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Six from College Named Outstanding Seniors

Six graduating seniors from our College are among the 50 WVU students who will be honored with the WVU Foundation Outstanding Seniors Award during the Commencement Honors Convocation on Friday, May 16, at the Coliseum.

The award recognizes the students for their contributions and achievements in scholarship, leadership and service. The students from our College who will receive the honor are:

Neil Buzzard, mechanical engineering
Andrew Gillette, industrial engineering
Jason Gross, mechanical and aerospace engineering
Christopher Lantz, computer and electrical engineering
Kerri Phillips, mechanical and aerospace engineering
Erica Trump, chemical engineering

Brief biographies of these award winners follow:

Morgantown native Neil Buzzard says the academic achievement he is proudest of is being accepted into the direct bachelor’s-to-master’s degree program in mechanical engineering. He will receive his bachelor’s degree in May.

"I have no doubt that Neil will be a leader and a visionary in improving the human condition," said Nigel Clark, professor of mechanical engineering. "He is a truly outstanding student, with a formidable appreciation for engineering science and an unusual breadth to his vision."

Buzzard got involved with research as an undergraduate, studying vehicle exhaust emissions and exposure to pedestrians at the Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions. Drivers along Evansdale Drive may remember seeing Buzzard and his fellow student researchers engaged in this work with the help of a dummy last year.

Buzzard has maintained a 4.0 GPA, a feat he attributes to an extreme distaste for missing anything, especially class. He stays busy outside of class too as a member of Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honorary, as well as the Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies.

He has received numerous academic awards including the Outstanding Freshman Scholars Award and the PROMISE, Mountaineer, J. Jackson Pauley, Bjornson, Chester A. Arents and Conpenhaver scholarships.

Buzzard has also been active in helping his hometown, most notably through Tau Beta Pi’s annual bike drive, in which he and other members collect and repair used bicycles and donate them to area children and adults in need.

He is the son of Melvin Buzzard and Judy Pincus.

Andrew Gillette, of Huntington, says the time he has spent at WVU has been filled with enriching academic experiences in and out of the classroom. He will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and 4.0 GPA.

"What is really impressive about Andrew is his combination of academic achievement and work performance," wrote Jack Byrd Jr., professor of industrial engineering. "Andrew has excelled in both the classroom and in the practical world of engineering."

Gillette has been awarded the PROMISE, WVU Presidential, Robert C. Byrd Honors, Allstate Foundation, Bjornson and Lloyd Selby scholarships. He has also received the Industrial Engineering Outstanding Sophomore and Industrial Engineering Outstanding Junior awards as well as the Professor Robert Fowler Memorial Award in Human Factors.

In addition, he has been inducted into the Alpha Pi Mu industrial engineering and Tau Beta Pi engineering honoraries.

Gillette spent two semesters as a labor analyst intern for Walt Disney World. He is an officer of the University’s chapter of the Institute of Industrial Engineers and helped coordinate the first Trunk or Treat event for area children.

He is the son of Ted and Joan Gillette.

Jason Gross has seen much of the world through his experiences at WVU. He has eaten lunch with astronauts, shaken the hand of the longest-serving U.S. senator in our country’s history, witnessed a space shuttle launch, floated at zero gravity, lobbied state government and gone skydiving over the Rocky Mountains with a group of students from around the world.

The Morgantown native graduated in December with bachelor’s degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering and is now a doctoral student in aerospace engineering.

As the 2006-07 student body president, he helped spearhead Mountainlair improvements, the launch of a library coffee shop and extended library hours, among other things.

"Jason’s style of leadership and sustained effort over many years cause him to stand out as an exemplary student leader who excelled both inside and outside the classroom," wrote David C. Hardesty Jr., WVU president emeritus. "He is one of those rare students who is motivated both to provide leadership to organizations of which he is a part and to excel academically."

Jason maintained a 3.94 GPA and was honored with the PROMISE and WVU Mountaineer scholarships. He also was named a WV Space Grant Consortium NASA Scholar, and he earned a Robert H. Goddard NASA Academy Outstanding Researcher award in 2007.

