Alumni Awards

College of Engineering Outstanding Alumni Award Recipients
(2010-present)

Distinguished Alumni Award 

Visionary leaders in their field, recipients of this honor have reached exceptional levels of professional and personal achievement. This award recognizes distinguished leadership, service, teaching, innovation, and other exemplary accomplishments that positively impact society and the engineering profession.  

Outstanding Young Alumni Award 

Emerging leaders in the early stages of their careers, recipients of this honor are generally no more than ten years out from receiving their UMass Engineering PhD or generally no more than fifteen years out from receiving their UMass Engineering undergraduate degree. This award recognizes outstanding professional and personal achievements and highlights the recipient’s ambitions and potential to positively impact UMass, the Commonwealth, the nation, and the world. 

2024

Distinguished Alumni Award

• Ron Kraus ’94, mechanical engineering, awarded by biomedical engineering, Syner-G BioPharma Group
• Carrie Lavallee ’03, civil Engineering, MassDOT Highway
• Imona Omole ’04, chemical engineering, Verdant Energy, LLC
• Raquel Rivera ’92, mechanical engineering, Pratt & Whitney
• Rouzbeh R. Taghizadeh ’00, chemical engineering, awarded by biomedical engineering, Kendall Innovations
• Jennifer Anne Watson ’95, ’97MS, electrical engineering, MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Outstanding Young Alumni Award

• Casey Fontana ’19PhD, civil engineering, Invenergy
• Ashley Kaiser ’17, chemical engineering, 6K Inc.
• Brycen Luis Spencer ’09, mechanical engineering, Siemens Digital Industries Software
• Fadi Zoghzoghy ’10, electrical engineering, BridgeAthletic

2023

Distinguished Alumni Award

• Paul Banks ’81, Mechanical Engineering
• Charlie Jacco ’02, Computer Engineering
• Kristin M. Neff ’88, Electrical Engineering
• Peter J. Quigley ’84, ’88MS, Civil Engineering
• Nilesh Shah ’85PhD, Chemical Engineering  

Outstanding Young Alumni Award

• Rim Benoud-Schmitz ’12, Industrial Engineering
• Sara Green ’14PhD, Chemical Engineering
• Yesher Larsen ’09, ’11MS, Environmental Engineering
• Arnaz Malhi ’06MS, Mechanical Engineering
• Andrew C. Sousa ’15, ’17MS, Electrical Engineering

2022

Distinguished Alumni Award

• Carl Christenson ’82, ’84 MS, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
• Gillian Gregory ’82 MS, ’86 PhD, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Thomas Martin ’94, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Antonis Papadourakis ’85 PhD, Chemical Engineering
• Karen St. Germain ’93 PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Outstanding Young Alumni Award

• Monique Farrell ’14, Chemical Engineering
• David Hurwitz ’04, ’06 MS, ’09 PhD, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Julie E. Matthew ’04, Chemical Engineering
• Dragana Perkovic-Martin ’08 PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Thomas Sebastian ’12 PhD, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

2021

Distinguished Alumni Award

• Victor Bahl ’97 PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Jeffrey Elkins ’86, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
• Robert W. Ivester ’91, ’93 MS, ’96 PhD, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
• Edward H. Kalajian ’69 MS, ’71 PhD, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Christine Seymour ’95 PhD, Chemical Engineering

Outstanding Young Alumni Award

• Kokui Francisca Adesokan ’09, Chemical Engineering
• Jacob Lauzier ’07, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Christine Roy ’04, ’05 MS, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Banafsheh Seyed-Aghazadeh ’15 PhD, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
• Akshaya Shanmugam ’12 MS, ’15 PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering

2020

Distinguished Alumni Award

• Amir Amini ’83, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Rena Bizios  ’68, Chemical Engineering
• Nick Bowen  ’92 PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Lizetta Fennessy ’92, ’94 MS, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Emanuel Melachrinoudis ’80 PhD, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Outstanding Young Alumni Award

• David Babson ’04, Chemical Engineering
• Ivan Bercovich ’09, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Christina Jones ’07, ’09 MS, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Paul Witherell ’04, ’06 MS, ’09 PhD, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

2018

Senior

• Mark Bradley ’79, Chemical Engineering
• Sadiye F. Guler ’96 PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Jennifer Jordan ’93, ’96 MS, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Frank Riordan ’91, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Junior

• Daniel S. Amichetti ’12, Chemical Engineering
• Seth J. Berkowitz ’12, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Kenneth B. Canty ’98, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Brian Mullen ’04, ’07 MS, ’09 PhD, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

2017

Senior

• Jon W. Dietrich ’69, ’74 MS, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Ellen J. Ferraro ’89, ’94 PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Spyros Michail ’88 MS, ’91 MS, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
• Karin Rotem ’99 PhD, Chemical Engineering

Junior

• Marnie A. Bonner ’09, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
• Dawn T. Eriksen-Stapleton ’07, Chemical Engineering
• Yong Liu ’02 PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Heather A. Rothenberg ’03 MS, ’09 PhD, Civil and Environmental Engineering

2016

Senior

• Roberto Padovani ’83MS, ’85PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
• Edward S. Price ’90, Chemical Engineering Department
• Martin C. Ross ’86, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department
• John P. Sullivan Jr. ’72, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department

