Convocation 2010

Convocation at Stevens opens the new school year by welcoming an incoming undergraduate class and celebrating the successes of students and faculty over the course of the previous academic year.

This year, Professor Linda Vollkommer led the traditional opening procession and, together with Provost of Stevens Institute of Technology Dr. George P. Korfiatis, hosted the ceremony, which featured a welcome message from Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer and a keynote address delivered by The Honorable Albio Sires, U.S. Congressional Representative from New Jersey's 13th District.

Stephanie Spelman '11, Student Government Association President, then invited incoming freshman to take advantage of campus activities, and Spencer Horton '12, Chairman of the Honor Board, inducted the new students into the Honor System.

Dr. Korfiatis and Dr. Michael Bruno, Dean of the Schaefer School of Engineering and Science next presented the University Faculty Recognition Awards, followed by student awards, given by Joseph Stahley, Assistant Vice President for Student Development, and Kenneth Nilsen, Dean of Student Life.

The faculty honors bestowed showcase the exceptional teaching ability, research accomplishments, and high esteem of the faculty. Professors at Stevens have the unique ability to work as industry and government leaders in their professional field of choice, while maintaining an absolute dedication to providing unique, challenging, and rewarding experiences for students. The awards have been made possible by the Charles V. Schaefer Jr. Fund for Excellence and include a cash prize along with the appropriate award title for the year following.

Below you will find a review of the honored faculty and students, who together are helping realize the vision of The Innovation University^TM.

2010 Jess Davis Memorial Award for Research Excellence

This award recognizes Professor Jose Ramirez-Marquez and Professor Brian Sauser, School of Systems and Enterprises, for their paper, "System Development Planning via System Maturity Optimization," that appeared in IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Vol. 56, No. 3, August 2009. Their work deals with a system-focused approach for managing system development and making effective and efficient decisions through the use of a novel System Readiness Level index and System Maturity Optimization.

2010 Henry Morton Distinguished Teaching Professor

The Henry Morton Distinguished Teaching Professor Award, named after the first president of Stevens Institute of Technology, recognizes a full professor at Stevens for his or her excellence in classroom instruction and impact on students.

Professor Matthew R. Libera, Chemical Engineering & Material Science, received this teaching award. As a researcher and instructor at Stevens since 1989, Dr. Libera has become internationally known for his work in high-resolution spectroscopic imaging and biomaterials.

2010 Harvey N. Davis Distinguished Teaching Assistant Professor

Named after the third president of Stevens, the Harvey N. David Distinguished Teaching Assistant Professor award recognizes an assistant professor at Stevens for excellence as an educator.

Professor David J. Cappelleri, Mechanical Engineering Department, was the recipient this year.

2010 The Provost's Award for Excellence in On-Line Teaching

Professor Michael zur Muehlen, School of Technology Management, was recognized for his impact on the award-winning Stevens WebCampus program. Dr. zur Muehlen's presentations, given internationally, have been viewed online over 30,000 times and he is a previous recipient of the Harvey N. Davis Distinguished Teaching Award.

2010 Exemplary Teaching in Recitation Section

Desire B. Miessein, a graduate student in Physics & Engineering Physics, was recognized for his contributions to teaching at Stevens.

Honorary Master of Engineering (Honoris Causa)

Stevens Institute of Technology conferred an Honorary Master of Engineering degree upon Dr. Xiaoguang Meng, a professor in the Charles V. Schaefer School of Engineering and Science, to recognize a career of dedication to teaching and research in physicochemical treatment of arsenic and heavy metals in water and solids. Dr. Meng has developed water filtration technologies for both industrial and household use, saving money and lives in his pursuit of clean water. For his dedication to discovery and commitment as an educator, Dr. Meng received the honorary degree.

2010 Inaugural Provost's Award for Academic Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Development

In recognition of the highly successful development and implementation of a novel education program emphasizing innovation and entrepreneurship at the National University of Malaysia (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM), Stevens honored the program's facilitators with this inaugural award.

The Martha L. Kattwinkel Award

Established in 1952 by O. Frank Kattwinkel, Class of 1948, in memory of his mother, this award is given to the member of the junior class who gives most unstintingly and unselfishly to Stevens. The award went to Lauren Mayer.

The Colonel Basil M. Stevens Award

Established by Mrs. Basil M. Stevens in 1963 in memory of her husband, it is awarded to a member of the junior class who has been selected as being distinguished for courtesy and character. The award went to John Ziegler.

