Engineering students were recognized at the Texas A&M University College of Engineering Student Awards banquet on Nov. 8.
First presented in 1947 as the Engineering Faculty Senior Award, the Craig C. Brown Outstanding Senior Engineer Award is the most prestigious honor bestowed on a graduating senior in the College of Engineering. The award is based on outstanding scholastic achievement, leadership and character.
The College of Engineering Outstanding Graduate Student Award recognizes one master’s student and one doctoral student who have demonstrated excellence above and beyond usual levels of achievement.
The Craig C. Brown Outstanding Senior Engineer Award winners:
Joseph Carlson
Weatherford, Texas
Aerospace Engineering
With an unyielding determination to succeed, Carlson has excelled in both the classroom and accomplishing the goals he has set for himself. He is part of the Engineering Honors Program and the Texas A&M University Research Program, holds a leadership role in professional organizations, participates in community service activities and is involved in undergraduate research projects. Carlson recently had an internship at Lockheed Martin, and while he was there he developed a new technology for low-speed wind tunnel testing. His work will be published in a technical white paper that he will also present at the 2018 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ Aviation and Aeronautics Forum and Exposition. Carlson has received the Joanne K. and Edward “Pete” Aldridge ‘60 Endowed Scholarship Award and the Donna and Dub Jett ‘68 Scholarship Award. He looks forward to continuing to create new technology for the aviation industry in the future.
Megan Culler
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Electrical Engineering
As a dedicated and highly motivated student, Culler has demonstrated great promise in achieving the goals she has set for herself. Through holding leadership positions within prestigious organizations, her involvement in extracurricular activities and undergraduate research in cyberphysical modeling and analysis for power systems, Culler has maintained a 4.0 GPA while in the Texas A&M University Honors Program. With a passion for cybersecurity for large-scale power systems, Culler has represented Texas A&M at national conferences. Most recently, a manuscript that Culler wrote was accepted to be published in Explorations, Texas A&M’s undergraduate research journal. She has been awarded the Lockheed Martin National Scholarship and is a Craig and Galen Brown Scholar. Through her work she hopes to use the skills she’s attained to give back and help improve cybersecurity around the world.
Jacob Hartzer
Austin, Texas
Mechanical Engineering
Hartzer’s passionate curiosity and drive to discover led him to get involved in multiple research projects and to acquire skills beyond what a typical engineer learns in the classroom. Through his undergraduate research in mechanical engineering and involvement in extracurricular activities and coursework, he has excelled, maintaining a high GPA throughout his college career. He has represented Texas A&M as a National Scholar Ambassador and has received numerous honors, including being named a Brown Scholar, receiving a National Merit Scholarship and earning a Dean’s Excellence honorable mention from the College of Engineering. Hartzer has participated in several internships, including Bray International, NXP Semiconductors and most recently, PepsiCo & Frito-Lay. Hartzer feels that these experiences, his research and his drive to make the most of those is what sets him apart.
Justin Macmanus
Harlingen, Texas
Biological and Agricultural Engineering
With an unparalleled work ethic and maturity, Macmanus has developed a natural instinct to always work hard and see things through, no matter how burdensome the task. This led him to join the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, where he has received numerous honors and distinctions, including Most Outstanding Academic Sophomore and Junior, being inducted into the Ross Volunteer Company and the OR Simpson Honor Society, and being accepted as a Guidon Bearer for Company F-2. Macmanus has also distinguished himself at Texas A&M in numerous ways, including being accepted into the Engineering Honors Program and being a member of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. Macmanus is also an active member of his church and has volunteered for several community service activities. He has interned with several companies, including Garver LLC, and has participated in the USDA Research Experience for Undergraduates.
Luke Oaks
Troy, Ohio
Interdisciplinary Engineering
With a personal goal of becoming as inspirational to others as Neil deGrasse Tyson, Oaks is well on his way by amassing an impressive record of research and academic successes during his time at Texas A&M. His passion for improving education for all led him to become a mentor for incoming engineering freshmen. He has served as the student body’s vice president of academic affairs and is a Beckman Scholar, a University Scholar, a Craig and Galen Brown Scholar and a member of the Zachry Leadership Program. His experience as an Engineering Honors student and grand challenges research scholar enhanced his development of a plenary conference event that was attended by more than 200 Texas A&M students and faculty. After graduation, Oaks plans to work in the systems engineering field or further his education.
Jose Quiros
College Station, Texas
Civil Engineering
Quiros has not only shown an aptitude toward academic success at Texas A&M but is also actively involved in student organizations in addition to be enrolled in Engineering Honors. He is an officer in the JTL McNew Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers and was a planner for the 2018 Texas-Mexico ASCE Student Symposium. He is a member of the Zachry Leadership Program, which has enabled him to become and effective on campus leader. Quiros has maintained his high GPA while becoming involved with organizations like the Latino Male United, Chi Epsilon Honor Society and Engineers without Borders.
Zachry Richards
Cedar Park, Texas
Biomedical Engineering
In addition to his outstanding academic record, Richards has taken the Texas A&M core value of selfless service to heart and has served the local community in many outreach endeavors. He coordinated and executed land clearing for affordable housing as a member of Student Bonfire to help Habitat for Humanity, working alongside the community to help families in need. He is an undergraduate researcher with the Texas A&M Cellular Biomechanics Laboratory, where he conducts independent cell research with 3D facial bone replacement scaffolds and presented a poster at the 2018 Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Conference. He also tutors for the Developmental Mathematics program in the Academic Success Center, helping students pass state standards to take college math courses.
2018 College of Engineering Outstanding Graduate Student Award winners:
Daniela Alves de Oliveira
Ph.D. Candidate
Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Alves de Oliveira is a dedicated researcher who worked and consulted for eight years for food industries in Brazil, including four years at one of the biggest food companies in the country, the BRF, before coming to Texas A&M University. Her current research focus is on the design of an electrochemical biosensor for the rapid detection of foodborne pathogens using nanotechnology and stimuli-responsive polymers to enhance capture and sensitivity of these sensors. Her research has resulted in 14 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals, and she is first author on five of them. She was also awarded the 2016 Henry Kahn Memorial Scholarship Award for graduate student excellence by the Polymer Technology Center at Texas A&M.
Tokunbo “TJ” Falohun
M.S. Candidate
Biomedical Engineering
Falohun is an aspiring innovator in the realm of medical technology whose career goal is to bring affordable, life-saving medical devices to those in need. His journey so far has consisted of a mix of scholarly training, and entrepreneurial and industry experience. He returned to academia to develop a more sophisticated understanding of biomedical engineering. For his graduate research, Falohun is developing miniature implantable biosensors for the early detection and management of chronic diseases and hopes to advance this technology with his doctoral degree. He also recently received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, which is a prestigious award given to students who are pursuing a graduate degree in a STEM field.
The College of Engineering also recognized the following newly endowed scholarships:
Cloud Family Scholarship
James L. Buttler ’75 Scholars Program
Rita and Mark Puckett ’73 Endowed Scholarship
Shell Aggies Engineering Endowed Scholarship