Colorado School of Mines celebrates Spring 2022 Undergraduate Commencement

Colorado School of Mines celebrated its Spring 2022 Undergraduate Commencement on May 13, conferring a total of 927 bachelor’s degrees during three in-person ceremonies at Lockridge Arena.

The ceremony’s distinguished speaker was Jesus Salazar ‘01 MS ‘02, co-founder and CEO of Prosono. Salazar is the Chair of the Mines Board of Trustees.

Watch the full ceremony, download the official Commencement program and join the ongoing celebration at commencement.mines.edu.

 

SPRING 2022 OUTSTANDING GRADUATING SENIORS

The Spring 2022 Outstanding Graduating Seniors – chosen by faculty and staff and each representing a different academic major – were honored for their high scholastic achievement and on-campus engagement

Lauren Zoe Baker, Applied Mathematics and Statistics

Baker, of Longmont, Colorado, will spend the summer as a software engineering intern at Google. Following that internship, she will return to Mines to work on a master’s degree in computer science.

 

Ashley Gray, Applied Mathematics and Statistics

Gray, of Gretna, Nebraska, will begin a job as an actuarial analyst in Aetna’s Actuarial Leadership Development Program.

 

 

Benjamin Fuchs, Chemical and Biological Engineering

Fuchs, of Louisville, Colorado, is currently enrolled in the Engineering and Technology Management Master’s Program at Mines and is set to complete his M.S. in December. He then plans to pursue a career in process engineering.

 

 

Denali Pinto, Chemical and Biological Engineering

Pinto, of Boulder, Colorado, will work at Medtronic on a team tasked with testing cranial and spine surgical navigation equipment.

 

 

Griffin Hampton, Chemistry

Hampton, of Centennial, Colorado, will be joining a postbaccalaureate program at the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore, where he will be a full-time research analyst working with the mathematics and algorithms associated with magnetic resonance imagery and relaxometry methods.

 

 

Paige Vasquez-Housley, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering

Vasquez-Housley, of Ventura, California, is planning to take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, which will put her one step closer towards becoming a licensed professional engineer in California. She will be working as a project engineer for Build Group, Inc.

 

 

Cassidy Bergenthal, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Bergenthal, of McKinney, Texas, will continue at Mines to work toward a master’s degree in hydrology. She then plans to take a few months off to visit as many national parks as possible before beginning her career.

 

 

Dagny Stahl, Computer Science

Stahl, of Santa Monica, California, will be moving to Denver to start a career as a software engineer.

 

 

 

Nolan Egging, Electrical Engineering

Egging, of Crawford, Colorado, will be working for Advanced Micro Devices in Fort Collins as a silicon design engineer for their Static RAM team.

 

 

Imani Garcia, Engineering, Design and Society

Garcia, of Henderson, Colorado, will be working at Group14 Engineering in Denver with their multi-family housing group, supporting engineers on a variety of projects.

 

 

 

 

 

Keara Barron, Geology and Geological Engineering

Barron, of Plano, Texas, will be interning as a geoscientist at BGC Engineering, an earth sciences consulting firm. She will then return to Mines in the fall to pursue a master’s degree in geological engineering, focusing on rockfall analysis using LiDAR and photogrammetry.

 

 

Rebecca Prentice, Geophysics

Prentice, of Hanover, Massachusetts, will begin a master’s degree in geophysics at Stanford University in the fall, investigating groundwater in California through electromagnetic methods.

 

Brian Simpson, Mechanical Engineering

Simpson, of Wheat Ridge, Colorado, will work for Milwaukee Tool as a design engineer.

 

 

 

Darrien Hammond, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

Hammond, of Thornton, Colorado, has an internship with CoorsTek, where she will be working with the research and development department in computational materials.

 

 

 

Donovan Cowan, Mining Engineering

Cowan, of Littleton, Colorado, will enter a management development program with Orica Explosives.

 

 

John Sass, Petroleum Engineering

Sass, of Mahtomedi, Minnesota, will continue his education at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, pursuing a master’s degree in applied earth sciences.

 

 

Shaley German, Physics

German, of Elizabeth, Colorado, will be working for Lockheed Martin doing systems engineering work on two missions set to go to Venus.

 

 

UNIVERSITY-WIDE AWARDS

The Colorado Engineering Council Awards are presented for excellence in scholarship, high integrity and general engineering ability: Abdulaziz Alsheraim, Morgan Downey, and Denali Pinto

The Dan Fox Outstanding Student Service Award is presented to the students who, outside and above their academic role, vigorously participated in activities or projects for the greater benefit of their peers and community to promote excellence and well-being: Angelina Rivera and Jason Taylor

The President’s Senior Scholar Athlete Award is presented to one graduating female and male athlete with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, has lettered in a sport during their senior year and has demonstrated leadership qualities of an exemplary student-athlete: Lauren Zoe Baker (Women’s Cross Country & Track) and Brendan Sullivan (Men’s Basketball)

The William D. Waltman 1899 Award is presented to the graduating seniors who have consistently demonstrated the utmost integrity, scholarship and citizenship in and outside of the classroom throughout their collegiate career: Lauren Zoe Baker and Kevin Huang

 

DEPARTMENT UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS AND HONORS

Applied Mathematics and Statistics

E-Days Engineer Award: Julia Eiken

The Professor Everett Award, provided by Frank Ausanka ’42, in honor of James R. Everett, is presented to a graduating senior in mathematics who demonstrates scholarship, leadership, community service and the potential for the innovative application of mathematics to mineral engineering: Griffin Hampton

The Ryan Sayers Memorial Award recognizes outstanding academic achievements of a graduating student in engineering physics and/or applied mathematics and statistics, who has performed significant research: Kaleigh Rudge

