil & Environmental Engineering

Joseph Garrett

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:

Joseph Garrett, of Deptford, New Jersey, will graduate in May 2026 with a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Rowan University. He began his time at Rowan in Fall 2022 and quickly became involved with Engineers Without Borders (EWB), participating in community service events throughout South Jersey. In Spring 2023, he was elected Treasurer and served in that role through graduation. In Fall 2024, Joseph joined the EWB clinic and worked on an international project in Ambuela, Ecuador. After a year of planning and designing a groundwater collection system, he traveled with a team of Rowan students in May 2025 to implement the project. The effort was highly successful, doubling the quantity of water delivered and allowing the community to stop purchasing water from a distant city.

In addition to EWB, Joseph served as President of the Navigators from 2024 to 2026 and is a member of ASCE and Tau Beta Pi. He was recognized by the Professional Engineers in Construction of New Jersey (PECNJ) in Spring 2025 for his contributions in Engineers Without Borders. Joseph also worked as a Community Assistant in Residential Learning and University Housing from 2023 to 2026 and gained industry experience through internships with RE Pierson and McCormick Taylor. Following graduation, he plans to take a gap year to serve as a Collegian Missionary with the Navigators at Pennsylvania State University before entering the engineering workforce.

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

Ayyaz Fareed

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:

Ayyaz Fareed is a civil engineering professional with a Ph.D. specializing in pavement engineering. He is currently working at WSP USA, where he contributes to engineering practice while continuing to build expertise in transportation systems and infrastructure.

His work focuses on advanced asphalt technologies, including innovative materials such as microencapsulated phase change materials, aimed at enhancing pavement performance and sustainability. He combines strong research expertise with practical engineering experience, with a background in material characterization, pavement analysis, and field investigations.

Ayyaz is committed to advancing resilient and efficient transportation infrastructure and continues to grow his expertise in the field of transportation engineering.

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

Amira Sayed

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:

Amira Sayed graduated from Rowan University in Fall 2025 with a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and began pursuing her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in Spring 2026. Amira’s academic and research interests center on robotics, embedded systems, and the use of AI and deep learning to make robotic systems more adaptive and intelligent. She is especially interested in building complete systems that connect hardware, software, and control from the ground up. Throughout her academic journey, Amira has worked on a wide range of hands-on engineering projects, including micromouse robots, a jellyfish-inspired soft robot, underwater remotely operated vehicles, and medical robotic arm systems. These experiences reflect her passion for applying engineering concepts to challenging real-world problems.

Prior to joining Rowan, Amira served as president of the Robotics Club at her previous university for two years, where she helped lead student teams in local and international competitions and encouraged students to become more involved in robotics and design. At Rowan, she continued to demonstrate strong academic performance while supporting and mentoring other students. As a student worker in the ECE Resource Center, she assisted with laboratory support, helped develop instructional materials for foundational engineering courses, Embedded Systems, and Computer Architecture, and contributed to technical projects such as programming and improving the department’s pick-and-place machine workflow. As she continues her Ph.D., Amira remains committed to advancing robotics research, supporting students, and contributing to the Rowan engineering community.

Tirupathi Reddy Chandrupatla Award for Excellence in Mechanical Engineering

James Lee

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:

James Lee is a senior Mechanical Engineering student at Rowan University and a member of the John H. Martinson Honors College. During his time at Rowan, he served as team captain of Rowan Rocketry, where he led a 23-student engineering clinic designing and building a high-powered sounding rocket for the International Rocket Engineering Competition. James previously interned with Rocket Lab and spent three years working in project management within the construction industry, experiences that helped shape his interest in large-scale engineering systems. He is a recipient of the Department of Defense SMART Scholarship and will begin working as a mechanical engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division after graduation while pursuing a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering at Villanova University. James hopes to build a career working on complex aerospace and defense systems while continuing to develop as a technical leader and project manager.

Elia and Rosa Palmese Medallion for Entrepreneurial Spirit

Louis Paone

This medallion is awarded to a graduating student in the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering who has demonstrated an entrepreneurial mindset characterized by intellectual curiosity, the ability to make connections, a focus on value creation, and the courage to pursue opportunity.

Criteria:

Intellectual Curiosity and Connection-Making: Integrates ideas across disciplines to identify opportunity.
Value Creation Through Initiative: Translates ideas into meaningful technical, societal, or economic impact.
Courage in Pursuing Opportunity: Takes informed risks, adapts, and persists through uncertainty.

Bio:

Lou Paone holds a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Rowan University, where his research focused on central nervous system injury and disease, with first-author papers in Biofabrication, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, and Biomaterials. In May 2023, Louis co-founded the biotech startup CONDUCTink, where he develops advanced cell models for preclinical drug development. He completed the NSF I-Corps accelerator and secured funding from the New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology. He is a co-inventor on four patents ranging from biomaterial composition-of-matter claims to methods-of-use claims. He also served as the VP of Operations at Nucleate, a global nonprofit run by Ph.D. students to democratize biotech education in business development, venture capital, and life science consulting.

