7/19/2020
Illinois ECE is internationally recognized as one of the most rigorous and demanding engineering programs, and the students being honored with these awards are among the program's top performers.
Written by
It is my special pleasure to congratulate this year’s Illinois ECE Student Awardees. Unfortunately, we are unable to celebrate our student’s great accomplishments in-person this year, but I am pleased to announce these well-deserved honors to our outstanding students.
Illinois ECE is internationally recognized as one of the most rigorous and demanding engineering programs, and the students being honored with these awards are among our top performers. Their entrepreneurial spirit, their work ethic, and their integrity will establish them as tomorrow’s leaders.
Our department’s objective is to support and encourage these students’ academic and intellectual growth, and to prepare them to uphold the tradition of excellence demonstrated by thousands of alumni who have come first. We can’t do it alone, though, which is why we are so grateful for the support of generous donors, corporate partners, and foundations. They make possible these awards, scholarships, and fellowships, and are therefore integral to our mission.
- Bruce Hajek, Department Head, Leonard C. and Mary Lou Hoeft Endowed Chair in Engineering
UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS
3M-ECE Scholarship
3M is excited to partner and invest in ECE ILLINOIS students through this scholarship that supports underrepresented students. These scholarships will allow our students to continue to develop the exceptional professional skills that make ECE ILLINOIS graduates the most sought-after innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs, and leaders in industry and academia.
Yurui Cao
Soo Min Kimm
Ackmann Family Scholarship
This scholarship was established by the Ackmann Family and is awarded to a student in the top 10 percent of his or her class.
Alexander Littlefield
Haoyang Zhang
Alwan Engineering Scholarship
Basil H. Alwan (BSCcompE ’84) established this scholarship because he felt the path he took through ECE ILLINOIS was important to his professional success, and he wanted others to have the same good fortune.
Neha Agarwal
Christelle Seri
Barbara H. and Brian L. Renwick Electrical Engineering Scholarship
Brian Renwick (BSEE ’73, MSEE ’75) established this scholarship with his wife, Barbara Renwick, in 2006. In addition to academic excellence, the recipients must have demonstrated an interest in power engineering.
Andrew Miller
Samira Tungare
Bradley A. Simmons Memorial Scholarship
Jiyu Hu
Bradley J. Griffis Scholarship
This scholarship was given by Phillip M. Lachman (BSEE ’04) in honor of his friend and mentor, Bradley J. Griffis (BSEE ’01, MS ’03). It supports outstanding students in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Vatsala Verma
Brian & Sophie Leung Scholarship
Brian and Sophie Leung are alumni of the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. Brian Leung received a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and computer science in 1970 and a Master of Science in electrical engineering in 1973. Mrs. Leung majored in mathematics and received a Bachelor of Science in liberal arts and sciences in 1969. Both returned home to Hong Kong in 1973. Since then they founded their own company in property holding and garment trading. Currently, both are directors of Golden Emblem Investment Co. Ltd. And Bay Apparel Ltd. In Hong Kong. Mr. Leung is also the president of Seattle Pacific Industries, wholesale distributors of Unionbay Sportswear, in Seattle, Washington.
The scholarship is given annually to a junior or senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign enrolled in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering with an outstanding scholastic record.
Kai Chieh Chang
Ningdong Wang
Jiarui Zou
Bruce C. Mather Memorial ECE Scholarship
The interests of Bruce C. Mather (BSEE ’80, MSEE ’83, PhD ’86) varied greatly, and he excelled at them all, including roles as a mentor, musician, and technical director. This scholarship supports a student dedicated to completing the rigorous work of earning an engineering degree.
Sruthi Bhattiprolu
Shiru Shong
Daniel W. and Carol A. Dobberpuhl Electrical and Computer Engineering Scholarship
An Illinois native, Dan Dobberpuhl (BSEE ’67) has had a vibrant career including the
U.S. Department of Defense and the General Electric Integrated Circuits Lab. In 1976, he moved to the microprocessor industry with the Semiconductor Engineering Group at Digital Equipment Corporation where he started as a design engineer and rose to become one of five senior corporate consulting engineers. In 1993, he founded and directed two DEC Design Centers where the high performance, low power StrongARM chip was developed. Later, he co-founded SiByte, leading the design of the first commercial Multi-Core SOC processor. After acquisition, he co-founded P.A. Semi, a fabless semiconductor company that designed the PWRficient family of Power Architecture processors, which was acquired by Apple in 2008. He and his wife Carol recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They have two children and two grandchildren, and currently reside in California.
Shreyas Gandlur
Kuilin Li
Donald R. and Arline D. Jeschke Scholarship
This scholarship was created in memory of Donald Jeschke (BSEE ’55), who met his wife, Arline (BS accountancy ’55), at Illinois. It is for Illinois residents who graduated from an Illinois high school, are studying electrical engineering, and demonstrate both academic merit and financial need. The Jeschkes have a strong belief in education and hope to allow students to achieve their goals with extra financial support.
