"We are here today to recognize exceptional performance by our faculty members and our students," James Wei, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, said in opening the Class Day ceremony. "Princeton's engineers are overachievers. This is the third year in a row that the valedictorian is an engineer. As engineers we are doing our part to uphold the intellectual end of the University. It is really cool to be exceptional."

The Department of Computer Science (CS) had the most B.S.E. recipients with 36, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) and Operations Research and Financial Engineering (ORFE) each had 31, Chemical Engineering (ChE) and Electrical Engineering (EE) each had 26, and Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) had 13.

Photo by Frank Wojciechowski SEAS prize winners, from left, are Jared Kramer, Robert Schell, Sonia Jain, Michael Pieja, Audrey Ellerbee, John Dabiri, Ann Ellis, Rebecca Nixon, Jeffrey Bernd, and Eileen Higham.

The following prizes were awarded at Class Day:

Joseph Clifton Elgin Prize: Ann Ellis (MAE). This award is given to the student who has done the most to advance the interests of the school in the community at large. The prize honors the late Professor Emeritus Joseph Clifton Elgin, who was the dean from 1954 to 1971.

James Hayes-Edgar Palmer Prize in Engineering: Michael Pieja (ChE) and Jared Kramer (CS). This award was established in 1968 by Zilph H. Palmer in memory of James Hayes, Class of 1895, and Edgar Palmer, Class of 1903, and is awarded to the senior or seniors who have manifested excellent scholarship, a marked capacity for leadership, and promise of creative achievement in engineering. The winner of the cash prize is selected by the dean of the SEAS in consultation with the school's executive committee.

Jeffrey O. Kephart '80 Engineering Physics Award: Christine McLeavey (Physics). This prize is awarded to the outstanding student or students in the Engineering Physics Program as determined by the faculty.

Calvin Dodd MacCracken Senior Thesis/Project Award: Rebecca Nixon (CEE) and Christine McLeavey (Physics). This award honors Calvin Dodd MacCracken '40, and was established by his family to recognize the senior thesis or project work that is most distinctive for its inventiveness and technical accomplishment.

The George J. Mueller Award: Jeffrey Bernd (ChE) and Audrey Ellerbee (EE). This award was established in 1991 by members of the faculty and staff of the SEAS in memory of Dean George J. Mueller, to honor a graduating senior who, over his or her four undergraduate years at Princeton, has most evidently combined high scholarly achievement in the study of engineering with quality performance in intercollegiate athletics.

The POEM Newport Award in Photonics: Robert Schell (EE), given to a senior who has demonstrated high scholastic achievement and high potential for leadership in the field of photonics, electrooptics, or optoelectronic materials.

J. Rich Steers Award: Eileen Higham (ChE) and Stephen Anen (ORF). Given by the New York City Post, Society of American Military Engineers to reward scholastic performance that demonstrates potential for further engineering study and practice.

Tau Beta Pi Prize: (EE) and John Dabiri (MAE). This award is given to a senior class member who has significantly contributed a major part of his or her time in service to the SEAS.


The Departments

Chemical Engineering

Central Jersey Section, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Ernest F. Johnson Distinguished Service Award: Jessica Jarvis

Central Jersey Section, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Award for Overall Excellence in Chemical Engineering: Michael Pieja

Procter & Gamble Award for Outstanding Design Project: Justin Notestein, David Sullivan, Nerissa Alleyne, Michael Pieja, Erin Walsh, and Craig Rusin

Ticona Senior Thesis Award: Justin Notestein

Michele Goudie '93 Senior Thesis Award: Eileen Higham

Richard K. Toner Thermodynamics Prize: Eileen Higham

Sigma Xi Book Award: Laura Schutz

Photo by Frank Wojciechowski Jared Kramer, covaledictorian for the Class of 2001, relaxes at SEAS Class Day ceremonies. Jared also received the James Hayes-Edgar Palmer Prize in Engineering, the Andersen Consulting Prize, the Computer Science Senior Prize, and the Phi Beta Kappa Prize.

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Achievement Award of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Concrete Institute: Graham Elliott

CEE Book Award: Deborah Kobes and Jonathan Slutzman

The Christine Trmal Prize in Environmental Engineering: Patrick Zahn

David W. Carmichael Prize: Deborah Kobes and Rebecca Nixon

Moles Award: Jeffrey Callow

W. Mack Angas Prize (the department's most prestigious prize): Adam Juda

Computer Science

Andersen Consulting Prize: Jared Kramer, Wai Ngan, and Jonathan Baccash

Sigma Xi Book Award: Jonathan Herbach and Wai Kit Addy Ngan

Computer Science Senior Prize: Jared Kramer

Computer Science Service Award: James Percy, Dennis Puri, and Neil Shah

Electrical Engineering

Charles Ira Young Memorial Tablet and Medal: Jason Sanders

Computer Engineering Excellence Award: Brian Loh and Michael Lindahl

G. David Forney Jr. Prize: Sonia Jain

John Ogden Bigelow, Jr., Prize in Electrical Engineering: Michael Lindahl

Peter Mark Prize: Maxim Shusteff

Sigma Xi Book Award: Sonia Jain and Jason Sanders

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Donald Janssen Dike Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Research: first: Jason Kutch; second: Brett Otteson, Thomas Vose, David Gage, and Mark Phanitsiri; honorable mention: Ann Ellis, Mark Flickinger, Mark Holveck, Darren Hammell, and William Knight

George Bienkowski Memorial Prize: Gordon Brown, John Dabiri, and Thomas Vessella

John Marshall II Memorial Prize: first: John Dabiri; second: David Gage and Mark Phanitsiri; third: Brett Otteson and Thomas Vose; honorable mention: Jason Kutch and Aaron Melvin

The Morgan W. McKinzie '93 Senior Thesis Fund Award: first: Derek Djeu; second: Gordon Avery, Jr.

