As part of GW Engineering’s graduation season, undergraduate students marked two key milestones on May 14 that celebrate the transition from academic life to professional practice. To affirm their commitment to serving the greater good in their careers, graduates gathered for the Order of the Engineer and the Pledge of Computing Professional Induction Ceremonies—an annual tradition for engineering majors and, now in its second year, an emerging rite of passage for computing students.
Both ceremonies emphasize the values of ethical responsibility and professional integrity, and graduates are presented with a symbol of this shared commitment to using their technical knowledge for societal benefit. Engineers receive a stainless steel ring worn on the working hand, while computing professionals receive a lapel pin consisting of a matrix of ones and zeros spelling out the word “Honor.”
Immediately following the induction ceremonies, the GW Engineering community came together to honor and celebrate the individual academic contributions and achievements of the graduating class. The Engineer’s Council opened the Undergraduate Awards Ceremony by presenting the winners of student-voted awards, including:
- Perfect Attendance Award: Alena Testa
- Most Likely to be Found in Tompkins after Midnight Award: Arshiya Khokher
- Most Likely to be Found in SEH after Midnight Award: Emma Schmidt
- Most Likely to be Found in Machine Shop Award: Dante Rodriguez
- Most Likely to be Found in GW Innovation Center Award: Anoosh Tauqir
- Most Likely to Make You Laugh Award: Georgette Encinas
- Most Likely to Change the World Award: Gillian Fuhrmeister
- Nut & Bolt Award: Sara Kenney and Emily Brosius
- Best Study Buddy Award: Tamar Todd
- Ray of Sunshine Award: Hana Kilani
- Unsung Hero Award: Arshiya Khokher
- Undergraduate Research Award: Luca Caruso
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Jason Zara then came to the podium to present various academic awards, starting with candidates who are graduating with particular distinction:
- The Abdelfattah Abdalla Prize, recognizing scholarship and service by an upper-division student in the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science, was awarded to Liza Mozolyuk.
- The GW Engineering Dean’s Alumni Prize, recognizing a graduating student who has shown a commitment to the university and the school, outstanding leadership in campus and community activities, and curricular and extracurricular accomplishments, was awarded to Emma Schmidt.
- The Norman B. Ames Award, given by the Engineers’ Council to seniors who have made significant contributions to the student body, to SEAS, and to the university community, was awarded to Sameen Ahmad, Nyema Lindsay, and Anjali Vu.
- The William and Louise Corcoran Service Award, given each year to honor those who have contributed the most to GW Engineering, was awarded to Lola Nurullaeva and Parisa Rafiee.
- The Martin Mahler Prize, recognizing an upper-class or graduate student who submits the best reports on tests in the materials laboratories class, was awarded to Alena Testa.
- The Neilom Prize for Social Impact, recognizing two students who have an interest in the application of engineering to an area of social change, was awarded to Sameen Ahmad and Anoosh Tauqir.
Each year, department leadership has the difficult task of choosing one winner out of all of the outstanding Senior Design Projects created over the course of the academic year. The winners of the Class of 2025 Best Senior Design Project for each department and the Pelton Senior Design Competition were:
- Best Senior Design Project in the Department of Biomedical Engineering: Luca Caruso, Miya Liu, Mikayla Havers, Nora Shields, and Pierce Kapustka for their project titled, “Self-Regulating Warming System for Dorrance Hook Prosthetic”
- Best Senior Design project in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Emma Schmidt, Anoosh Tauqir, and Georgette Encinas for their project titled, “Intersection and Roundabout Efficiency as a Function of Driver and Vehicle Characteristics: From Geometric Design to Traffic Analysis”
- Best Senior Design Project in the Department of Computer Science, named after former faculty and GW Engineering alumnus Arnold C. Meltzer: Seeam Khan, Yusef Jawad, Brendan Jarmusz, and Matthew Rosica for their project titled, “Real-time Fake News Detection with Combined Style and Knowledge-Based Techniques”
- Best Senior Design Project in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, named after former faculty member Derril Rohlf: Anthony Yalong, Jake Ulbrich, Sameen Ahmad, Theresa Le, and Matias Liu Schmid for their project titled, “GESTURE: A Sign Language Translator System”
- Best Senior Design Project in the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering: Ben Buechner, Max Feng, and Parker Reese for their project titled, “Case Definition Analysis and Implications for Allocating Heat Emergency Resources in Washington, D.C.”
- Best Senior Design Project in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering: Justin Flaherty, Milan Moise, Hannah Reitzas, and Tom Li for their project titled, “Reducing the Energy Consumption and Carbon Footprint of Controlled Environment Agriculture at Fresh Impact Farms”
- Pelton Senior Design Competition for which each department can nominate one project to compete that has a focus on patentability and/or being green: William Lynam, Nick Neirotti, Felipe Garcia Quiros, Lennart Martens, Omar Nayfesh, Tharun Saravanan, and Koi Su for their project titled, “Reeflex: An Autonomous Underwater Robot System for Lionfish Detainment”
An additional award presented by the Department of Computer Science was the Gary and Judy Bard Entrepreneurial Award, given to the best senior design project with an E-commerce focus. Gavin Blanchette received this award for their project, “Volleysign.”
Lastly, Dean John Lach presented the winners of the Benjamin C. Cruickshank Award. Established in 1991 by the Engineer Alumni Association, this award recognizes the top scholars in each of the Bachelor of Science programs. This year’s recipients include:
- Biomedical Engineering: Luca Caruso
- Civil Engineering: Emma Schmidt
- Computer Engineering: Anthony Yalong
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering: Anjali Vu
- Electrical Engineering and recipient of the Philip B. Kaplan prize: Arnur Maratov
- Computer Science: Ozzy Simpson, who also received the Alfred Martin Freudenthal Prize for highest grade point average in the school and the 2025 Distinguished Scholar Award for academic excellence, in and out of the classroom
- Systems Engineering: Max Feng
To close out the award ceremony, Dean Lach offered a final toast in celebration of the Class of 2025. He praised the graduates for the dedication and grit they demonstrated throughout their time at GW Engineering and encouraged them to stay connected to the school’s community. Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees, and thank you to the faculty, staff, and peers who supported their journey. Most of all, we cannot wait to see the impact our soon-to-be alumni will make on the world!