Abigail Starr
Dr. Milton Feng Scholarship in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Professor Milton Feng, Nick Holonyak Jr. Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering, is best known for the co-invention and realization of the transistor laser. This discovery opened up new frontiers in optoelectronics integration as well as fast laser modulation, switching and signal processing.
Xiaolin Wu
ECE Alumni Association Scholarship
The ECE Alumni Scholarship is presented to a student in recognition of academic achievement and financial need. This scholarship includes, upon graduation, a life membership in the University of Illinois ECE Alumni Association.
Chenyang Huang
Jia Huang
Varad Khandelwal
Xiangyuan Zhang
ECE Engineering Visionary Scholarship
Launched with the help of an endowment from the Grainger Engineering Breakthrough Initiative, the Engineering Visionary Scholarship (EVS) Initiative boosts our ability to bring the best engineers to Illinois.
Tara D'Souza
Annabelle Epplin
Mary Farruggio
Nisha Kolagotla
Liana Koleva
Beulah Lee
Leanne Lee
Pauline Lu
Sophia Marhoul
Abigail Mohan
Emma L. Marshall Scholarship
This scholarship was established in honor of Emma Marshall, a long-time ECE employee. For the final 15 years of her career, Emma was ECE’s student relations coordinator. This scholarship was created by the ECE Alumni Board to honor Emma at her retirement in March 2007.
Charles Zhang
Ernest A. Tolli Memorial Scholarship
Dominic M. Tolli (BSEE ’88, MS ’90) established this award in 2011 with his wife, Natalie J. Tolli, to honor the memory of his grandfather, Ernest A. Tolli. The recipients must be electrical engineering students of outstanding academic merit.
Yicong Dong
Floyd E. Lundgren Scholarship
Established in memory of Floyd E. Lundgren (BSEE ‘18), this scholarship is given to students majoring in electrical engineering who have demonstrated academic merit and who have participated in extracurricular activities.
Wentao Jiang
Frank C. Mock Scholarship
This scholarship is given in honor of the Frank C. Mock family to help top ECE students who have indicated financial need. It was Mr. Mock’s wish that the funds be used to assure that qualified students would not be denied an education because of lack of financial aid.
Yurui Cao
Victoria Colthurst
Priyal Gosar
Pooja Kankani
Soo min Kimm
Roshini Saravanakumar
Xiaowei Yuan
Frank D. and Irene M. Low Scholarship
Funds for this scholarship came as a bequest from Frank D. (BSEE ’34) and Irene M. Low. This scholarship is given to ECE juniors and seniors who show outstanding academic achievement.
Pakhi Gupta
Frederick D. Secor Memorial Scholarship
In July 1945, Bessie Secor established a scholarship fund in ECE in memory of her father, Frederick. Today, the funds target the most outstanding students in the country and help bring them to Illinois.
Michelle Zhang
George A. and Ina M. Zehr Scholarship
Richard M. Zehr (BSEE ’47, MSEE ’48) established this scholarship in memory of his parents, George A. Zehr (BSEE ’18) and Ina. A passion for solving problems was a family trait, and Richard went on to become a senior staff engineer at Viatran Corporation.
Maohao Shen
George and Cynthia Anner Scholarship
This scholarship was established by George and Cynthia Anner and is awarded to a student in the top 10 percent of his or her class.
Emma Erickson
Harriett & Robert Perry Scholarship
Harriett and Robert Perry (BSEE ’32) established this scholarship in 1997. The scholarship supports outstanding undergraduate and graduate students.
Kuilin Li
Henneman Scholarship in Electrical & Computer Engineering
Through their Champaign-based company, Henneman Engineering Inc., father and son, Ralph J. (BSEE ’49) and Michael J. Henneman (BSEE ’75, MBA ’83), established this scholarship in 1986. It recognizes a junior or senior with an outstanding scholastic record and an interest in power distribution.
Julianna Gecsey
Henry O. Koehler Merit Scholarship
This scholarship, established in 1987, is given in memory of Henry O. Koehler (BSEE ’22). The recipients must be juniors or seniors with outstanding scholastic records
Yunhan Wang
Dean Biskup
Shreyas Gandlur
Keshav Harisrikanth
Xiaoqiao Hu
Howard Li
Alan Ren
Marshall Shriner
Kevin Su
Samantha Walter
Henry Wu
David Yan
Herbert Y. and Stella S. Chang Scholarship
Herbert Y. and Stella S. Chang (PhD ’64 and MS statistics ‘66, respectively) established this endowed scholarship to support female students of Asian, Hispanic, or African-American heritage. The intent is to encourage recipients to study for and pursue a career in engineering.
Yen-Ling Chiang
Xiaolin Wu
IEEE Central Illinois Section (CILS) Scholarship
This is a one-year scholarship given to undergraduate students. It recognizes members of IEEE who’ve demonstrated their involvement in the organization who are also Illinois residents.
Owen Brown
Shana Milby
Daksh Varshney
IEEE Power and Energy Society Scholarship Plus Initiative
This award is given to students in the area of power and energy.
