The event brings students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends together to acknowledge the accomplishments of our community and present awards to our brightest and best.
Watch all the acceptance speeches and fun from this year's banquet in Alumni Hall in the HUB-Robeson Center, or flip through the photos in the 2024 Awards Banquet Flickr album.
Some of our happiest moments come from seeing the successes of our graduates as they make their way in the world. Each year we present awards to alumni of our programs in celebration of their career success, industry leadership, and continued engagement with the department, college, and university.
Judge Mary Beth Ward,
This award has been established to honor the memory of Dr. Richard Gordon, an energy economist and Penn State professor who served with distinction, great productivity, and professionalism, and it recognizes achievements and leadership that enhance the mineral economics and energy business professions.
Joseph P. Abrahamson,
This award was established to recognize our alumni for their leadership and professionalism in all matters connected with the energy industry.
Michael J. Barish,
This award was established to recognize our alumni for their leadership and professionalism in all matters connected with the energy environmental and safety industries.
James J. Szalankiewicz,
This award was established in 1992 to honor the memory of Robert Stefanko (’48, ’57, ’61), a professor who served with distinction, great productivity, and professionalism and provided lasting benefits to his alma mater, and it recognizes achievements and leadership that enhance the mineral engineering profession.
Kirby J. Walker,
This award was established in 1998 to recognize Penn State Petroleum and Natural Gas engineers who are acknowledged for their leadership and professionalism in all matters connected with the petroleum industry, as Dr. Stahl was during his illustrious career in industry and at Penn State.
Brian S. Hillard,
Each day in the department we rely on the outstanding efforts of the members of our staff to keep our gears turning. As a whole they are tireless, dedicated, and resilient. And even though every one them deserves our thanks, each year we select one staff member to acknowledge for exceptional work.
Molly K. Hanna, Academic Adviser
Our students are our pride and joy. They challenge us and inspire us every day. Following are the awards celebrating some of this year’s superlative work by EME students.
These awards are presented to EME graduate students who were nominated by faculty, peers, and students from the classes they instruct in recognition of superior teaching assistance. We typically award up to four Outstanding TA Awards and one TA of the Year Award from the pool of nominated students each year based on the number of nominations received and the strength of the individual nomination statements.
Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year: Ianna Gomez Mendez
EME Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistants:
Ricardo Amaral, Leiyu He, Chandima S. Subasinghe Hevapathiranage, Tengge Zhang
Student Merit Awards are presented to individuals who have been chosen by their program faculty members as our most talented and dedicated students based on their academic performance, industry engagement, or leadership qualities. These students will receive an imprinted Nittany Lion statue as soon as the award manufacturers are able to re-open and produce the statues for us to mail to them. Awardees are chosen by the faculty within each program.
These awards are new this year and are being presented to students who take an active role in their community – whether that is in their local area, within their academic program cohort, or through a professional society, club, advisory committee, or external organization.
EBF: Nicholas Zanaras
ENENG: Elizabeth K. Baierlein
ENVSE: Tori Miller
MNGE: Ian M. Penrod
PNGE: Hanif F. Yoga
ESP/RESS: John T. C. De Montfort
Zachary S. Brown
Each year the Old Timers Club presents their Watchman Award to an outstanding senior in the Mining Engineering program.
Hannah M. Chop
Each year the Careers in Coal society presents a miners flame safety lamp to an outstanding senior in the Mining Engineering program.
It has been a privilege for the department’s faculty and staff to play a role in your Penn State education. We are confident that you will have successful professional careers and know that you will uphold the tradition of excellence established by your predecessors. You are about to join a loyal and supportive alumni group, and we hope that you will maintain your ties with the department, the college, and Penn State so that we can share in the joy that will accompany your achievements.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our alumni and friends for supporting Penn State and the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering. Without such support we would not be able to recognize and reward outstanding performance by the faculty, staff, and students. In difficult times like these, we rely on the funding and opportunities that you provide to our students more than ever.
WE ARE… proud, and grateful, and thankful for each and everyone one of our community members.