He has also been recognized as a Society for the Advancement of Materials Process Engineering Student, and he received the WVU College of Engineering and Mineral Resources Lloyd B. Selby and Nancy Marshall Memorial scholarships. In addition, he is involved with the Tau Beta Pi engineering and Sigma Gamma Tau aerospace engineering honoraries.

His parents are Gary and Ginny Gross.

Christopher Lantz, of Oakland, Md., loves nothing more than solving a problem, an ability he credits to his professors and classes at WVU. He will graduate with dual bachelor’s degrees in computer engineering and electrical engineering. Upon graduation, Lantz plans to attend law school.

"Chris quickly distinguished himself as a leader among leaders," said Wils L. Cooley, a recently retired professor from the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. "I am convinced that he has both the ability and the motivation to succeed in law school and his future career."

With his 4.0 GPA, Lantz will graduate summa cum laude. He has been awarded the Robert C. Byrd, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems and National Foundation of Independent Business scholarships and Rotary International Service Above Self Award for Outstanding Service and Dedication.

Lantz was inducted into the Motor Board senior, Phi Kappa Phi, Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu honor societies. He is also a member of the National Honor Society.

Lantz has served as president of the Lane Department and College of Engineering and Mineral Resources student advisory councils. He also served as team captain of an intramural indoor soccer team.

Lantz has also volunteered and raised funds for many organizations such as the Rotary International Charity Project, Relay for Life and the Southern Garrett Athletic Association. He has worked as a virtual client workstation project manager for Sycamore Services and done freelance computer repair and Web site design.

He is the son of Steven and Mary Lantz.

Kerri Phillips, of Weirton, said she always knew she wanted to attend WVU and pursue a degree in engineering. In December, the dream came true when she graduated with bachelor’s degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering. But her WVU days are not over yet: Phillips was accepted into the doctoral program in aerospace engineering and began her graduate studies in January.

"I’m excited about this next chapter of my education," she said. "The WVU community has had an everlasting impact on my life, and I look forward to my next four years as a Mountaineer."

In her junior year, Phillips was selected to be part of the WVU Microgravity Team, which allowed her to go to NASA to fly an experiment aboard the DC-9 “Weightless Wonder” aircraft. She also received the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the nation’s premier award for math and science. Recently, she was named to USA Today’s All-USA College Academic Team.

In addition, Phillips has received the NASA Space Grant Scholarship and NASA Undergraduate Research Fellowship. Among her other awards are the Sallie Lowther Norris Showalter Excellence in Mathematics, Gay R. Larsen Educational Trust, PROMISE, WVU Presidential and University Honors scholarships. She is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi, Tau Beta Pi and Sigma Gamma Tau honor societies.

Phillips is active outside the classroom, getting involved in many student organizations, raising funds for an animal rescue shelter and working with middle and high school students to encourage them to pursue higher education.

She is the daughter of Jon and Darla Phillips.

Erica Trump, of Elkview, has a passion for education. She will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in May and plans to pursue a doctorate in the same discipline. Ultimately, she is planning on a career as a research professor. Her GPA is 3.89.

"Erica is committed to pursuit of a Ph.D., with an interest in an academic career," said Joseph A. Shaeiwitz, professor of chemical engineering. "She has a bright future in research, and her personality and enthusiasm will help make her an excellent teacher."

Trump is part of the Honors College and has received numerous honors: the WVU Foundation, Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer National, WVU Academy of Chemical Engineers, Robert C. Byrd Honors and Kaiser Aluminum scholarships; and the Donald F. Othmer Sophomore Academic Excellence Award. She was inducted into the Chimes junior honorary and Omega Chi Epsilon.

Trump has held various research jobs and helped plan the summer program for Engineers of Tomorrow, a program that brings minority and female high school students to WVU to learn about careers in engineering and science. She is also a teaching assistant for Honors Engineering 101.

She has served as vice-president of the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources Student Advisory Council, and president of the student chapters of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and Society of Women Engineers. She has also volunteered with the Ronald McDonald House and was chairperson for Girl Scouts in Engineering Day.

She is the daughter of Diane Davis.

04/08/2008