Cole Froelich
Andrew Miller
Noah Salk
Homero Vazquez
Chuangyi Zhang
Indira (Gunda) Saladi ECE Undergraduate Research Scholarship
While at ECE ILLINOIS, Indira Saladi (BSEE ’90) did research with Professor Wen-mei Hwu, which turned out to be one of the formative experiences while at Illinois. Saladi established this award because her son, Shyam (BSEE ‘14 and BS, molecular and cellular biology ‘14), has chosen a career in research, and she wants to encourage, give visibility to, and reward undergraduate engineering students who have also chosen to pursue research.
Yurui Cao
Yulin He
Lukas Janavicius
Ingram Family Scholarship
Education has always been a priority for Bryan T. Ingram (BSEE ‘86). Now senior VP of Broadcom, he is originally from Perry County, Illinois. This scholarship was created to help students in good academic standing pursue their education.
Noah Conner
Jeewan Singh and Simranjeet Kaur Ghuman Scholarship
This scholarship was created by Jeewan Signh Ghuman (BSEE ’07) to benefit future generations through support to undergraduate students in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Shayna Kapadia
John and Shelia Woythal Scholarship
This scholarship was created by John and Sheila Woythal to support undergraduate students in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Shreyas Byndoor
Benjamin Cross
Grzegorz Gruba
John Kyung Han
Bryan Huang Atakan Ozyapici
Satwik Anjaney Pachigolla
Jonathan Paulson
Joseph W. Lyding Endowed Scholarship
This scholarship was created to honor current ECE faculty Professor Joseph W. Lyding. Professor Lyding was recruited to Illinois in 1984 by John Bardeen to work on the 1D charge density wave problem. He constructed the first atomic resolution scanning tunneling microscope (STM) in the Midwestern United States and one of the earliest STMs in the US. He followed this by inventing an ultra-stable STM in 1987 that was patented (US Patent 4,841,148) and licensed by the University of Illinois to RHK and McAllister Technical Services. Lyding's design has been copied worldwide and has also been included in major textbooks on surface science.
Jiarui Zou
Jules D. Falzer Scholarship
These scholarships are given in memory of Mr. Jules D. Falzer (BSEE ‘60). They are presented to juniors or seniors in the department with an outstanding scholastic record.
Joo yong Chung
Omar Kazi
Alkin Ozyapici
Anabel Rivera
Kaskowitz Family Scholarship
This scholarship was established by Michael Kaskowitz (BSEE ’80) to support outstanding students in ECE.
Jacqueline Jiang
Kenneth P. and Claire V. Gibbs Scholarship
This scholarship was established by Dr. Kenneth P. (MS ‘80) and Claire V. Gibbs. The scholarship was set up in order to provide financial aid to undergraduate students.
Peter Leung
Kwon Family Scholarship
This scholarship was created by Howard A. Kwon (BSEE '88) in memory of his father, Joon T. Kwon (BS Chem '57), to support outstanding students in ECE who wish to continue their education by pursuing a graduate degree in ECE.
Kuilin Li
Lauren Kelley Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship was created by Howard A. Kwon (BSEE '88) in memory of his father, Joon T. Kwon (BS Chem '57), to support outstanding students in ECE who wish to continue their education by pursuing a graduate degree in ECE.
Zikun Chen
O. Thomas and Martha S. Purl Scholarship
O. Thomas Purl (BS Engineering ’48, BSEE ’51, MS ’52, PhD ‘55) and his wife, Martha S. Purl, established this scholarship in 1995 to recognize students who demonstrate academic excellence and creative leadership.
Shudong Huang
Oakley Scholarship in Electrical and Computer Engineering
These scholarships were funded by the Oakley family of Quincy, III., at the suggestion of Professor Emeritus Burks Oakley II. The scholarship recognizes sophomores who have shown outstanding academic merit and leadership.
Elizabeth Atkinson
Elizabeth Boehning
Yuhan Guo
Anna Miller
Omron Electrical Engineering Scholarship
Sponsored by the Omron Foundation, this scholarship comes out of the College of Engineering and is presented to juniors or seniors majoring in electrical engineering who have an interest in the field of electronics.
Arjun Gupta
Keshav Harisrikanth
Wentao Jiang
Peter W. Sauer Scholarship
This scholarship was created to honor current ECE ILLINOIS faculty member and Grainger Chair in Electrical Engineering, Professor Pete Sauer. It is presented to outstanding students who have demonstrated interest in topics including, but not limited to, power, engineering, power electronics, power and energy systems, or related topics. It is supported by former students of Professor Sauer who hold him in the highest regard and because of the lasting impact he has had on their lives.
Andrew Miller
Samira Tungare
Henry Wu
Professor G.H. Fett Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship was created to honor Professor Gilbert H. Fett. Professor Fett taught electrical engineering courses for ECE ILLINOIS and wrote the book on circuit analysis. He was one of the professors who worked on the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagphur - University of Illinois cooperative project, and lived in Kharagphur for two years in the early 1960s. His students remember Professor Fett as a dry-humored instructor who focused on the fundamentals, providing a great foundation through which many problems could be solved.
