Community Recognition Recipients
Each year, AeroAstro recognizes outstanding community members with awards that shine a spotlight on the staff, faculty, students, and researchers who make AeroAstro extraordinary.
The annual Community Awards fall into three categories:
The Spirit of XVI Wings Award: Dedicated to individual staff members or team of staff members, this award recognizes the day-brighteners, the process-improvers, and the leaders of the charge whose unending enthusiasm and a high caliber of work enable the community to thrive. Whether their role is front-and-center or more behind-the-scenes, this person (or team of people) embodies our shared commitment to our mission, vision, and values, and has had a positive impact on the department. The recipient of the Spirit of XVI Wings Award consistently exceeds expectations, demonstrates leadership to the benefit of others, and has made exceptional contributions that significantly improved processes or quality of life for their office, their lab(s), or the department as a whole.
The Upstander Award: This award recognizes an individual champion of inclusivity, who could be an undergraduate student, graduate student, administrative/technical staff member, support staff member, faculty member, or postdoc/researcher. The recipient uses their voice to uplift others, facilitates thoughtful discussions about building a welcoming community and creating a sense of belonging, and is a leader who speaks and acts in support of a cause that aligns with our mission, vision, and values — even when it is challenging. The Upstander demonstrably embodies our core belief central to our values: ethics and integrity are fundamental to everything that we do.
The Vickie Kerrebrock Awards: Named in memory of Vickie Kerrebrock, the late first wife of the late Professor Jack Kerrebrock who was a tireless advocate for community-building, this award recognizes members of the community who embody “the heart” that drives “the mind and hand” of AeroAstro. A total of six awards are given to recognize an individual or team in each of the following categories: undergraduate students, graduate students, administrative/technical staff, support staff, faculty members, and postdocs/researchers. Recipients of the Vickie Kerrebrock Award have made significant contributions toward building a sense of community in AeroAstro in a way that is unique to their role within the Department, going above and beyond the important service they provide by recognizing the humanity behind the technical excellence that drives us. They are known to foster interpersonal connection among the people they work closely with, taking special care to uplift their colleagues and peers so that everyone feels valued for their contributions while inspiring positive teamwork and collaboration.
Below, you’ll find a list of past award recipients:
2024
The Spirit of XVI wings Award:
- Karen Bruce, Infrastructure Assistant
The Upstander Award:
- Brían O’Conaill, Director of Administration and Finance
The Vickie Kerrebrock Awards:
- Undergraduate Winner: Hailey Polson
- Graduate Winner: Polly Harrington
- Administrative/Technical Winner: Suxin Hu, Manager of Financial Administration
- Support Staff Winner: Corrine Giordani, Administrative Assistant
- Faculty Winner: Professor Jonathan How
- Postdoc/Researcher Winner: Florian Allroggen
Graduate Student Leadership Awards:
- Outstanding Leadership – dREFs: Allan Shtofenmakher, Jasmine Aloor, and Alex Meredith
- Outstanding Leadership – DEI Committee: Noam Eisen and Kristen Ammons
- Outstanding Leadership – AeroAfro: Cadence Payne and Stewart Isaacs
Student Leadership Recognition:
- Apollo Program Prize: Cesar Meza ‘25
