Notes from Engineering
The School of Engineering inducted five new members into the Academy of Engineers on April 11, including Dr. Eric M. Bailey, ’84; Hernan Peña Jr, ’84; Col. Linda J. Riedel, SCARNG, ’11; Col. Ned Sanders, USAF (Ret.), ’53; and Maj. Sandra Wright, Maryland ARNG, ’04.
The Citadel Academy of Engineers honors engineering leaders who have enjoyed substantial success in their professional lives and made significant contributions to their communities. All of the inductees have lived a life consistent with The Citadel School of Engineering’s mission, which is to educate and develop principled engineering leaders to serve a global community. Additionally, each inductee embodies The Citadel’s core values—honor, duty and respect—by building the reputation of engineering education excellence, modeling responsibility for student-centered success and giving mutual respect in The Citadel’s inclusion of all students.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
On March 21, Assistant Professor Sylmarie Dávila-Montero, Associate Professor Greg Mazzaro, and seven electrical and computer engineering students traveled to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers SoutheastCon in Atlanta, Georgia. Students tested their knowledge in a variety of different competitions. Dávila-Montero gave a presentation on her paper, Machine Learning Fusion Model Approach for the Real-Time Detection of Head Gestures using IMUs at one of the technical sessions.
On Academic Excellence Day, an electrical and computer engineering senior design team won second place in the engineering category. Their project, the Self-Scoring Steel-Tip Dartboard, not only demonstrates innovation but also promises practicality in enhancing the dart-playing experience. Out of 83 student scholarly presentations and 10 fine arts works, six electrical and computer engineering senior design teams showcased their projects.
The Electrical and Computer Engineering department hosted the 2024 Citadel Electrical Engineering Design Symposium on April 17. CEEDS showcased the yearlong projects undertaken by electrical and computer engineering senior design students in Dávila-Montero’s senior design class. Six teams were each responsible for developing a specific product for their client: an automatic pet door, a self-scoring dart board, an electronic harmonica, a temperature monitoring griddle, a lighting detection system and an interactive dual-train display.
At the 2024 Phi Kappa Phi induction, Cadet Frederick Vogel was The Citadel’s nominee for the Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship. Each chapter is allowed only one nominee, and, if selected, is awarded up to $35,000 for graduate studies. Electrical and Computer Engineering faculty member Robert Barsanti was the faculty inductee for this year. This induction is awarded to faculty with significant scholarly distinction.
Greg Mazzaro was promoted to full, tenured professor. Mazzaro is a highly innovative scholar and researcher, with over 10 patents in his name.
On April 25, Professor Ron Hayne received The Citadel’s Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award. This honor is presented to a faculty member who is an outstanding scholar and professor. Hayne was recognized for his curriculum development and dedication to the newly established Computer Engineering Program.
The Electrical and Computer Engineering department hosted its annual senior banquet to celebrate graduating seniors on April 4. Students celebrated their academic accomplishments and future endeavors with their classmates and faculty.
Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering
Assistant Professor Stephanie Laughton received the 2024 Outstanding New Faculty Award from the American Society of Engineering Education during its annual conference hosted by Kennesaw State University on March 11.
Associate Professor Timothy Wood, PE, received the 2024 Archie Higdon Distinguished Educator Award from the Mechanics Division, American Society of Engineering Education on April 2.
Engineering students presented at the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Carolinas Student Symposium. The conference was hosted by the University of North Carolina—Charlotte and included eight universities and 300 engineering students. The Citadel claimed third place in the conference championship and earned competition distinctions, including:
Geotechnical, second place
Concrete Shield, second place
Steel Bridge, third place
Surveying, third place
Daniel Mead Paper, third place
Concrete Canoe, fourth place
Civil Engineering Veteran Student Joshua Wetmore presented his research on connected and automated vehicle technologies at the District 5 Institute of Transportation Engineers Annual Meeting held in Wilmington, North Carolina. He also received two awards for his research during Academic Excellence Day: first place in engineering and first place in best veteran/active duty presentation.
Engineering students presented at the ASCE Eastern Branch Meeting on April 12. Technical presentations were given by Hughes Milling, Thomas Aycock, Carson Holroyd, Alex Wulfhorst, Musukula McClain, Mary Coastal Watkins, Jake Heaton and Sam Thomas.
Cadet Bryson Peppers and Cadet Jake Debenport received the 2024 Capt. Benjamin W. Sammis Award recognizing outstanding leadership and qualities of a citizen soldier, as the Best All Around junior cadets in construction engineering and civil engineering.
Civil, environmental and construction engineering students and faculty held their annual senior banquet on April 23. Awards were given to outstanding seniors and two faculty members.
Mechanical Engineering
Assistant Professor Nathan Washuta, PE, and Assistant Professor Deirdre Ragan were honored at the 2024 faculty milestones dinner for tenure and promotion to the rank of associate professor.
Associate Professor John Sanders, Assistant Professor Adam DeVoria, Assistant Professor Nathan Washuta, PE, Assistant Professor Gafar Elamin, PE, Associate Professor and Department Head Kevin Skenes, PE, and Professor and College Marshal Joel Berlinghieri published a canonical Hamiltonian formulation of the Navier-Stokes problem, one of the most famous unsolved problems in mathematics. The full-text article is available through the Journal of Fluid Mechanics.
On April 23, the Mechanical Engineering Department hosted its annual senior banquet to celebrate graduating seniors. Two awards were presented at the banquet.
Department of Engineering Awards
Mechanical Engineering:
The Mechanical Engineering Highest Achievement Award (Day): Caroline Weeren
The Mechanical Engineering Highest Achievement Award (Evening): Drake Head
Electrical and Computer Engineering:
Charles Thurston Razor Award: Shamar Goodridge
Peter Gaillard Memorial Award: Daniel Rathbun
Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering:
Colonel Loring K. Himelright Award: Mary Coastal Watkins
The Citadel Construction Engineering Outstanding Student Merit Award: Charles Heaton
Col. Louis Shepherd LeTellier Award: Richard Milling, Charles Heaton, Shiloah Burbage, Eric Lipscomb, and Thomas Morrison
Col. Christopher Shultz Gadsden Award: Thomas Aycock and Hayden Johnson
Col. Charles Lindbergh Award: Thomas Morrison
George Walker White Award: Luke Wiggins and Alexander Wulfhorst
Capt. Benjamin W. Sammis Award: Jake Debenport and Bryson Peppers
Col. Thomas C. Evans, Jr. Award: Thomas Aycock, Graham Blondes, Charles Bunton, Shiloah Burbage, Mark Clement, Patrick d’Anjou, Campbell deHoll, James Dunn, Andrew Hanson, Charles Heaton, Anthony Hunt, Hayden Johnson, Christopher Jones, Samuel LaFrage, Eric Lipscomb, Richard Milling, Thomas Morrison, Griffin O’Shields, Timothy Overend, Houston Palmiter, Lyle Ruchi, William Summers, Mary Coastal Watkins, Sullivan Watkins, Brandon Welch, Luke Wiggins, Alexander Wulfhorst, Jeffrey Zeigler