Jed Boyer
David Young
Professor N. Narayana Rao Scholarship
This scholarship award was established in honor of N. Narayana Rao, who served as a faculty member in the department from 1965 until his retirement in 2007.
Sanat Pandey
Robert C. MacClinchie Scholarship
Robert C. MacClinchie (BSEE ’32) spent nearly three decades with the federal government as a rural electrification engineer and also as an assistant director of the budget for the Department of Defense. This scholarship recognizes a junior for academic excellence and extracurricular leadership.
Noah Salk
Robert M. Janowiak Scholarship
This scholarship honors the memory of Robert M. Janowiak (BSEE ‘57). The scholarship is given to a student who excels in both academics and leadership.
Qingxi Meng
Sparking Curiosity Scholarship
Yang Zhao (BSEE ‘09; MS ‘11) created the Sparking Curiosity scholarship to help future generations of engineering students, especially those with financial need.
Christopher Daniels
Texas Instruments Women STEM Star Scholarships
May 2017, “The Quintessential Engineer” was unveiled on the engineering quad. This statue of a woman engineer was generously funded by Texas Instruments and designed to inspire young women. On the day of the unveiling, TI announced the new Women STEM Star Scholarships to support women in electrical and computer engineering.
Aparajitha Adiraju
Sarah Angelbeck
Saidivya Ashok
Ji Yeon In
Gina Jiang
Nadia Mohiuddin
Erin Sarver
Hailan Shanbhag
Alexandria Valdez
Aashana Wadhwa
TIA- Robert Williams Pullen Foundation Scholarship
The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) established this award in 2013 to recognize the career of Robert Pullen (BSEE ’85), who served as president and CEO of Tellabs, the Illinois-based telecommunications company, and chairman and chairman emeritus of the TIA Board of Directors. This scholarship supports undergraduate students of good character who have strong academic merit and an interest in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry.
Qingxi Meng
Vincent A. and Janet O’Brien Scholarship
This scholarship was established by Vincent E. O’Brien (BSEE ’67), in honor of his parents, Vincent A. and Janet O’Brien. It is used to recruit top students into our department.
Elizabeth Boehning
Elisa Krause
Sabrina Moheydeen
W. J. “Jerry” Sanders III-Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Scholarship
Established in 2008 by Jerry Sanders III (BSEE ’58), co-founder and longtime CEO of Advanced Micro Devices, this award is given to top freshman applicants based on high school GPA, class rank, and SAT and ACT scores.
Kelsey Chang
Sanjana Chunduri
Alice Getmanchuk
Katrina Pang
Rebecca Rauschmayer
William J. Mayer Engineering Scholarship
Jacob Mueller
Jason Pan
Nicholas Trueb
GRADUATE FELLOWSHIPS
A.R. Buck Knight Fellowship
This award was established by Betty Ann Knight to honor the memory of her father, Professor A.R. “Buck” Knight. Professor Knight, is a member of the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering from 1913 to 1954, was well-known for his numerous contributions to campus and community affairs and for his concerns for students.
Rong Guo
Dan Vivoli Endowed Fellowship
This fellowship is named for Dan Vivoli (BSEE ‘83). Established in 2008, the fellowship is given to students interested in the use of GPUs in parallel computing, in solving high-performance computing problems, or in the development of new GPU applications.
Renan Rojas Gomez
Dr. Ok Kyun Kim Fellowship
Alumnus Dr. Ok Kyun Kim (BSEE ’64, MSEE ’66) earned a bachelor’s in mining engineering from Seoul National University, Korea, in 1958, and then came to the University of Illinois. Here he earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering and worked in the Antenna Laboratory, mentored by Professor John Dyson. Dr. Kim later earned a PhD from Michigan State University and worked for Texas Instruments in Dallas. In 1979, he founded EM Technologies, Inc. and grew the company to become a leader in manufacturing antennas for radio communication industries.
Sidharth Gupta
ECE Distinguished Research Fellowship
The ECE Distinguished Research Fellowship helps the department bring top students to Illinois for their graduate studies. It is supported in memory of Henry O. Koehler, an alumnus of the department. He received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1922. Mr. Koehler passed away on August 2, 1987. A merit scholarship has also been established in his name.
Sourya Basu
Melissa Bezandry
Shetty Chirag
Kristina Chu
Megan Culler
Kavita Desai
Brendan Eng
Liuqing Gao
Brian Li
Elie Libbos
Julian Michaels
Austin Steinforth
Riley Vesto
ECE Rambus Fellowship in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Dr. Michael Farmwald donated stock from Rambus, Inc. to Illinois to be used to provide funds for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The Rambus Computer Engineering Fellowship has been established to recognize a graduate student in the computer engineering area for outstanding research.
