April 24, 2006

Outstanding Senior Profiles

Senior Award for Citizenship and Service

Margaret C. Linak

Margaret Linak is a dual-degree student majoring in chemical engineering and applied mathematics with a minor in Spanish language and literature. She is a Park Scholar and the recipient of numerous scholarships and honors, including membership in Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Beta Kappa, Omega Chi Epsilon, and Tau Beta Pi national honor societies. Through study abroad and internships, she has traveled to Spain, Singapore, and Japan. One of Margaret’s strongest attributes is her dedication to service in her community. In addition to her volunteer work for the Women’s Center of Wake County, the Girl Scouts of America, the FIRST Robotics Lego League, and the Science Olympiad, she has been an instructor in a weekly three-hour freshman seminar on the concepts of liberal education, community service, and leadership and has served as a tutor in calculus, differential equations, and chemical processes. Arguably her most notable achievement is her work at the Fox Ridge Community Center. Margaret is a founder and director of the community and English-as-a-second-language center, which serves more than 100 families in the southeast Raleigh area. Her work with the center included renovating a building and creating a computer lab and library to serve the community. For her dedication to helping others, Margaret richly deserves the Senior Award for Citizenship and Service.

Senior Award for Scholarly Achievement

Blake C. Lucas

Blake Lucas is an exceptional student majoring in electrical and computer engineering and computer science. Among his professors he is known for his insightful questions and his goal-driven approach to challenges. In addition to being a top student, Blake is dedicated to helping others succeed through mentoring. A North Carolina Honors Scholar and member of the NC State Scholars Program, Blake is the recipient of the Ingersoll-Rand Merit Scholarship and the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship. He is a member of the National Beta Club, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, Eta Kappa Nu Honor Society, and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. He has received two undergraduate research grants and participated in an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates program. In summer 2005, Blake participated in the NASA Robotics Academy, where he led a team to develop computer vision software for the ANTS TetWalker, a proof-of-concept robot able to navigate autonomously across a simulated Mars terrain. As a result of his work on a road network detection problem in remote sensing imaging, he published his first paper, “A Hybrid Clustering Technique for Statistical Road Classification in IKONOS Imagery,” which he presented at the IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium earlier this year. For his outstanding performance as an undergraduate at NC State, Blake richly deserves the Senior Award for Scholarly Achievement.

Senior Award for Scholarly Achievement

Jessica Heather McCoy

Jessica McCoy is a dual-degree student majoring in industrial engineering and applied mathematics; she has been a Co-op student working with Phillip Morris, and she has traveled to Peru and Italy through the Study Abroad Program. She is a Caldwell Fellow and a member of the University Honors Program, the University Scholars Program, and the Mathematics Honors Program. In addition she has been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, the Golden Key International Honor Society, and Pi Mu Epsilon, the mathematics honor society. She has received several scholarships including the 2005 Engineering Faculty Senior Scholarship Award, the College of Engineering Dean’s Merit Scholarship, the Caldwell Fellow’s Scholarship, the National Merit Scholarship, and the Shaw Industries Scholarship. She is also the recipient of an Undergraduate Research Grant. Jessica’s other activities include serving as an NC State University Ambassador and a College of Physical and Mathematical Science Peer Mentor. She is a member of the Society of Women Engineers. Jessica has worked as a teaching assistant in the University Scholars Program and the Department of Mathematics, as a research assistant in the Office of Undergraduate Research, and as a tutor in physics and Spanish in the Undergraduate Tutorial Center. Jessica’s outstanding scholastic achievements and varied experiences have earned her the Senior Award for Scholarly Achievement.

College of Engineering Senior Award for Leadership

Nathaniel Derbinsky

Nathaniel Derbinsky is an exceptional leader majoring in computer science while serving as president of BitX Solutions Inc., a computer consulting firm he founded and incorporated in March 2004. A Park Scholar, he is the recipient of the Thomas J. Watson Scholarship and is a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Upsilon Pi Epsilon. As an undergraduate Nate has been active in research. In 2002 he founded Comp Squared, a service group for enriching teaching methods in education environments, and he served as a mentor in 2003 for CSiTE, a service group that provides technological solutions to non-profit community organizations and schools. Nate was the force behind the development of the community intranet package for Park Scholarships in 2004. SPIFFY, which stands for Spiffy Park InterFace For Y’all, is now the single largest intranet community on campus, connecting more than 500 students, faculty and staff in an online environment. Nate’s experiences with his community outreach and his work on numerous projects have proven his abilities as a first-rate leader. He knows how to establish a team structure that provides support while encouraging growth and flexibility. Nate’s outstanding leadership skills have earned him the Senior Award for Leadership.

College of Engineering Senior Award for Leadership

Robert Moorefield

Robert Moorefield has gained more than a degrees in chemical engineering and polymer and color chemistry while at NC State; he has actively pursued an education in leadership as well. A Park Scholar, Robby is the recipient of the Leader of the Pack Award, the Mulkey/General Hugh Shelton Leadership Award, and an Honors Undergraduate Research Award. He is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Tau Beta Pi, Omega Chi Epsilon, the Order of Omega, and the Order of the Thirty and Three. He is president of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity and served on the Interfraternity Executive Council during 2003 – 2004, serving as council treasurer. He has also served as staff assistant in the Government Relations Department of the NC State Student Government. Robby is the founder of You’ve Got a Friend grief support group and is the coordinator of human concern for the Catholic Campus Ministry. In addition to achieving a Visionary Leadership Certificate by taking 14 leadership-related classes through NC State’s Center for Student Leadership, Robby has also worked as a research assistant in polymer science, worked as an intern with Milliken Chemical Company, and participated in an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates program. After graduation, Robby will serve a two-year internship in Teach For America, where he will teach at an underperforming school in rural North Carolina. For his visionary role in these and other endeavors, Robbie richly deserves the Senior Award for Leadership.

College of Engineering Senior Award for Humanities

Patrick James Cleary

Patrick Cleary is a triple major, pursuing degrees in paper science and engineering, chemical engineering, and history. A Benjamin Franklin Scholar, Patrick is the recipient of a Pulp and Paper Scholarship and a College of Humanities and Social Sciences Aeroglide Scholarship. His is a Progress Energy Scholar, a Slemp Foundation Scholar, and a member of Phi Kappa Phi, the Golden Chain Society, and the Order of Thirty and Three. He served as Senior Class President in 2004-2005 and as President Pro Tempore in the Student Senate during that same academic year. He has served as secretary and scholarship chair of Phi Delta Theta fraternity as well as vice chair, service chair for the Benjamin Franklin Scholars Council, and chair of the Nubian Message Task Force. Patrick has received eight research grants, including a $7,500 Canadian Research Award at the University of British Columbia, and he has made presentations on research at two American Chemical Society National Meetings and at an American Junior Academy of Science National Meeting. Patrick embodies the well-rounded personality that marks both Benjamin Franklin Scholars and engineering students in general, and he is a most deserving recipient of the Senior Award for Humanities.

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