- Henry Webb Salisbury Award: Pranav Arunandhi, Mary Foxen, Cecilia Perez Gago, Luis Garcia, Michael Kraus, Nicole McGaa, Heath Nilsen, Benjamin Rich
- James Means Memorial Award: Brian Minnick ’25; Mollie Xue Qing Johnson ‘G
- Rene H. Miller Prize in Systems Engineering: Julia Milton, PhD
- Yngve K. Raustein Memorial Award: Loreta Arzumanyan ‘26
Student teaching Awards:
- Graduate Teaching Assistantship Award: Aaditya Rau ‘G
- Undergraduate Teaching Assistantship Award: Tamara Hinderman ‘25
AIAA Awards:
- Outstanding Teacher: Dr. George C. Lordos
- Outstanding Advisor: Prof. Kerri L. Cahoy
- Outstanding Teaching Assistant: Thomas (Joey) Murphy ‘G
- Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor: Amelia R. Bruno ‘G
The Spirit of XVI wings Award:
- Kathryn Fischer, Financial Assistant
The Upstander Award:
- Annick Dewald, Graduate Student
The Vickie Kerrebrock Awards:
- Undergraduate Winner: AIAA Executive Board
- Graduate Winner: Ryan de Freitas Bart
- Administrative/Technical Winner: Anthony Zolnik, Manager of Infrastructure
- Support Staff Winner: Jean Sofronas, Administrative Assistant
- Faculty Winner: Professor Kerri Cahoy
- Postdoc/Researcher Winner: Durgesh Chandel,
Simon Award for Exceptional Contribution:
- Karen Bruce, Infrastructure Assistant
Student leadership Recognition:
- Apollo Program Prize: Nicole McGaa ‘24
- General James H. Doolittle Prize Award: Claire Johnson ’24; Dinuri Rupasinghe ’24
- Henry Webb Salisbury Award: Frederick Ajisafe; Gabriella Berrey; Jared Boyer; Robert L. Cato; Luke J. de Castro; Samuel Thomas Costa; Tahmid M. Jamal; Joanna Nikolova; Julian Powers; Akila Saravanan
- James Means Memorial Award: Samuel Costa ‘23; The M-SUN-360 Team of the Combined 16.83-16.89 Class (34 students)
- Rene H. Miller Prize in Systems Engineering: Alexander Koenig ‘G
- Andrew G. Morsa Prize Award: Samuel Costa ’23
- Yngve K. Raustein Memorial Award: Amber Cooper ’25
Graduate Student Leadership Awards:
- Outstanding Leadership – GWAE: Emily Williams
- Outstanding Leadership – GA^3: Mary Dahl & Andrew Fishberg
- Outstanding Leadership – AeroAfro: Cadence Payne & Allegra Farrar
Student Teaching Awards:
- Graduate Teaching Assistantship Award: Daniel Pickard ‘G
- Undergraduate Teaching Assistantship Award: Julian Powers ‘23
AIAA AwardS:
- Advisor of the Year: Professor Eytan H. Modiano
- Professor of the Year: Professor Raul Radovitzky
- Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year (16.83 TA): Naomi D. Schurr ‘G
- UROP Mentor of the Year (newly established AIAA award): Carter John Waligura ‘G
The Spirit of XVI wings Award:
- Beata Shuster, Student Services Assistant
The Upstander Award:
- Pam Fradkin, Administrative Assistant
The Vickie Kerrebrock Awards:
- Undergraduate Winner: Nicole McGaa ‘24
- Graduate Winner: Emily Williams
- Administrative/Technical Winner: Ping Lee, Financial Officer
- Support Staff Winner: Bryt Bradley, Administrative Assistant
- Faculty Winner: Professor Paulo Lozano
- Postdoc/Researcher Winner: Katya Arquilla, Postdoctoral Associate
Student leadership Recognition:
- Apollo Program Prize: Chloe Gentgen ‘G; George Lordos ‘G
- General James H. Doolittle Prize Award: The Heimdallr Team: Jack L. Capper ‘22; Daniel Ledesma ‘22; John C. Pendergrast ‘23; Jacqueline E. Pedlow ‘22; Joseph C. Rowell ‘23
- Henry Webb Salisbury Award: Juliana L. Chew; Megan F. Cooper; Wyatt M. Giroux; Devin Johnson; Daniel Ledesma; Erin M. Leydon; Cici Mao; Savva Morozov; Jacqueline E. Pedlow; Victor M. Perez-Ramirez; Tara K. Venkatadri; Maggie Zheng
- James Means Memorial Award: Julian L. Powers ’24; Juliana L. Chew ‘22
- Rene H. Miller Prize in Systems Engineering: Eric Daniel Hinterman ‘G; Kyle J. Horn ‘G; Shravan Hariharan ‘G; Maya Nasr ‘G