Hassan Dbouk
Yudu Li
Krishnakant Saboo
Hussein Sibai
Matthew Tomei
Liming Wang
Yu-LinWei
Ernest A. Reid Fellowship
In 1917, Ernest A. Reid (BSEE ’14, MSEE ’15, DES ’27), returned to his alma mater as an instructor of electrical engineering and became a full professor in 1946. Among his many contributions to the department, he developed a training procedure for new teaching assistants. This fellowship, established in 1983, recognizes a graduate student for exceptional promise in pursuit of an academic career, particularly demonstrating an interest in and a capability for instruction.
Corey Synder
Sakshi Srivastava
Harriett & Robert Perry Fellowship
In 1996, the Harriett and Robert Perry Fellowship was created by a gift from Robert Perry (BSEE ’32). Mr. Perry and his late wife wished to establish a fund that would help to ease the financial burden for students in ECE seeking an advanced degree. The fellowship is presented to a graduate student who demonstrates promise, but has a financial need as a result of the need to support a family or a lack of funding.
Yamuna Phal
Hong, McCully, and Allen Fellowship
Se June Hong (MS ’67, PhD ’69) and his wife, Karen McCully Hong (BA Social Studies ’68, MA Social Sciences ’69), established this fellowship, in 2012, out of gratitude to Clifton Royal Allen, a lawyer and philanthropist in Southern California who sponsored Se June’s graduate work at Illinois. The award also recognizes Allen’s daughter, Virginia Astier, a life-long humanitarian. The recipient is to be a member of the IEEE and through this membership confirm his or her commitment to abide by its Code of Ethics, now and throughout his or her career.
Kaiqing Zhang
James M. Henderson Fellowship
Joan K. Henderson of San Diego, California, set up this fellowship in 1999, in memory of her husband, James M. Henderson (BSEE ’47). The fellowship is awarded to a first-year graduate student who has demonstrated excellent research and extracurricular leadership as an undergraduate student.
Megan Culler
Viraj Shah
Joan & Lalit Bahl Fellowship
During the past three decades, Lalit Bahl (MS ’66, PhD ’69) pioneered the development of methods and algorithms for speech recognition at IBM. This fellowship was established by Bahl and his wife, Kavita Kinra in 2008, to support an incoming graduate student who shows promise in research. Preference is given to students who are from India and have family still residing there.
Vikram Sharma Mailthody
Shivang Agrawal
Suraj Jog
Ashok Makkuva
Linda Su-Nan Chang Sah Doctoral Fellowship
The family of the late Linda Su-Nan Chang Sah established this fellowship to honor her, as well as the memories of Dorothy Wallace Everitt, William Littell Everitt, Mary Walker Jordan, and Edward Conrad Jordan. Linda cared for and assisted Dorothy, William, and Mary during the final years of their lives. The family’s admiration of Linda is expressed in their generosity. The fund was established to support a female PhD candidate specializing in micro- or nanotechnology related to bioengineering, biophysics, bioelectronics, medical engineering, medical physics, or medical electronics at the University of Illinois.
Srilakshmi Pattabiraman
Vaishnavi Subramanian
Nick and Katherine Holonyak, Jr. Graduate Student Fellowship
The Nick and Katherine Holonyak Jr. Graduate Student Fellowship was established in 2010. Professor Emeritus Holonyak (BSEE ’50, MS ‘51, PhD ‘54) has made distinguished contributions to the field of optics through the invention of semiconductor-based light- emitting diodes and lasers (1962), including quantum well lasers (1977), impurity disorder process (1981) for CD and DVD lasers, as well as native oxide (1990) for VCSEL and high bright LED as well as integrated optics. The fellowship is made annually to a doctoral student who has participated in technical research in semiconductor optoelectronics and the high- speed microelectronics area.
Pankul Dhingra
Sundaram Seshu International Student Fellowship
In April of 1966, a fund was set up by Dr. Lily Seshu in memory of her husband, Dr. Sundaram Seshu (PhD ’55), a distinguished former member of the ECE faculty. This fund was established to support “a foreign student in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science who is of Asian origin, of outstanding promise, and in need of financial support.” In 1982, the fellowship was switched to electrical engineering exclusively by Dr. Seshu. It was also changed to support “academically outstanding students, preferably, but not invariably, from abroad.”
Xiaofan Zhang
UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS
A.R. “Buck” Knight Award
This award was established by Betty Ann Knight to honor the memory of her father, Professor A. R. “Buck” Knight. Professor Knight, who was a member of the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering from 1913 to 1954, was well-known for his numerous contributions to campus and community affairs and for his concern for students. This award is given to a senior who has demonstrated good scholarship and leadership in student activities that extend beyond the College of Engineering.
Pooja Kankani
Daniel W. and Carol A. Dobberpuhl Student Award
An Illinois native, Dan Dobberpuhl (BSEE ’67) has had a vibrant career including the U.S. Department of Defense and the General Electric Integrated Circuits Lab. In 1976, he moved to the microprocessor industry with the Semiconductor Engineering Group at Digital Equipment Corporation where he started as a design engineer and rose to become one of five senior corporate consulting engineers. In 1993, he founded and directed two DEC Design Centers where the high performance, low power StrongARM chip was developed. Later, he co-founded SiByte, leading the design of the first commercial Multi-Core SOC processor. After acquisition, he co-founded P.A. Semi, a fabless semiconductor company that designed the PWRficient family of Power Architecture processors, which was acquired by Apple in 2008. He and his wife Carol recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They have two children and two grandchildren, and currently reside in California.
