Texas Tech University

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Academic Excellence Awardees 

The Department is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018/19 Academic Excellence in Chemical Engineering. These twelve students, six juniors and six seniors, are our best and brightest. Their outstanding academic excellence and high integrity are recognized with a $ 1000 award sponsored by the Chemical Engineering External Advisory Board.

ex1Stephen Couch, a junior from Dallas, TX, is a ChE major with a minor in Bioengineering. While attending Texas Tech, Stephen works as a supplemental instructor for Calculus 3, and he represents the University as an Engineering Ambassador. After graduating in Spring of 2020, Stephen plans to continue his education and obtain a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering.

ex2Jenni English is a ChE senior from Abilene TX, minoring in Polymers and Materials, Math, and Chemistry. She is the initiate coordinator for the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and is the public relations officer for Tech GSA. She was an extern with the US Patent and Trademark Office in Dallas, TX where she examined semi-conductor patent applications. Jenni plans to pursue a career in industry after graduation.

ex3E. Alonso Garza is a senior ChE student from Austin, TX. He has interned with Olin Corporation in their Diaphragm Chlorine Plant and, currently, he is performing a co-op as a technical engineer in the Mont Belvieu Plastics Plant with ExxonMobil. Alonso is also a Terry Scholar at the University and has worked as a Physics Supplemental Instructor. Upon graduation, he hopes to continue building his career with ExxonMobil

ex4Syed Tahsin Islam is a junior in ChE minoring in Polymers and Materials Science from Bangladesh. He has worked as a TA and as a tutor. He is currently the Fuel Systems Lead for Project S.T.A.S.I.S, collaborating with interns at NASA to design a dedicated refueling Deep Space Transport for the Mars 2037 mission. Upon graduation, Syed intends to go to graduate school and earn a Ph.D. degree.

ex5Juan Lopez is a senior in ChE from Andrews, TX. He is currently doing research with Dr. Marston on the administering of medication by needle-free devices, and he previously interned at Lotus LLC. Juan has privately tutored general chemistry students and performed in the Texas Tech Matador Singers. Upon graduation, he plans to work in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.

ex6Anam Mahmood is a senior in ChE from Pakistan. She performed undergraduate research on a bioengineering project under Drs. Lacerda and Vanapalli last year. She is currently conducting research on polymers in the Nuraje Group. Anam is also a student in the Honors College at Tech. Upon graduation, she is interested in exploring her career options in industry.

ex7Uchenna Vivian Okoye is a senior in ChE minoring in Bioengineering. She is from Abia, Nigeria. She has worked as a tutor and as a mentor for first generation college students. She is a member of the National Society of Black Engineers, Society of Women Engineers, and AIChE. Uchenna hopes to participate in novel research her senior year and then work with an innovative company upon graduation.

ex8Amy Reed is a junior in ChE from Coppell, TX. She has performed undergraduate research for Dr. Casadonte on the synthesis of catalysts through the use of sonication, and she has been a mentor for the Honors College. Amy also worked as an intern at Mary Kay in the quality and validation department. She plans to pursue her MBA after graduation.

ex9Justin Rosenthal is a junior ChE minoring in Bioengineering from Albuquerque, NM. He is currently performing undergraduate research with Dr. Malmali on membrane separation processes, and this past summer Justin worked as an intern at Sandia National Laboratories where he conducted research with isoporous block copolymer films. After graduation, he plans to pursue a graduate degree in ChE.

ex10Akash Sharma is a junior ChE student minoring in Bioengineering from Wylie, TX. He conducts undergraduate research with Dr. Fernandes in the field of biosensing and volunteered abroad to help educate children from rural India. Post-graduation, he plans to attend medical school and become a surgeon specializing in artificial organ transplant.

ex11Chidera Ugwu is a junior ChE student from Houston, TX. He is active in organizations such as NSBE and Collegiate 100. Chidera worked as a facilities engineering intern for Chevron; in this role, he improved the efficiencies and overall processes of separators for multiple Chevron facilities. After graduation, he plans to pursue a career in the oil and gas industry.

ex12Yiwei Wang is a senior in Chemical Engineering from Shanghai, China. She is performing undergraduate research with Dr. Wiesner on optimizing solar plants outputs. She is also working with Dr. Liang in the Health Science Center to conduct research on ring-opening polymerization for used in bio-applications. After graduation, she plans to pursue an advanced degree in Chemical Engineering.