Cornell Duffield College of Engineering recognized faculty and staff whose work ranges from student advising and chip design to research partnerships and financial planning at its fifth annual EPICC Awards ceremony Oct. 8.
The awards, presented in Statler Auditorium, reflect the college's five stated values: excellence, purpose, innovation, community and collaboration, according to Cornell's account of the ceremony. The program drew 103 nominations from 95 community members this year.
Recipients based in Duffield Engineering received physical and monetary awards, while honorary recipients from other Cornell units received physical awards. The college also introduced an award recognizing all five values, named for associate dean for administration Erin Mulrooney, who founded and led the EPICC Awards program.
Excellence and purpose
Five people received Excellence Awards. Ashley Blank, assistant director for undergraduate studies in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, was recognized for improving advising through earlier identification of students who need support and individualized plans. Engineering advising associate director Ryan DeLany was honored for advising hundreds of students while overseeing transfer credits, liberal studies requirements and study abroad programming.
Marianna Grigorov, project coordinator for the New York Consortium for Space Technology Innovation and Development, closed out a multimillion-dollar NASA award involving more than 30 institutions. She also started a rotational internship program and developed STEM partnerships reaching 33 Finger Lakes libraries.
Materials science and engineering associate professor Andrej Singer was recognized for battery-degradation research, energy and quantum-materials collaborations, graduate-studies leadership and mentorship. Stephen Smith, associate dean of alumni affairs and development, was honored for his role in the college's record fundraising year, including the gift that named Duffield Engineering.
The Purpose Awards recognized five more employees. Major gift officer Jen Gabriel supported a symposium on 140 years of Cornell women in engineering, the Engineering Innovations in Medicine Initiative and relationships that expanded undergraduate opportunities. Communications coordinator Kathy Henion helped build the public presence of biomedical engineering initiatives, improved communications processes and mentored student science writers.
Eric Gentsch, a professor of practice in operations research and information engineering, was recognized for directing the Master of Engineering program and developing proposals for new learning options. Student-services administrative assistant Cindy Pakkala was honored for more than four decades supporting academic integrity, curriculum governance, student employment and teaching. Heather Parente, senior director of finance and budget, developed budget-planning models and supported the creation of the Engineering Finance Group during a period of financial uncertainty.
Innovation and community
Innovation Award recipient James Antaki, a biomedical engineering professor, brought improvisation and brainstorming into design courses, developed a course on inventive problem-solving and expanded clinical immersion opportunities. Electrical and computer engineering professor Chris Batten integrated modern software tools and hands-on chip design into coursework and established the Cornell Custom Silicon Systems project team, now involving more than 75 students.
Laura Schoenle, associate director for research engagement, standardized research-for-credit procedures, built assessment systems and secured funding for the Rising Researchers Program, which reached more than 250 students in one semester. Data analyst Qian Xu created dashboards, research-funding models and a centralized reporting catalog for college planning.
Student Project Teams leaders Gibran el-Sulayman, Noah Hamm, Kate Reiter, Lauren Stulgis and Alan Zehnder were jointly honored for coordinating leadership development, assessment and safety in a program serving more than 1,800 students annually across 36 multidisciplinary teams.
Community Awards went to electrical and computer engineering professor Alyssa Apsel for eight years leading the school and connecting the Ithaca and Cornell Tech campuses, and administrator Kyle Barnhart for his work across earth and atmospheric sciences and civil and environmental engineering.
Systems engineering graduate-programs assistant director Jessica Beebe was recognized for advising and supporting hundreds of students and helping increase applications. Elizabeth Bentz and Hannah Peck, who coordinate graduate and undergraduate student services in applied and engineering physics, were honored jointly for improving academic support and administrative tools. Human resources associate director Sue Shipman was recognized for helping integrate 19 employees into the Engineering Finance Group during organizational change.
Collaboration and a new core-values award
Collaboration Awards recognized teaching support specialist Kristal Harry for work on materials science laboratories, Cornell Rocketry and new teaching labs in Tang Hall, and administrator Katie Jacoby for supporting two engineering departments through transitions and staff development.
Biomedical engineering professor Jan Lammerding established the Mechanobiology Hub and organized its first symposium, which brought together 181 participants from 17 institutions. Grant coordinator Roger Miller of Cornell's Office of Sponsored Programs received an honorary award for helping engineering researchers prepare proposals and meet sponsor requirements.
Mathematics instructors Tara Holm, Kelly Pohland and David Freund received honorary recognition for developing preparation and calculus instruction for engineering students, including a summer program that improved outcomes for students entering Math 1910, according to the college.
Kristie Blake, director of alumni engagement, became the first recipient of the Erin Mulrooney Core Values Award. Dean Lynden Archer selected Blake for her work organizing events, connecting college stakeholders and developing alumni engagement. The award will be presented annually to a recipient chosen by the dean in consultation with Duffield Engineering leaders.
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