Arun Gupta
Muhammed Toy
Donald L. Bitzer and H. Gene Slottow Creativity Award
This award was established by ECE Professors Donald L. Bitzer (BSEE ’55, MS ’56, PhD ’60) and H. Gene Slottow (PhD ’60) with funds generated by their development of the technology that is now used in the production of plasma screen televisions. This award is presented to the student who shows the most creativity and inventiveness in a design project demonstrated in a public setting.
Esteban (Steve) Looser-Rojas
Edward and Margaret Ernst Award
Edward W. Ernst (BSEE ’49, MSEE ’50, PhD ’55) was an alumnus and faculty member of the department. Together with his wife Margaret, also an Illinois alumna, he established this award to recognize excellence in experimental work by an undergraduate ECE student in an instructional laboratory course.
Miraj Shah
DillonVadhama
Edward C. Jordan Award
Established to recognize the many contributions to the ECE Department by Edward C. Jordan, who served as head of the department for 25 years, this award is presented to seniors who have distinguished themselves through their outstanding scholarship and excellence of individual effort in an area of electrical and computer engineering.
Yurui Cao
Leihao Chen
Marwan Eladl
Shudong Huang
Dohun Jeong
Noah Salk
Marshall Shriner
David Yan
JiaruiZou
Ellery B. Paine Outstanding Junior Award
Ellery B. Paine joined the Department of Electrical Engineering in 1907 and served as head of the department for 31 years (1913–1944). This award was established by Norman R. Carson (BSEE ‘37) to honor the memory of Professor Paine. The award is presented to a junior in recognition of good scholarship and demonstrated personal leadership.
Jason Pan
Maohao Shen
Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Junior Award
The outstanding junior competition is conducted each academic year by the Alpha Chapter of Eta Kappa Nu to honor one member of the junior class in electrical and computer engineering.
Andrew Fortunat
Pooja Kankani
John Bardeen Undergraduate Award
John Bardeen joined the University of Illinois in 1951 following a distinguished career at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory (1941–1945) and then at Bell Telephone Laboratories. In 1956, Dr. Bardeen, W. H. Brattain, and W. Schockley shared the Nobel Prize in physics for the invention of the transistor. In 1972, Dr. Bardeen was again a co-recipient of the Nobel Prize, along with L. N. Cooper and J. R. Schrieffer, for the theory of superconductivity. This scholarship honors the memory of Dr. Bardeen and is awarded to a student for use during his or her senior year on the basis of academic excellence and an intent to pursue a career in research, preferably in semiconductors or superconductors.
Yulin He
Justin David Cunningham Memorial Award
This award was established in 1999 in memory of Justin David Cunningham, a University of Illinois student and employee of the Electronics Shop in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The Award is presented annually to a sophomore in the department who has demonstrated excellence in laboratory work. Instructors for sophomore laboratory classes will be asked to nominate students for this award and selection is made by the scholarship committee.
Vivian F. Gray
M. Stanley Helm Award
This award was established in 2002 by alumni and friends of M. Stanley Helm (BSEE ‘33, MS ‘34, PhD ‘50) to recognize his many contributions through over 63 years of service as a faculty member in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Although he retired in 1982, Professor Helm remained active in the American Power Conference Student Program, the IEEE Power Engineering Society, the ECE Power Affiliates Program, and the ECE Alumni Board until he passed away January 21, 2003. This award is presented to an undergraduate who demonstrates a high level of professionalism and a strong potential for leadership in the area of electric power engineering.
Jiayuan Liu
Samira Tungare
Marcia Peterman Memorial Award
Marcia Peterman joined the Department of Electrical Engineering in 1930 as its first clerk- stenographer. During the 47 years that she was a member of the ECE staff, she became office supervisor of a clerical staff assisting more than 100 faculty members, served as secretary and adviser to four department heads, and provided help and guidance to generations of students and alumni. Established by alumni and friends to honor the memory of Marcia Peterman, this award is presented to a senior of good scholarship who has demonstrated concern for fellow students through assistance to classmates, participation in organizations that help other students, or participation in activities that benefit others.
Keshav Harisrikanth
Haoxiang Li
Michael E. Napier Memorial Award
This award honors the memory of Michael Napier (BSEE ’93). Established by his employer, Digital Equipment Corporation, in 1997, the award is presented to a junior who has an outstanding scholastic record while working to pay for his or her education.
Jeff Chang
Bowen Jiang
Oakley Award in Electrical and Computer Engineering
This award honors the memory of Michael Napier (BSEE ’93). Established by his employer, Digital Equipment Corporation, in 1997, the award is presented to a junior who has an outstanding scholastic record while working to pay for his or her education.