The Ada and Edwin "Doc" Farrell Memorial Award

This memorial fund was established in 1987 in memory of "Doc" Farrell, athletic trainer from 1974 to 1987 and his wife Ada, by his three children. It is given annually to that Stevens undergraduate who is entering the junior or senior year, and who most typifies those standards "Doc" adhered to and constantly strove to instill in others:

Be involved in your community.
Be respectful and responsible.
Be honest and forthright.
Give of yourself to those in need.
Turn adversity into opportunity.

Ondrick Scholarship

Established in 1992 by alumni and friends of Professor William Ondrick, it is awarded to a student who is entering the senior year and who has outstanding academic achievement and contributed unselfishly to the advancement of music at Stevens. The two recipients in 2010 were Dylan Lupo and Victoria O'Connor.

The Gustav G. Freygang Award

Established in 1965 by the family, colleagues, and friends of Gust G. Freygang, Class of 1909, and former professor of mechanical engineering; it is presented to a member of the junior class for outstanding performance in the sequence of courses in mechanics given by the Mechanical Engineering Department. The award went to Andrew Verderame.

The President's Award for Community Involvement

Gear and Triangle Award

The Gear and Triangle Award is presented to a sophomore, who as a freshman, showed great interest and dedication to student activities at Stevens. The award, established in 1991 by alumni of Gear and Triangle, confers recognition of the importance of giving to the Stevens community through student activities. The award went to Alexis Moore and Rachel Turner.

The Stute-Humanities Underclassman Award

This award is given to an underclassman entering the second or third year of enrollment at Stevens. This individual has demonstrated involvement with the Stute, an interest in the College of Arts and Letters and current political and social events on and off campus, and has maintained a minimum 3.0 GPA overall. The award went to Matthew Neuteboom.

Hans J. Lang Award for Excellence in Cost Engineering and Engineering Economics

The Hans J. Lang Award for Excellence in Cost Engineering and Engineering Economics is awarded annually to the member of the Junior Class in Engineering Management who has distinguished him or herself in these topics. This award is given in memory of Hans Joachim Lang, Stevens class of 1934 by his family and faculty of the Bachelor of Engineering in Engineering Management program. The award went to Joseph Manfredonia.

Virgina & Kevin Ruesterholz Award

Virginia and Kevin Ruesterholz, Class of 1983, have established an award to recognize and reward a senior for outstanding achievement in Engineering Management. Awardees must demonstrate a minimum 3.3 GPA and active participation in professional development activities, and provide a written statement on the benefits of an Engineering Management program. The award went to Anthony Shehab.

The Robert H. Seavy Award

Established in honor of Robert H. Seavy, Dean of Admissions, Emeritus. This award is given to the tour guide who best represents the values of Stevens to prospective students and their families. It is presented annually to a tour guide entering the senior year who has given two or more years of exceptional service to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The award went to Andrew Dolny.

The Charles L. Petchek Scholarship

Established in 1984 by Charles I. Petchek, Class of 1944, and awarded annually to the Stevens undergraduate who is completing the junior year and who has a strong interest in mathematics. Sina Bahrami was the recipient.

Tau Beta Pi's Freshman Engineer Award

This award is to recognize freshman student who has shown excellence in the engineering field, as well as exemplary character. The award went to Caitlin Early.

Panhellenic Council Academic Excellence Award

This award is presented to the Panhellenic Council sorority that has achieved the highest GPA for the Spring 2010 semester. The award went to Delta Phi Epsilon for a 3.34 GPA, and was present to sorority President Brittany Crosby.

Interfraternity Academic Excellence Award

This award is presented to the Interfraternity Council fraternity that has achieved the highest GPA for the Spring 2010 semester. The award went to Sigma Phi Epsilon for a 3.38 GPA, and was presented to fraternity President Andrew Boyle.

The Stevens' Scholarship for Service Program

Dr. Susanne Wetzel, Computer Science, recognized Simon Sidhom for receiving a two-year scholarship through the Stevens' Scholarship for Service Program funded by the National Science Foundation. This scholarship is awarded in recognition of a students' academic success in cybersecurity and a commitment to enter the federal work-force upon completion of their degrees.

President's Cup

Presented by President George Korfiatis, the President's Cup went to Women's Fencing for their achievements during the previous season, which included a 16-match winning stream, two individual conference titles, fourteen program records, a team GPA of 3.3, and a series of notable community service projects. The team had the best record in program history at 25-4 and finished the season as the National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association Division III National Champion.

For more pictures from the event, please visit our Convocation 2010 album on Facebook.

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