- Andrew G. Morsa Prize Award: Akila Saravanan ‘23
- Yngve K. Raustein Memorial Award: Cecilia Perez Gago ‘24
Graduate Student Leadership Awards:
- Outstanding Leadership – AeroAfro: Arthur Brown
- Outstanding Leadership – dREFS: Paula do Vale Pereira
- Outstanding Leadership – GA^3: Spencer McDonald; Carter Waligura
Graduate Teaching Awards:
- Graduate Teaching Assistantship Award: Jingnan Shi
AIAA AwardS:
- Advisor of the Year: Professor Luca Carlone
- Professor of the Year: Professor Eytan H. Modiano
- Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year (16.83 TA): Rosemary Katherine Davidson ‘G
- UROP Mentor of the Year (newly established AIAA award): Parker C. Lusk ‘G
The Spirit of XVI Award:
- Hannah Ovaska, Human Resources Administrator
The Upstander Awards:
- Maria Regina Apodaca Moreno, Graduate Student
- Denise A. Phillips, Diversity Officer
The Vickie Kerrebrock Awards:
- Undergraduate Winner: Devin Johnson ‘22
- Graduate Winner: Chelsea Onyeador, Graduate Student
- Research Staff/Postdoc Winner: Maha Haji, Postdoctoral Associate
- Staff Winner: Beth Marois, Graduate Program Administrator
- Faculty Winner: Professor Hamsa Balakrishnan
The Wings Awards:
- Esther Allen, Administrative Assistant
- Karen Bruce, Infrastructure Assistant
Student leadership Recognition:
- Admiral Luis de Florez Award: Savva Morozov ‘22
- General James H. Doolittle Prize Award: Robert Cato ’23
- Henry Webb Salisbury Award: James Abel ’21; Claire Buffington ’21; Ngoc La ’21; Dongjoon Lee ’21; Dominic Maggio ’21; Alex Meredith ’21 and Christopher Womack ‘21
- James Means Memorial Award: Julia Gaubatz ‘21
- Morsa Prize Award: Ethan Rolland ‘21
- Thomas B. Sheridan Award: Ethan Rolland ’21
Graduate Student Leadership Awards:
- dREFS: Aaron Baumgarten; Paula do Vale Pereira
- Outstanding Leadership – AeroAfro: Chelsea Onyeador; Cadence Payne
- Outstanding Leadership – GA^3: Annick Dewald; Chelsea Onyeador
- Outstanding Leadership – GWAE: Annick DeWald and Sydney Dolan, for their advocacy on behalf of gender minorities and students on LGBTQ issues
- GA^3 recognizes last year’s executive board for its contributions: Lena Downes; Adriana Mitchell; Prashanth Prakash
Graduate Teaching Awards:
- Graduate Teaching Assistantship Award: Mary M. Dahl
AIAA AwardS:
- Professor of the Year Award: Professor Raúl Radovitzky
- Graduate Teaching Assistant Award: Shun Zhang
The Spirit of XVI Award:
- Marie Stuppard, Academic Programs Administrator
The Vickie Kerrebrock Awards:
- Undergraduate Winner: Ethan Sit ‘20
- Graduate Winner: Maria Regina Apodaca Moreno
- Research Staff/Postdoc Winner: Rebecca Masterson, Principal Research Scientist
- Staff Winner: Sara Cody, Communications Officer
- Faculty Winner: Professor Luca Carlone
The Wings Award:
- Beata Shuster, Administrative Assistant
Student recognition:
- Apollo Program Prize Award: Rachel Morgan ‘G
- General James H. Doolittle Prize Award: Madeleine Schroeder ‘20
- Henry Webb Salisbury Award: Hunter Fields ‘20; Jim Koldada ‘20; Mia LaRocca, ‘20; Alexander (Olek) Peraire-Bueno ’20; Madeleine Schroeder ‘20; Michelle Xu ‘20
- James Means Memorial Award: Alexander (Olek) Peraire-Bueno ‘20; Humberto Caldelas ‘20
- Morsa Prize Award: Mohammed Kabir ‘21
- Yngve K. Raustein Memorial Award: The Unified Class of 2019-2020
Graduate Student Leadership Awards:
- Graduate Recognition for the Rene H. Miller Prize in Systems Engineering: George Lordos
- Outstanding Leadership – AeroAfro: Arthur Brown
- Outstanding Leadership – GA^3: Maria Regina Apodaca Moreno; Amelia Gagnon; Charlotte Lowey; Jessica Todd
- Outstanding Leadership – GWAE: Rosemary Davidson (for her leadership in engagement & remote social activities); Annick DeWald (for advocating for students on LGBTQ issues); Paula do Vale Pereira (for her passionate leadership in mentorship and outreach)