The Morgan W. McKinzie '93 Senior Thesis Prize: Jason Kutch. Finalists with distinction: John Dabiri, Aaron Melvin, and Mark Phanitsiri

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Undergraduate Prize: Gordon Brown, David Gage, and Mark Phanitsiri

Sau-Hai Lam *58 Prize in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering: Mark Phanitsiri and David Gage

Sigma Xi Book Award: John Dabiri

Operations Research, Financial Engineering

Dr. Frank S. Castellana Prize in Operations Research: Xabier Vazquez Gil

The Kenneth H. Condit '13 Prize: Jason Aughenbaugh and Deeb Salem

Professor Ahmet S. Çakmak Prize: Robert Dunlop

Sigma Xi Book Award: David Atchison


More prizes and honors

Again this year, engineering students proved that they are among the most diversified and academically successful of Princeton's students. Engineers earned 120 certificates of proficiency. Stephen Tadlock (ORFE), honors, earned four certificates: in applications of computing, applied and computational mathematics, engineering and management systems, and finance.

Three students earned three certificates of proficiency: Robert Dunlop (ORFE), highest honors, in applied and computational mathematics, engineering and management systems, and finance; Richard O'Gorman (ORFE), high honors, in applications of computing, engineering and management systems, and finance; and Mark Phanitsiri (MAE), highest honors, in applied and computational mathematics, finance, and the Woodrow Wilson School.

Twenty-three students earned two certificates each: Stephen Anen (ORFE), high honors, in engineering and management systems and finance; Ryan Arnold (ORFE), honors, in engineering and management systems and finance; David Atchison (ORFE), high honors, in engineering and management systems and finance; Chiu Ki Chan (CS), honors, in Japanese and linguistics; David Choi (ORFE), honors, in engineering and management systems and finance; Edmund Choo (ORFE), honors, in engineering and management systems and finance; Hashim Dabbagh (ORFE) in applied and computational mathematics and engineering and management systems; Adrianne del Sol (ORFE) in engineering and management systems and finance; Brian Foran (ORFE), high honors, in engineering and management systems and finance; Jeffrey Gaffney (ORFE) in engineering and management systems and finance; Michael Hsu (ORFE) in engineering and management systems and finance; Frances Kim (ORFE), honors, in engineering and management systems and finance; Dylan Korpita (ORFE) in engineering and management systems and finance; Jason Kutch (MAE), high honors, in engineering biology and robotics and intelligent systems; Michael Lanzarone (ORFE) in engineering and management systems and finance; Jennifer Mechlowe (ORFE), high honors, in engineering and management systems and finance; Scott Pasquini (ORFE), honors, in engineering and management systems and finance; Ari Schottenstein (ORFE) in engineering and management systems and finance; Daniel Sugar (ORFE) in engineering and management systems and finance; Jeffrey Vogel (ORFE) in engineering and management systems and finance; Avery Waddell Jr. (ORFE) in engineering and management systems and finance; Peter Yang (ORFE) in engineering and management systems and finance; and Kevin Yip (ORFE) in engineering and management systems and finance.

General Prizes

Engineering students also claimed a number of general prizes and awards, including:

Class Valedictorian: Jared Kramer (CS)

Phi Beta Kappa Prize: Jared Kramer (CS)

Harold Willis Dodds Achievement Award: John Dabiri (MAE)

Bell-Labs Fellowship: Sonia Jain (EE)

Department of Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowships: John Dabiri (MAE) and Sonia Jain (EE)

Ford Foundation Doctoral Fellowship for Minorities: John Dabiri (MAE)

Fulbright Grant: Ying Zhou '99 (CEOR), Germany

National Science Foundation Fellowships: Audrey Ellerbee (EE), Sonia Jain (EE), Justin Notestein (ChE), Susan Rea '00 (ChE), Charles Stanier '94 (ChE), and Catherine Stoia '00 (ChE)

Athletic Prizes

George J. Mueller Award: Jeffrey Bernd (ChE) and Audrey Ellerbee (EE)

The William Winston Roper Trophy: Dennis Norman (CS)

The Frederick W. Kafer Award (baseball): Richard O'Gorman (ORFE)

The W. Lyman Biddle Medal (heavyweight crew): Mark Flickinger (MAE)

The Bayard W. Read Class of 1926 Lightweight Crew Award: Troy Hickman (MAE)

The M. Tyler Campbell Trophy (lightweight football): Brett Otteson (MAE)

The Myers Award (track): Jonathan Jessup (CS)

Commissions, Military Science Prizes

United States Air Force: Renee de la Torre (CEE)

Health Professions Scholarship--Medical School: Renee de la Torre (CEE)

Daughters of the American Revolution: Renee de la Torre