![[ College of Engineering ]](../media/graphics/coelogo.gif){kind=small}
![[ News and Information ]](../media/graphics/newsinfologo.gif){kind=small}
Melanie Chin has been an outstanding student since her arrival at NC State - she is set to graduate with a 4.0 in chemical engineering and ranked first in her class of 170 students. Her research achievements have been equally impressive. In 2001 she received an undergraduate research award to study the deposition of biomembranes on gold. In 2002 she researched the use of novel polymers in lithium ion batteries for NASA’s Glenn Research Center. The following year she participated in the Washington Internships for Students of Engineering program - sponsored by AIChE and NSF - assessing the technical feasibility of mercury reductions for utility boilers. Most recently, her senior chemical engineering design team won honorable mention at an international competition for their research on environmentally safe processes for medical waste treatment in developing countries.
Melanie is a Park scholar and recipient of a 2003 NC State Undergraduate Research Symposium Engineering Award. She has been inducted into several honor societies, including Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Omega Chi Epsilon, Golden Key, and the Order of Thirty-and-Three. She is also active in the community and has taught kindergarten at Raleigh Chinese Language School for the past four years.
Melanie possesses great determination, curiosity, and intellectual flexibility and richly deserves the Senior Award for Scholarly Achievement. We wish her well in her future endeavors.
Shelly Strickland is not only an outstanding student with a double major in biological and biomedical engineering, but she also is the first Native American to win a Park Scholarship at NC State. She continually strives to make a difference in the Lumbee community, both at home and in and around NC State. She is a founding member of the Native American Youth Council and has been vice president of the Native American Student Association since 1998. She developed and implemented a program called Striving for Excellent Leaders for the Future to help develop cultural self-awareness and leadership skills among Native American youth in the Triangle area. Shelly also fulfills many community service duties as the reigning Miss Indian North Carolina.
Shelly is a former Peer Mentor with the Office of Minority Affairs and served on the planning committee for the American Indian Science and Engineering Society regional conference in 2002. She has won Morris Udall and EJ Tyson Memorial scholarships and has been inducted into several honor societies.
A volunteer at urgent care facilities and health clinics, Shelly’s talent and dedication will serve her well when she attends medical school at East Carolina University. She is an excellent choice for the Senior Award in Citizenship and Service, and we wish her well.
Natalie Scurry’s time in the chemical engineering program has included an impressive range of experiences and accomplishments that demonstrate her leadership skills. She currently serves as vice president of the senior class, chapter president for the National Society of Black Engineers and chair for the NC State Commission on Diversity. She is also a mentor in the Student Advancement and Retention Teams (START) program, a former tutor in the Young Scientists program, and student ambassador for the Alumni Association.
While at NC State, Natalie has taken full advantage of the Study Abroad and Alternative Spring Break programs - having visited Spain, West Africa, and the Dominican Republic. Most recently she served as team leader for a trip to Ecuador to build houses with Habitat for Humanity. She also interned with Procter & Gamble the past four summers.
Natalie is a Caldwell fellow and a National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering scholar. She won an NC State Outstanding Woman award in 2001 and a Brotherhood Dinner Student award in 2002, and she is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Tau Beta Pi honor societies.
We have no doubt the outstanding leadership and critical thinking skills she has demonstrated at NC State will serve her well as she attends law school next fall. We wish her all the best as she embarks on her new career.
Georgiana Williams is a true “Renaissance woman.” She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in French Language and Literature in 2002 and is now finishing up her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering - in French - at the Chimie-Physique et Electronique in Lyon. She has studied French language and civilization at the Sorbonne in Paris, served as a science intern at the U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland, and was a research intern at L’Ecole Centrale, also in Lyon.
Georgiana has managed to mix her interest in engineering and humanities throughout her college career. Her eclectic interests range from photocatalytic dissolution of iron oxides to competitive ballroom dancing - she was in fact a finalist at the National Amateur Latin Championships last year.
She is a Park Scholar and has been inducted into several honor societies, including Phi Beta Kappa, Tau Beta Pi, Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Iota, and Golden Key, and recently was awarded an NSF graduate fellowship.
Already fluent in French, Georgiana is now learning German, Spanish, and Chinese, and plans to pursue a PhD in environmental engineering with a focus on water treatment technologies for developing countries. She will no doubt forge an interesting career blending her scientific expertise with a rare degree of cross-cultural understanding. She is most deserving of this Senior Award for Humanities.
/ Awards Index / Awards Archives Index /