Numerous CEE students, faculty, and alumni were recognized for their contributions to the field of engineering by local professional organizations at the annual Engineers Week Banquet, held in February at the University Center Club in Tallahassee. FSU student Maggie Martins was named Student of the Year by the Big Bend Chapter of the Florida Engineering Society, while FAMU student Elon Yates was named Student of the Year by the Tallahassee Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers. FES also presented scholarships to FAMU-FSU students Joe Ottolino and Jennifer Magi, and ASCE presented a scholarship to FAMU-FSU student Ariana Morales Rapallo.
Maggie Martins received the FES Student of the Year award in recognition of her numerous community service activities, including devoting many hours to helping victims of Hurricane Michael, while excelling in her schoolwork and serving as the FES Vice President of the ASCE-FES student chapter at FAMU-FSU. Maggie also received the Most Active FES Student Member award for the state of Florida. As a long-time member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps program, Maggie completed her Bachelor’s degree in spring 2019, with plans to be commissioned as an officer in the US Navy and attend Naval Air School in Pensacola for pilot training. Meanwhile, Elon Yates received the ASCE Student of the Year award in recognition of her many contributions to the organization, including serving as the President of the school’s ASCE-FES student chapter and participating in numerous INSPIRE community outreach days and other service activities. She did this while serving as a FAMU Presidential Scholar and completing several internships, including a summer research fellowship with Notre Dame University, where she co-authored a technical paper about wastewater treatment. Elon also graduated this spring, accepting a position with Turner Construction in Orlando.
Alumnus Mark Llewellyn, Jr. P.E. (BS 2011, MS 2017) was named Young Engineer of the Year by the local FES branch. Llewellyn is a Senior Project Engineer with Genesis Halff in Tallahassee, currently serving as the transportation team leader for Phase 3 of the FAMU Way extension project. Other local projects he has worked on include the Capital Complex underground parking garage retrofit and the Cascades Park traffic analysis. Llewellyn has served on the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) board as the Florida Capital Region Education Chair since 2013, and has volunteered for numerous service activities including Hurricane Michael clean up, Toys for Tots collection drives, and youth sports coaching He has also served on the City of Tallahassee Code Enforcement Board, and sponsored numerous senior design projects at the College of Engineering.
In addition, three faculty members were honored for contributions to the academic and professional engineering community in Tallahassee. Dr. Raphael Kampmann, Teaching Faculty at FAMU-FSU, was named Young Engineer of the Year by the local ASCE branch. Kampmann was recognized for his many contributions to students at FAMU-FSU, most notably developing an international exchange program that has sent multiple undergraduate students from our college to gain research experience at universities in Germany, as well as mentoring multiple German students pursuing research at the college. Kampmann also received the 2018 ASCE National Faculty Advisor of the Year award for his numerous contributions to the ASCE student chapter and its various outreach, service, and professional development activities.
Dr. Lisa Spainhour, Interim Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering was named Engineer of the Year by the ASCE Tallahassee Branch. Spainhour has served almost two years as interim chair, leading the department through a successful Quality Enhancement Review process, and overseeing numerous curriculum and assessment activities. Spainhour also serves as Principal Investigator for two grant programs that develop software used by numerous law enforcement agencies in Florida to improve the timeliness and accuracy of their traffic records data. In addition, Spainhour has participated in numerous outreach and community service activities, including Transportation Days, coordinated through the department’s transportation center for Accessibility and Safety for an Aging Population.
Dr. Michelle Rambo-Roddenberry, Associate Dean of Student Services and Undergraduate Affairs at FAMU-FSU Engineering was named Engineer of the Year by the Big Bend Chapter of the Florida Engineering Society. Rambo-Roddenberry was recognized for her service to the profession, including her six years on the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (2012-2018) and her service to the NCEES National Committee on Examinations for Professional Engineers, of which she is currently the chair of the Committee of Education. In addition to volunteering on many state and national committees focused on outreach, education, and licensing activities, Rambo-Roddenberry has conducted research into innovative bridge design and construction technologies, authoring numerous technical reports and professional publications.
Finally, the ASCE Tallahassee Branch recognized alumna Christin Gorman (BS 2014) with the inaugural Jim Stidham Outstanding Engineer Award. This award was created in 2019 to honor an engineer whose service to their community and profession has gone above and beyond expectations. The new award honors the late Jim Stidham, a local engineer and ASCE supporter who demonstrated the character traits of leadership and service throughout his career. Gorman received the Jim Stidham Outstanding Engineer Award in recognition of her unmatched commitment and countless hours of service to the ASCE Tallahassee branch. Even though Christin's own family was affected by Hurricane Michael, she coordinated all of the hurricane supply fundraising, purchasing and delivering to those hit hardest. She did all this while grieving for the death of a family member, working at EGS, and keeping up with her ASCE commitments. As our president, Scott Lord stated that, in his time, “there has not been anyone that can hold a candle to the work she has put in this organization.”
A big congratulations to all of the recipients of the FES and ASCE awards given at the 2019 Engineers Week Banquet. The FAMU-FSU Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is proud of all that our students, faculty, and alumni are doing to promote our profession and serve our community.