Steven Chin Medallion for Integrity and Excellence in Engineering

Isabel Guiro

Awarded to a graduating member of Tau Beta Pi who exemplifies the central tenets of Tau Beta Pi with distinguished engineering scholarship and exemplary character.
Presented by faculty in the College of Engineering on behalf of the New Jersey Epsilon Chapter.
Sponsored by alumni and friends of Dr. Steven Chin, whose exemplary service to Rowan Engineering included founding and leading the New Jersey Epsilon Chapter for nearly twenty years.

Criteria:

Graduating senior who has been inducted as a member of the Tau Beta Pi New Jersey Epsilon Chapter, demonstrating distinguished engineering scholarship and exemplary character, particularly regarding service to others.

Bio:

Isabel Guiro is a senior graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering this May. She is from Barnegat, New Jersey, and chose to attend Rowan due to its proximity to home and the excellent reputation of the engineering program. Throughout her time at Rowan, she has been dedicated to her academics, being recognized on either the President's or Dean's List each semester. She has also been committed to research. In particular, Isabel has been assisting with Dr. Zhang's Identification and Sustainable Removal of PFAS project for the past two years, contributing to experiments that identify PFAS species within stormwater and evaluate different remediation methods. Following graduation, she plans to work full-time as a Design Engineer at Dynamic Engineering Consultants in Lake Como, New Jersey.

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

Nicholas Pagliocca

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

Criteria:

Excellence in doctoral studies

Bio:

Nicholas Pagliocca is with the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering at Rowan University. He earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Rowan University. In addition, he earned an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Rowan University and an M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a focus in Robotics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Nicholas is co-advised by Dr. Behrad Koohbor and Dr. Mitja Trkov and is highly involved in collaborative research at Rowan University and beyond. His research has culminated in over fourteen peer-reviewed journal articles, four peer-reviewed conference papers, and many conference presentations. In addition, he was awarded a fellowship from the Koerner Family Foundation. His research broadly explores the experimental characterization and theoretical modeling of flexible materials and composites; the design, control, and motion planning of soft robotic systems; and material-aware robot control.

Irene Elizabeth Tracey Award for Excellence in Engineering and Thomas Robinson Leadership Award

Macy Jo Gregory

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:

Macy Gregory is from Cape May County, NJ, and will graduate from Rowan University with a B.S. in Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE), a minor in Neuroscience, and a Certificate of Undergraduate Study (CUGS) in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, & Technology. While her journey at Rowan began in 2020, Macy switched her major to ECE in 2022 following the diagnosis of her Chiari malformation. Through her studies in ECE, she is inspired to use her perspective to help others.

Macy was active in Rowan's Robotics and Automation Society (RAS), serving as the secretary and vice president. With RAS, she organized engineering workshops and helped connect students with resources for their robotics projects. During her sophomore year in ECE, she served as a learning assistant for an Introduction to Electricity & Magnetism course. An active member of the ECE Student Council, she served as an elected representative of her class during her junior and senior years. At IEEE's 2026 Student Activities Conference (SAC), she co-hosted an Arduino Workshop and worked as a volunteer. Macy holds memberships in the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi and the Delta Tau Chapter of Tri-Alpha, a first-generation honor society.

Outside of her classes, Macy gained experience from internships at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Impulse Dynamics. At the FAA, she contributed to the development of the Runway Incursion Device (RID). At Impulse Dynamics, she contributed to design verification testing in the implantable medical device field.

Frederick L. Dryer Medallion for Graduate Excellence in Mechanical Engineering

Madison Kaminskyj

This medallion is awarded to an outstanding graduating MS or PhD student from the Mechanical Engineering Department.
Established by Dr. Mac Haas and Dr. Anthony Marchese, students of Professor Dryer who became Mechanical Engineering faculty members at Rowan University, this award celebrates Professor Dryer’s career-long commitments to high-quality teaching and use-inspired research. These have been transmitted with considerable imprint on both the initial foundation of the department under Dr. Marchese and its subsequent expansion into doctoral research under Dr. Haas.

Criteria:

• Demonstrated excellence and independence in creative scholarship and research
• Demonstrated excellence and independence in creative scholarship and researchEffective mentorship of undergraduate clinic students, summer research students, and/or other graduate students
• Anticipated Graduation in May or Summer of the year of award, or degree conferred earlier in the given academic year, with “good standing” according to current University policy

Bio:

Madison Kaminskyj is a PhD graduate in Mechanical Engineering from Rowan University and the recipient of the Frederick L. Dryer Medallion for Graduate Excellence in Mechanical Engineering. Her doctoral work in cold spray additive manufacturing has contributed to the field through technical publications and presentations at conferences, in collaboration with outstanding peers and faculty. She also served as President of the Henry M. Rowan Graduate Student Association, where she championed academic, social, and professional initiatives, strengthened connections between students and faculty, and advocated for the graduate student community. Madison completed her doctoral research under the guidance of Dr. Mac Haas and currently works as a Project Development Engineer specializing in hydrophilic coatings, applying her expertise to advance industry practice.