Xinglong Sun
Paul R. Egbert Memorial Award
During his 30-year tenure at this department, Professor Paul R. Egbert (BSEE ’36, MS ’49) was actively engaged in student and campus organizations, serving for eight years as the counselor of the student branch of IEEE. This award, established in 1985, honors his memory by supporting an outstanding undergraduate senior in power engineering, Egbert’s area of expertise.
Justin Meyer
Robert H. Jung and Lisa J. Chan Award
Robert Jung (BSEE ‘86) and Lisa Jung Chan (BSEE ‘86) firmly believe that higher education is an equalizer for people, regardless of their background. The pair grew up in homes with large families of modest means. After graduating from Illinois, they moved to Silicon Valley and found success in major companies like Cisco Systems and Amdahl. They created an award for outstanding students who embody the values of hard work, family, and giving back to the community.
Saidivya Ashok
Senior Design-Instructors Award
Hyoungjo Hahm
Dong Hyun Kim
Sung Hoon Lee
Senior Design-Texas Instruments Best Project Award
Douglas Lee
Sachin Reddy
Dillon Vadgama
Senior Design: Runner-Up (ERSAB)
Vassily Petrov
Prerak Sanghvi
Neil Stimpson
Senior Design: Runner-Up (IMUsic)
John Born
Migues Torres
Kuang Wang
Siddharth "Sid" Muthal ECE Undergraduate Student Memorial Entrepreneur of the Year Award
Siddharth “Sid” Muthal (BSEE ’15) planned to start graduate school when his life was cut short due to an untreatable lung infection, the result of a genetic health condition, Sid and a team of fellow students embarked on a Senior Design Project aimed at “Improving the Patient’s Experience” during hospitalization. The project won “Best Marketable Idea” and sparked the startup company Corvae, transforming Sid into an entrepreneur and a CEO at the age of 22. This award is dedicated towards that spirit with which Sid lived and illuminated every moment of his life and of those around him.
Yue Wang
Timothy N. Trick Leadership Award
Timothy Trick joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering as an assistant professor in 1965. He has been an outstanding professor and administrator, serving as head of the department from 1985 to 1995. His distinguished record of teaching, research, and administration has been a contributing factor to ECE’s national and international reputation. The Timothy N. Trick Leadership Award is given annually to a student in the department in recognition of good scholarship and demonstrated ability as a future leader.
Yen-Jing Chiang
GRADUATE AWARDS
Andrew T. Yang Research and Entrepreneurship Award
As a co-founder of Apache Design Solutions, Andrew T. Yang (MSEE ’86, PhD ’89) has distinguished himself as a leading innovator and entrepreneur in the electronic design automation industry. This award, established in 2013, provides one or two years of funding for a graduate student and faculty member exploring a risky but highly novel research concept.
John Carlson
John Dallesasse
Elsa and Floyd Dunn Award
Floyd Dunn (PhD ’56), WWII veteran and groundbreaking pioneer in the science of ultrasound and bioacoustics, dedicated over 50 years to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois. He was director of the Bioacoustics Research Laboratory and mentored generations of students on campus. He passed away in 2015, just 30 days after his wife Elsa died. The two met shortly after his service in WWII and were married for more than 64 years.
Nantao Li
Andres Coila
Gregory Stillman Semiconductor Research Award
Gregory Stillman (MSEE ’65, PhD ’67) joined the University of Illinois in 1975, and he served as the first director of the Center for Compound Semiconductor Microelectronics. Professor Stillman was noted for his many contributions to the semiconductor field. This award was established by his colleagues and former students in 1996 to honor his 60th birthday and is presented to a doctoral student who has demonstrated excellence in semiconductor research.
Harshil Dave
Patrick Su
Harold L. Olesen Undergraduate Teaching Award Fall 2019
After serving his country in World War I, Mr. Olesen (BSEE ‘18) joined Pan American Marconi Company. Later, he joined Weston Electrical Instrument Corporation in Newark, New Jersey, and retired in 1951. Mr. Olesen was also an inventor and earned a number of patents. This award was set up as part of the Harold L. Olesen Fund for Improvement of Undergraduate Instruction, and it is presented to graduate students in ECE to recognize outstanding effort in undergraduate teaching.
Aamir Hasan
Kevin Wandke
Ali Yekkehkhany
Harold L. Olesen Undergraduate Teaching Award Spring 2020
After serving his country in World War I, Mr. Olesen (BSEE ‘18) joined Pan American Marconi Company. Later, he joined Weston Electrical Instrument Corporation in Newark, New Jersey, and retired in 1951. Mr. Olesen was also an inventor and earned a number of patents. This award was set up as part of the Harold L. Olesen Fund for Improvement of Undergraduate Instruction, and it is presented to graduate students in ECE to recognize outstanding effort in undergraduate teaching.
Raman Kumar
Liz Li
Christopher Ryu
Ben Walt
John Bardeen Memorial Graduate Research Award
This award was established to honor the memory of Dr. John Bardeen and his outstanding contribution to electrical engineering and the development of electronic devices. This award is given annually to an outstanding PhD candidate to recognize excellence in research in the area of electronic devices.
