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MSE Annual Awards

Each year MSE faculty honor students in Materials Science & Engineering. Likewise, students honor outstanding teachers and mentors.

Student Awards

William E. Quist Award for an Outstanding Senior - Academic Achievement

For the senior who best demonstrates the academic achievement and the potential for professional leadership that Dr. Quist showed throughout his career. Academic achievement is based on cumulative GPA through winter quarter.

  • 2025: Benjamin Van Aken
  • 2024: Katherine Hinds
  • 2023: Claire Anderson
  • 2022: Taylor Juenke, Evan Truesdale
  • 2021: Liyang Wang
Richard L. Norris Award for an Outstanding Senior - Potential for Professional Leadership

For the senior who best demonstrates academic achievement and the potential for professional leadership. Academic achievement is based on cumulative GPA through winter quarter.

  • 2025: Octavia Prosser
  • 2024: Veronica Lapitan
  • 2023: Wyatt Blevins
  • 2022: Michael Holden, Logan Oster
  • 2021: Renjie Song
James I. Mueller Scholarship Award for an Outstanding Junior - Leadership

For academic performance during the junior year. Provides a $750 stipend to attend the American Ceramic Society meeting in the next academic year. Honors academic achievement, professional activities, and exemplary qualities of leadership. Academic achievement is based on cumulative GPA through winter quarter.

  • 2025: Owen Varang
  • 2024: Celine Lityo
  • 2023: Max Zipperer
  • 2022: Drew Burky
  • 2021: Taylor Juenke
Stephen P. Harris Memorial Award - Most Improvement in Academic Achievement

For the senior in whose academic record shows the greatest improvement during the preceding 5 quarters, through winter quarter of the current year.

  • 2025: Lisa Omdal
  • 2024: Michael Peters, Logan Snider
  • 2023: Anita Korchemniy
  • 2022: Griffin Chase
  • 2021: Jerry Hung
Douglas and Barbara Allan K-12 Outreach Award

One $2500 award to a graduate student and a second $2500 award to an undergraduate student. These awards recognize students who perform outstanding outreach to K-12 students. 

  • 2025 Undergraduate award: Zoe Blumenkranz
  • 2025 Graduate award: Mallory Parker
  • 2024 Undergraduate award: Sophia Ceteznik, Alex Vass
  • 2024 Graduate award: Chaman Gupta, Hareesh Iyer
  • 2023 Undergraduate award: George Fennell
  • 2023 Graduate award: Taylor Juenke
  • 2022 Undergraduate award: Emmy Markgraf
  • 2022 Graduate award: Jimin Qian
  • 2021 Undergraduate award: Xitlalit Sanchez-Martinez
    2021 Graduate award:  Breena Sperry
MSE Chair's Award

One $1000 award to an undergraduate student and a second $1000 award to a graduate student for academic excellence, societal engagement, and commitment to enhancing diversity in the Materials Science and Engineering department.  

  • 2025 Undergraduate award: Vanessa Bradshaw
  • 2025 Graduate award: Ian Campbell
  • 2024 Undergraduate award: Michel Bernardo
  • 2024 Graduate award: Colin Marquis
  • 2023 Undergraduate award: Kai Davis
  • 2023 Graduate award: Guanyou Lin
  • 2022 Undergraduate award: Brandon Lou, Victoria Wagner
    2022 Graduate award: Ian Campbell, Gwendolyn Janda
  • 2021 Undergraduate award: Erin Mee and Adam Alayli
    2021 Graduate award: Zainab Patel, Ngozi Ezeokeke

Teaching and Mentoring

MSE students vote to honor faculty and graduate student mentors in Materials Science & Engineering with the following awards.

Graduate Mentor of the Year

Selected by a vote of all MSE undergraduates for the graduate student who has provided outstanding contributions to the education and guidance of undergraduate students outside the classroom. Such mentoring may happen as part of engineering competitions or research projects, or may involve contributions such as explaining concepts, giving advice on improving grades or showing students how to find answers for themselves. Whatever their particular contributions, the recipients of the Graduate Mentor of the Year award are recognized for their efforts to enhance the undergraduate experience in the department.

  • 2025: Brandon Lou
  • 2024: Colin Marquis
  • 2023: Colin Marquis
  • 2022: Chaman Gupta
  • 2021: Jack Grimm
Teaching Assistant of the Year

By a vote of the junior class:

  • 2025: Abigail Sohm
  • 2024: Katherine Tang
  • 2023: Colin Marquis
  • 2022: Chaman Gupta
  • 2021: Julia White
Teaching Assistant of the Year

By a vote of the senior class:

  • 2025: Paulina Portales
  • 2024: Katherine Tang
  • 2023: Chaman Gupta
  • 2022: Katherine Tang
  • 2021: Shivesh Sivakumar
Faculty of the Year

By a vote of the junior class:

  • 2025: Hanson Fong
  • 2024: Hanson Fong
  • 2023: Matt Yankowitz, Eleftheria Roumeli
  • 2022: Peter Pauzauskie
  • 2021: Peter Pauzauskie
Faculty of the Year

By a vote of the senior class:

  • 2025: Navid Zobeiry
  • 2024: Dwayne Arola
  • 2023: Eleftheria Roumeli
  • 2022: Dwayne Arola
  • 2021: Dwayne Arola
Faculty of the Year

By a vote of the AMP graduate students:

  • 2025: Guozhong Cao, Juan Carlos Idrobo
  • 2024: Peter Pauzauskie
  • 2023: Juan Carlos Idrobo
  • 2022: Di Xiao
  • 2021: Peter Pauzauskie
Faculty of the Year

By a vote of the Ph.D. graduate students:

  • 2025: Dwayne Arola
  • 2024: Kannan Krishnan, Eleftheria Roumeli
  • 2023: Eleftheria Roumeli
  • 2022: Dwayne Arola, Eleftheria Roumeli, Di Xiao
  • 2021: Peter Pauzauskie