 

Chemical and Biological Engineering

The Selim Memorial Scholarship is presented by the faculty of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering to a graduating student who promises great success in graduate school: Ethan Halingstad and Logan Yeager

The Harrison L. Hays, 1931, Award is presented in chemical and petroleum refining for demonstrating scholarship, personality and integrity of character and the general potentialities of a successful industrial career: Megan Van De Graaf and Isaac Van Tol

The Pearson Potential Award is given to students in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering who have shown emerging leadership and engineering potential: Shelby Schumacher

 

Chemistry

Chemistry Faculty Award: Madeline Keck

Outstanding Senior Research Award: Griffin Hampton

The Robert A. Baxter Award is presented for meritorious work in chemistry: Jessica Pauling
 

Computer Science

Outstanding Computer Science Graduate: Ryker Fish, Dagny Stahl, Daniel Ayers, Preston Walraven, and Cole Callihan

The Faculty Choice Award is given to a top graduating senior who helped improve computer science at Mines: Katelyn Broderick and Colin Siles

The Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award in Computer Science is awarded to a student who demonstrates superior performance and creativity in undergraduate research: Lauren Zoe Baker

 

Economics and Business

William Jesse Coulter Award in Economics: William McBride

 

Electrical Engineering

E-Days Engineer Award: Jiuzou Zhang

 

Geology and Geological Engineering

The Neal J. Harr Memorial Outstanding Student Award, provided by the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, is presented for scholastic excellence in the study of geology with the aim of encouraging future endeavors in the earth sciences: Vasey Stephens

Hutchinson Award: Bryson Tillema

 

Geophysics

Phillip R. Romig Award: Jared Low

The Cecil H. Green Award is given to the graduating senior in geophysical engineering who, in the opinion of the Department of Geophysics, has the highest attainment in the combination of scholastic achievement, personality and integrity: Michael Field

The George T. Merideth Award for Early Leadership in Geophysics Engineering, established in 2012 to carry forward the legacy of former Mines Geophysics Professor George T. Merideth, is presented to outstanding graduating geophysics students who have demonstrated academic excellence, community involvement and potential for leadership in earth science engineering: Martis James-Ravenell

The John C. Hollister Award is presented to the most deserving student in geophysics and is not based solely on academic performance: Anna Valentine

The George R. Pickett Memorial Award is presented on the basis of demonstrated interest and accomplishments in the study of borehole geophysics:  Mohammed Alahmed

 

Humanitarian Engineering

Students receiving a Distinction for Leadership in Humanitarian Engineering are recognized for their dedication to humanitarian engineering values and principles in both coursework and co-curricular activities: Joy Gruenbacher and Gloria Quispe Oruro

 

Mechanical Engineering

The Emeritus Faculty Exemplary Undergraduate Award is presented to an exceptional student as chosen by emeritus faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering: Arianna Castro

E-Days Engineer Award: Amanda Camarata

The John Steele Commemorative Service Award is given to one graduating senior that has displayed outstanding service to the Department of Mechanical Engineering: Elior Bilow Makler
 

Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

The Alan Kissock Award acknowledges creativity in metallurgy: Darrien Hammond, Abigail Morrow, Rebekka Olson and Carmen Sanchez.

The Clark B. Carpenter Award is presented to the graduating seniors in mining or metallurgy who, in the opinion of the senior students in mining and metallurgy and the professors in charge of the respective departments, are the most deserving of this award: Campbell Beals and Trent Brenner  

The Henry W. Kaanta 1915 Award is presented for the outstanding paper on a laboratory procedure or experimental process written by a graduating senior majoring in extractive metallurgy or mineral processing: Bo Radaam

The Mary & Charles Cavanaugh Award, presented in metallurgy, is determined by scholarship, professional activity and participation in school activities: Nathan Brown

The McIver-MME Faculty Award is presented to a graduating senior who, by contribution to campus life and academic achievement, has demonstrated those characteristics of a well-rounded graduate that Mines aspires to develop in its students: Stuart Miklas
 

Military Science

The Distinguished Military Graduate Award is the highest national award presented to graduating seniors in ROTC classes. Primarily based on academic and physical performance with U.S. Army standards, these graduates rank in the top 20 percent of Army ROTC graduates nationwide: Rhiannon Larsen

 

Mining Engineering

The C.N. Bell 1906 Award is awarded in mining for completing a course in mining and showing the most progress in schoolwork during the entire period for which the course is given: Willow Aldridge

The Clark B. Carpenter Award is presented to the graduating seniors in mining or metallurgy who, in the opinion of the senior students in mining and metallurgy and the professors in charge of the respective departments, are the most deserving of this award: James Desrochers

The D.W. Brunton Award is awarded for meritorious work in mining: Drew Martin

The H.G. Washburn Award is presented in mining for good scholastic record and active participation in athletics: Michael B. True

The Old Timer’s Club Award is presented to the graduating senior who has shown high academic standing in coal mining engineering and potential for the coal industry: Morgan Munig

E-Days Ore Cart Pull Award: Ryan Coffin

 

Physics

E-Days Engineer Award: Rhiannon Larsen

The Physics Faculty Distinguished Graduate Award is presented by the faculty of the department to graduating seniors with exceptionally high academic achievement in physics: Benjamin Krawciw, Pablo Pinedo and Gavin Sher

The Ryan Sayers Memorial Award recognizes outstanding academic achievements of a graduating student in engineering physics and/or applied mathematics and statistics, who has performed significant research: Benjamin Krawciw

 

MILITARY COMMISSIONS

The following students will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the United States Army

• Jakob Wallin

The following students will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the United States Air Force

• Ian Fromm
• Jake Hastings
• Gabriel Losey
• Haley Spolar