Student Teaching Awards:
- Undergraduate Teaching Assistantship Award: Marcus Abate ‘20
- Graduate Teaching Assistant Award: Christopher Courtin; Johannes Norheim
The Spirit of XVI Award:
- Quentin Alexander, Administrative Assistant
The Vickie Kerrebrock Award:
- Graduate Winner: Cory Frontin, Women in Aerospace Engineering and Graduate Women in Aerospace Engineering
The Wings Award:
- Britton “Bryt” Bradley, Administrative Assistant
Student leadership recognition:
- Admiral Luis de Florez Award: Haley A. Bates-Tarasewicz ’19; Niyati K. Desai ‘19; Danielle E. Hecht ‘19; Jordan A. Isler ‘19
- General James H. Doolittle Prize Award: Charles M. Lindsay ’21
- James Means Prize Award for Excellence in Flight Vehicle Engineering: Blake M. Berk ’19
- James Means Prize Award for Excellence in Space Systems Engineering: Haley A. Bates-Tarasewicz ’19; Jakob E. Coray ’20; Bret Fillmore Heaslet ’19; Rockey A. Hester ’19; Logan J. Kluis ’19
- Rene H. Miller Prize Award in Systems Engineering: Mark A. Chodas ‘G
- Andrew G. Morsa Prize Award: Yun Chang ’19
- Yngve K. Raustein Award: Mohammed H. Kabir ’21
- Henry Webb Salisbury Award: Faisal A. As’ad ’19; Yun Chang ’19; Madeleine C. Jansson ’19
Graduate Teaching Assistantship Award:
- Jeremy Stroming ‘G
AIAA Teaching Assistantship Award:
- Teaching Assistantship Award: Benjamin J. Zhang ‘G
- Undergraduate Advising Award: Professor Hamsa Balakrishnan
- Undergraduate Teaching Award: Professor Paulo C. Lozano
The Spirit of XVI Award:
- Joyce Light, Senior Administrative Assistant
The Vickie Kerrebrock Award:
- Graduate Winner: Barret Schlegelmilch
The Wings Award:
- Robin Courchesne-Sato, Administrative Assistant
Student leadership recognition:
- General James Doolittle Prize Award: Andrew C. Adams ’18; Amy Ruth Vanderhout ’18
- James Means Prize Award for Excellence in Flight Vehicle Engineering: Christine A. Chappelle ’19
- James Means Prize Award for Excellence in Space Systems Engineering: Clementine D. Mitchell ’18; Rachel E. Morgan ’18
- Rene H. Miller Prize Award for Excellence in Systems Engineering: Lillian M. Clark ’18; Faith Huynh ’18; Maya R. Nasr ’18; Isabel M. Rayas ’18
- Andrew G. Morsa Prize Award: Thomas J. Murphy ’19
- Yngve K. Raustein Award: Humberto L. Caldelas ’20
- Henry Webb Salisbury Award: Oliver Jia-Richards ’18; Isabel M. Rayas ’18
Student Teaching Assistantship awards:
- Undergraduate Teaching Assistantship Award: Samir Wadhwania ’18
- Graduate Teaching Assistantship Award: Igor Kadota ‘G
AIAA awardS:
- Teaching Assistantship Award: Inderraj Singh Grewal ‘G
- Undergraduate Advising Award: Professor David W. Miller
- Undergraduate Teaching Award: Professor Jonathan P. How
The Spirit of XVI Award:
- Dave Robertson, Technical Instructor
The Vickie Kerrebrock Award:
- Graduate Winners: Charlotte Lowey; Alex Feldstein
The Wings Award:
- Kathryn Fischer, Financial Assistant
Student leadership recognition:
- Apollo Program Prize Award: David P. Sherwood ’17; Tiera S. Guinn ’17; Emily C. Widder ’17
- Admiral Luiz de Florez Prize Award: Andrew E. Kurtz ’17; Eric A. Riehl ’17
- Leaders for Manufacturing Prize Award: The 16.82x Build Team
- James Means Prize Award for Excellence in Flight Vehicle Engineering: Robert T. Binkowski ’18; Andrew E. Kurtz ’17
- James Means Prize Award for Excellence in Space Systems Engineering: Jeremy P. Stroming ’18; Emily C. Widder ’17; Tori L. Wuthrich
- Rene H. Miller Prize Award for Excellence in Systems Engineering: Michael J. Burton ‘G; Andrew C. Adams ’18
- Andrew G. Morsa Prize Award: Allan Ko ’17; David P. Sherwood ’17
- SuperUROP Outstanding Research: Rachel E. Morgan ’18
