Cornell Engineering hosted its third annual EPICC Awards ceremony on Oct. 15, celebrating staff and faculty whose work reflects the college’s core values: excellence, purpose, innovation, community, and collaboration. With 190 attendees this year, the award ceremony is among the college’s most popular annual events. 

Lynden Archer, Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering, acknowledged both the award recipients and nominees in his remarks, highlighting the 102 nominations – a 35% increase from last year – and praising the community’s willingness to recognize and celebrate the achievements of their peers.

“The EPICC awards are unique in that they recognize both staff and faculty and are specifically focused on acknowledging how we work with one another, in addition to the things we can achieve while deploying these important behaviors,” said Erin Mulrooney, associate dean for administration.

Over the summer, Cornell Engineering community members had the opportunity to nominate their colleagues to be recognized – as individuals or as teams – for embodying one or more of the core values. A committee made up of eight 2023 EPICC Award recipients evaluated all the submissions and determined the winners in each category.

Award recipients were honored at the ceremony and received both a physical and monetary award in recognition of their contributions to Cornell Engineering.

The 2024 EPICC Award winners in each category are:

Excellence

Kathryn Caggiano, professor of practice and associate dean for M.Eng. programs, was recognized for how she embodies integrity and upholds the highest ethical standards in her leadership. A recent achievement included creating a path forward for M.Eng. admissions to continue with minimal disruption in the days following a significant, impactful decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Jake Cornelius, the instructional technology specialist in Systems Engineering, was awarded for embracing ambiguity, innovation and being excellent and outstanding in all aspects of his service.

Qiaojuan Shi, research support specialist in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, was selected for her commitment to producing distinctive results of exceptional quality and for leading by example, fostering a culture of excellence and accountability that motivates others to strive for the highest standards in their own work. 

Alan Zehnder, professor and senior associate dean for undergraduate programs, was recognized for demonstrating a strong commitment to inclusion and belonging throughout his career while rolling up his sleeves to do the important work he expects of his faculty colleagues. 

Purpose

Christopher Alabi, associate professor and director of graduate programs in the R.F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering was honored for his work to ensure the success of the school’s graduate program by transforming its milestones and requirements. 

Ben Cosgrove, associate professor in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, was selected for his ability to communicate research priorities convincingly and in a manner that values everyone’s contributions, creating a framework that will lead to more such efforts in the future. 

Allison Godwin, the Dr. G. Stephen Irwin ’67, ’68 Professor of Engineering Education Research in the R.F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, was awarded for fully embracing her purpose-driven mission of incorporating inclusive engineering education pedagogies in the classroom, promoting engineering workforce development, and understanding engineering identity development to increase successful outcomes for students who are underrepresented in the engineering field.

Belinda Whisman, graduate student services coordinator in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, was recognized for her commitment to supporting nearly 300 students with the same highly-quality customer service to each student as she did when she started with four Ph.D. students 20 years ago. 

Innovation

Rose Howard, assistant to the director for the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, won for applying new and more efficient systems to the school and her innovative contributions to college-wide initiatives. 

Hadas Ritz, senior lecturer for the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, was cited for her bold and innovative transformation of  the engineering math sequence. 

Community

 José Martínez, the Lee Teng-hui Professor and senior associate dean for academic affairs and diversity, won for how he embodies the core values on a daily basis through his thoughtful leadership, presence, compassion, curiosity, and highly collaborative spirit. His deep commitment to belonging and inclusion has fostered a stronger Cornell Engineering community. 

Leslie Meyerhoff, director of administration in the School of Operations Research and Information Engineering, was honored for her deep commitment treating others with respect and communicating in a way that shows she values the contributions of everyone in the school.

Jen Micale, director of the M.Eng. program support services, won for building community and trust through serving and recognizing others and influencing  a positive, growth-oriented atmosphere on her team. 

Tony Roach, director of administration in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, was recognized for his work in Cornell’s veteran community, including volunteering his time as house fellow for the Student Veteran House and providing mentorship to the residents.

Collaboration

Alison Dollaway, Tobias Hanrath, Matt Paszek, Karen Prosser, Thom Quinn, James Tanaka and Qiuming Yu of the R.F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Safety Team, which includes faculty and staff from the school and the college facilities team, won for working tirelessly to enhance and transform the school’s safety standards, practices and culture.

Dzenana Javor, lead finance in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, was honored for being an invaluable collaborative resource, always ready to lend a hand or share her expertise, both in the school and with others throughout the college.

Lara Estroff, the Herbert Fisk Johnson Professor of Industrial Chemistry and chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Marjolein van der Meulen, the Swanson Professor of Biomedical Engineering and associate vice provost for research and innovation, were recognized for their work to recognize, promote, and build upon the 140-year legacy of women in engineering at Cornell.

Dawn Warren, administrative assistant for Engineering Facilities Services, was honored for her cheerful and enthusiastic demeanor while effectively collaborating across many different people and units in support of the college’s mission.