Junior

• Vered Bisker-Leib ’02MBA, ’03PhD, Chemical Engineering Department
• Aaron M. Dollar ’00, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department
• Tiffany (Tauscher) Labrie ’03, ’05MS, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
• Justin Peavey ’93, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department

2015

Senior

• David Eley '91MS, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
• Gordon (Don) Hutchins Jr. '70, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
• Ronald LaBarre '73, Chemical Engineering Department
• G. Don Taylor Jr. '90PhD, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department

Junior

• Jordan H. Crafts ’05, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
• Kevin Machado Ferreira '07, Chemical Engineering Department
• Lisandra Garay-Vega '04MS, '08PhD, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
• Juan (Jay) F. Latorre III '07, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
• Miriam Pabón-González '01PhD, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department

2014

Senior

• Daniel Adams, B.S. ’86, M.S. ’88, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
• Robert (Bob) Hagerty, B.S. ’74, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department
• Dave Barry, B.S. ’73, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department
• David White, B.S. ’77; M.S. ‘78, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department

Junior

• Rakesh Keswani, B.S. ’95, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department
• Bing Mei, Ph.D. ’08, Chemical Engineering Department
• Vishal Misra, M.S. ’96, Ph.D. ’00, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
• Huiya Wu, B.S. ’96, Chemical Engineering Department

2013

Senior

• Massoud Amin, B.S. '82, M.S. '85, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• John M. Cryan, B.S. '58, Mechanical Engineering
• Paul D. Engel, B.S. '74, Computer Systems Engineering
• Kenneth A. Lloyd, B.S. '73, Mechanical Engineering
• Michael S. Sarli, B.S. '75, Chemical Engineering

Junior

• Anatoly M. Darov, B.S. '94, M.S. '96, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Thomas J. Laramee, B.S. '94, Mechanical Engineering,
  M.S. '97, Electrical &Computer Engineering
• David M. Lucia, B.S. '92, Electrical Engineering

2012

Senior

• Najmi Jarwala, M.S. '86, Ph.D. '88, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Roberto Leon, B.S. '79, Civil Engineering
• F. Michael Mahoney, B.S. '83, Civil Engineering,
  M.S. '85, Mechanical Engineering
• Barry Siadat, M.S. '77, Polymer Science and Engineering,
  Ph.D. '79, Chemical Engineering
• Eric Swanson, B.S. '82, Electrical Engineering

Junior

• Shawn P. Kelley, B.S. '94, MS '97, Ph.D. '03, Civil Engineering
• Borislava Kostova, Ph.D. '06, Chemical Engineering
• Jessica Townsend, B.S. '94, Mechanical Engineering
• Joel Voldman, B.S. '95, Electrical Engineering

2011

Senior

• Ruth M. Bonsignore, B.S. '83, Civil Engineering
• Apostle G. Cardiasmenos, M.S. '76, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D. '78,
  Astronomy (posthumous)
• Thomas J. Lyden, B.S. '72, M.S. '73, Mechanical Engineering
• Vincent G. Murphy, M.S. '67, Ph.D. '71, Chemical Engineering

Junior

• Amy B. Cerato, M.S. '01, Civil and Environmental Engineering, M.S. '04, Geoscience, Ph.D. '05, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Scot P. Chisholm, B.S. '04, Industrial Engineering
• Brian Q. Huppi, B.S. '93, Civil Engineering, B.S. '98, Electrical Engineering
• David A. Sturgis, B.S. '00, Chemical Engineering
• Thomas A. Sturgis, B.S. '00, Chemical Engineering
• Patrick D. Walsh, B.S. '03, Mechanical Engineering

2010

Senior

• Michael G. Hluchyj '76, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• David C. Jeanes '73, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Paul C. Washburn, III '81, Industrial Engineering, '84 MBA
• William E. Woodburn, Jr. '56, Chemical Engineering

Junior

• Alaina B. Hanlon MS '05, PhD '08, Mechanical Engineering
• Willard S. MacDonald '94, Electrical and Computer Engineering, MS '96 Computer Science
• Stephanie Raimondeau PhD '02, Chemical Engineering
  & Joseph Watson '00, Chemical Engineering
• Prabhjeet Raj Singh MS '01, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Historical Alumni Awards from the College of Engineering

Alumnus/Alumna of the Year Award (2000-2003)

This award recognizes outstanding career achievement, civic involvement, and service to the College of Engineering and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

College of Engineering Duane E. Cromack Young Alumni Award

This award was established in 1996 by the Engineering Alumni Association in honor of Dean Cromack on his retirement. It recognizes alumni, age 35 or younger, for their success in the application of their engineering education in work after graduation from the university. Such achievement may be in a number of fields such as engineering practice, administration, research, consulting, and teaching.

College of Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients
(1974 –1998)

University Level Alumni Awards

Chancellor's Medal - Alumni

The Chancellor’s Medal is the highest honor bestowed on individuals for exemplary and extraordinary service to the campus.

Honorary Degrees

Recipients of an honorary degree are individuals of exceptional distinction who have achieved outstanding intellectual, social, or creative achievements in a specific field of endeavor and/or have made extraordinary contributions to the University of Massachusetts Amherst or to the Commonwealth.

Honorary Alumnus

Distinguished Alumni Award

Distinguished Service to the University