Liuqing Gao
Yu-Ting Peng
Lieutenant General Thomas M. Rienzi Graduate Award
Lieutenant General Rienzi (MSEE ’48) established this award to give back to his alma mater and to honor the positive influence Professor William L. Everitt had on his life and career. Lieutenant General Rienzi is forever grateful to Professor Everitt for the mentorship and encouragement provided to him and fellow graduate students who had served in the military. The award is presented to students who currently serve or who have served in the military, students who are current or past members of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), or students from the state of Hawaii.
Anna Winnicki
M. E. Van Valkenburg Graduate Research Award in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Mac Van Valkenburg joined the University of Illinois in 1955. In 1982, he became the first holder of the W. W. Grainger Professorship. In 1984, he was appointed dean of the college. A leading engineering educator, Dr. Van Valkenburg wrote seven textbooks. Among his many awards, he received the Lamme Medal, the highest honor of the American Society for Engineering Education, and the Halliburton Engineering Education Award from the University of Illinois College of Engineering. This research award is given annually to outstanding PhD candidates to recognize exceptional research in the area of circuits, systems, or computers.
Ameya Patil
Nick and Katherine Holonyak, Jr. Graduate Student Award
The Nick and Katherine Holonyak Jr. Graduate Student Award was established in 2002. Professor Holonyak (BSEE ’50, MS ‘51, PhD ‘54) has made distinguished contributions to the field of optics through the invention of semiconductor-based light-emitting diodes and lasers (1962), including quantum well lasers (1977), impurity disorder process (1981) for CD and DVD lasers, as well as native oxide (1990) for VCSEL and high bright LED as well as integrated optics. The award is made annually to a doctoral student who has participated in technical research in semiconductor optoelectronics and the high-speed microelectronics area.
John Carlson
Paul D. Coleman Outstanding Research Award
Paul D. Coleman received his PhD in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1951 and joined the EE Department of the University of Illinois as an associate professor to establish the Electro-Physics Laboratory. He has had a lifelong research interest in the general problem of the generation and detection of coherent electromagnetic energy and its interaction with matter across the spectrum from microwaves to visible light. He has a particular interest in the terahertz-submillimeter range, the last spectral frontier. This broad interest has influenced his many graduate students to make fundamental contributions in physical and quantum electronics, nonlinear optics, and applications of electromagnetics across the spectrum.
In 1994, his students established this research award to honor his esteemed research career and his mentoring of their graduate studies. This award recognizes an outstanding graduate student who has demonstrated unique research accomplishments in the generation, detection, and application of electromagnetic energy.
Qinglan Huang
Raj Mittra Outstanding Research Award
Raj Mittra joined the University of Illinois in 1957. He became associate director of the Electromagnetics Laboratory in 1966 and director of the Electromagnetic Communication Laboratory in 1984. He is widely recognized as an authority in the area of electromagnetic communication. This award was established by Professor Mittra’s students and colleagues in honor of his contributions to electromagnetic communication research. The award is presented to a graduate student who has performed outstanding research in the area of electromagnetics or wave propagation.
Qinglan Huang
Robert T. Chien Memorial Award
Robert T. Chien joined the University of Illinois in 1964. During his tenure here he conducted research in coding theory and information retrieval. Professor Chien served as associate director of the Coordinated Science Laboratory (CSL) from 1971 to 1973. He was appointed director of CSL in 1973, a position he held until his death in 1983. This award honoring the memory of Professor Chien is presented to a doctoral degree candidate who has demonstrated excellence in the field of electrical and computer engineering.
Leda Sari
Shun Lien Chuang Memorial Award for Excellence in Graduate Education
The Chuang Family, along with alumni, faculty, and friends, established this award in memory of Professor Shun Lien Chuang, a beloved faculty member in ECE who spent 30 years as a prolific researcher and caring teacher. The award supports outstanding graduate students within the department.
Yi-Chia Tsai
Yi-Min Wang and Pi-Yu Chung Endowed Research Award
The Yi-Min Wang (MSEE ’90, PhD ’93) and Pi- Yu Chung (MSEE ‘89, PhD ’93) ECE Research Award Endowed Fund was established in 2008. It is given annually to a doctoral candidate for excellence in research in the areas of computer engineering, circuits and signal processing, communication and control, or bioengineering.
I Chien
Yuen T. Lo Outstanding Graduate Research Award
In 1959, Yuen T. Lo (MSEE ’49, PhD ’52) joined the Department of Electrical Engineering at Illinois as an assistant professor and became a full professor in 1966. Dr. Lo served as director of the Electromagnetics Laboratory until his retirement in 1991. He received the Halliburton Engineering Education Leadership Award, the IEEE Centennial Medal Award, the John Bolljahn Memorial Award, and two best paper awards from the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society. The award is made annually to a doctoral student who has demonstrated excellence in research in the areas of electromagnetics or antennas.
Gonzalo Cucho Padin