- SuperUROP Outstanding Presentation: Clementine D. Mitchell ’18
- Yngve K. Raustein Award: Madeleine C. Jansson ’19; Clarissa M. Sorrells ’19
- Henry Webb Salisbury Award: Zachary J. Bierstedt ’17; Nicholas “Nikko” A. James ’17
- Thomas B. Sheridan Prize Award: Rachel T. Harris ’17; Colleen F. Madlinger ’17
student teaching awards:
- Undergraduate Teaching Assistantship Award: Marlyse H. Reeves ’17; Anika E. Rollock ’18
- Graduate Teaching Assistantship Award: Cody Jacob Karcher ‘G; Tony Tao ‘G; Jacqueline Leah Thomas ‘G
AIAA awards:
- Teaching Assistantship Award: Arthur Chan-wei Huang ‘G
- Undergraduate Advising Award: Professor David L. Darmofal
- Undergraduate Teaching Award: Professor Warren “Woody” Hoburg
The Spirit of XVI Award:
- Jei Lee Freeman, Financial Assistant
- Jacques Mathieu, Systems Administrator
The Vickie Kerrebock Award:
- Anne Maynard, Human Resources Administrator
The Wings Award:
- Elizabeth Zotos, Administrative Assistant
Student leadership recognition:
- Apollo Program Prize Award: Johannes J. Norheim ’16; Aaron L. Ashley ’16; Guillermo Bautista ’17
- Admiral Luiz de Florez Prize Award: Andrew H. Liotta ’16; Kelly C. O’Brien ’16
- Leaders for Manufacturing Undergraduate Prize Award: Julia Crowley Farenga ’16
- James Means Prize Award for Excellence in Flight Vehicle Engineering: Patrick A. Lowe ’16
- James Means Prize Award for Excellence in Space Systems Engineering: Eduardo Maristany Amescua ’16; Timothy “Curtis” Shoyer ’16
- Rene H. Miller Prize Award for Excellence in Systems Engineering: Annie Marinan ‘G
- Andrew G. Morsa Prize Award: Joseph M. Kusters ’17; Derek C. Barnes ’16
- Yngve K. Raustein Award: Maya R. Nasr ’18
- SuperUROP Outstanding Research: Michael J. Burton ’16
- Henry Webb Salisbury Award: Michael J. Burton ’16; Andrew H. Liotta ’16; Martin York ’16
- Thomas B. Sheridan Prize Award: Evie S. Kyritsis ’16; Margaret J. Reagan ’16
Graduate Teaching Awards:
- Graduate Teaching Assistantship Award: Mohammad Islam ‘G
- Graduate Teaching Assistantship Award: Roedolph A. Opperman ‘G
AIAA Teaching Assistantship Award:
- Teaching Assistantship Award: Benjamin L. Couchman ‘G
- Undergraduate Advising Award: Professor Raúl Radovitzky
- Undergraduate Teaching Award: Professor Wesley L. Harris
The Spirit of XVI Award:
- James Letendre, Lab Manager
The Vickie Kerrebock Award:
- Undergraduate Winner: Ceili Burdhimo
The Wings Award:
- Joyce Light, Senior Administrative Assistant
- Jean Sofronas, Administrative Assistant
Student leadership recognition:
- Apollo Program Prize Award: Kathrine N. Bretl ’16
- Admiral Luiz de Florez Prize Award: Sebastien R. Fischer ‘15; Nicholas H. Roberts ‘15; Alexander W. Feldstein ‘15; Trang T. Dang ‘15; Hayden K. Cornwell ‘15; Peter J. Williams ’15
- James Means Prize Award for Excellence in Flight Vehicle Engineering: Harris S. Chalat ’15
- James Means Prize Award for Excellence in Space Systems Engineering: The KitCube Propulsion Subteam–Connie Y. Liu ‘15, Nicholas H. Roberts ’15; Scarlett E. Koller ’16
- Rene H. Miller Prize Award for Excellence in Systems Engineering: Raichelle J. Aniceto ’16
- Andrew G. Morsa Prize Award: Norman Cao ’15; Aaron P. Thomas ’15; Christopher A. Maynor ’15; Mycal Tucker ’15
- Yngve K. Raustein Award: Guillermo Bautista ’17
- Henry Webb Salisbury Award: Connie Y. Liu ’16; Matthew T. Vernacchia ’15
Student Teaching Assistantship Awards:
- Undergraduate Teaching Assistantship Award: Alexander W. Feldstein ’15
- Graduate Teaching Assistantship Award: David C. Sternberg ‘G
AIAA Teaching Assistantship Award:
- Christopher K. Gilmore ‘G
AIAA Undergraduate Advising Award:
- Professor Leia Stirling
AIAA Undergraduate Teaching Award:
- Professor Warren “Woody” Hoburg