Congratulations to Our Undergraduate CEE Commencement Award Winners

ASCE Outstanding Civil Engineering Student Award 

Joseph Iacobellis was awarded the ASCE Outstanding Civil Engineering Student Award in recognition of his exceptional leadership as president of the ASCE student chapter. With an exceptionally challenging year, Iacobellis maintained a robust slate of activities including seminars, social events, and networking opportunities. His adaptable and amicable leadership proved to be critical in helping to maintain a positive experience for the CEE student community.  

Lawrence G Cartwright Distinguished Service Award

Chinasa Onyenkpa has been named the inaugural winner of the Lawrence G. Cartwright Distinguished Service Award in appreciation of her work within NSBE that had an impact on the CMU and greater Pittsburgh communities. As a member of the NSBE executive board, Onyenkpa increased networking opportunities for CMU students. Additionally, along with tutoring and mentoring activities, she worked with a team of students to raise funds and create remote education kits for area K-12 students, which included school supplies, snacks, and quality headphones to support online learning. 

H. A. Thomas, Sr Scholarship Award

Emily Albergo achieved a stellar academic record while completing an additional major in Engineering and Public Policy. In addition to her academic achievements, Albergo served as a project co-lead for Engineers Without Borders, exploring possibilities for urban agriculture.

Sarah Hamilton excelled in academics while completing an additional major in Engineering and Public Policy as well as a minor in Environmental and Sustainability Studies. She also conducted significant research, as part of both the College of Engineering Honors Research Program and the CEE Summer Research Program.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Research Award

Sarah Hamilton was awarded a Civil and Environmental Engineering Research Award for her work with Professor Destenie Nock. Hamilton led a food system analysis project where she is quantifying the carbon emissions associated with the food sector within Nock’s research group. She has presented her research at several conferences and is working on an academic paper, which will be submitted for publication. 

Ryan Rusali was also awarded a Civil and Environmental Engineering Research Award for his work with Professor Jerry Wang. Rusali’s project focuses on applying tools and methods from molecular analysis and simulation to urban textures in order to better understand the structure of cities. Rusali is first author on a peer-reviewed manuscript which was presented at the BuildSys 2020 conference and is currently first author on another manuscript currently in preparation.

James P Romualdi Civil and Environmental Engineering Award

Natalie Herrmann was named the James P Romualdi Civil and Environmental Engineering Award winner for her academic and practical capacity in traditional areas of civil engineering. A natural problem solver, Herrmann excelled in leadership roles within several classroom group projects by devising solutions to design issues that often went unnoticed. She also expanded her design, construction, and leadership skills as a member of the FRINGE buggy team, applying these skills to her undergraduate work.