UW Students Honored at Wyoming Engineering and Surveying Society Convention

Fifteen University of Wyoming students were honored at the annual Wyoming Engineering and Surveying Society (WES) Convention in Sheridan at the beginning of February. The honorees included seven nominees for the society’s Student Engineer of the Year Award and eight scholarship recipients.

The seven engineering programs of the UW College of Engineering and Physical Sciences -- architectural, civil, chemical, petroleum, electrical, computer and mechanical -- each nominates its top graduating senior for the WES Student Engineer of the Year Award. 

The WES annual convention is held in February and invites engineers and surveyors from around the state to participate in educational opportunities, awards ceremonies and networking. The mission of the WES is to promote the prestige of the engineering profession; standardize engineering practices; and facilitate cooperation and fellowship among the members. WES membership is open to anyone who supports and promotes the field of engineering.

The WES Scholarships and Awards Committee maintains a fund to recognize student excellence. The committee selects honorees based on the extent of both their academic and non-academic activities, job experience, references, written statement of career goals and interview performance.

The Student Engineer of the Year receives an unrestricted grant of $4,000, and each of the other six honorees receives a $2,000 grant. WES sponsors all nominees to attend the annual convention to be recognized at the awards banquet.

This year’s Student Engineer of the Year Award winner is Isabelle Harvey, a chemical engineering major from Baldwin City, Kan. After her graduation from UW, Harvey will take a position with Burns & McDonnell as an assistant chemical engineer in the drinking water group, where she will apply the expertise from her UW education to innovative solutions providing access to safe, high-quality water for the public.

In addition to maintaining a 4.0 GPA in her rigorous course of study, Harvey is an NCAA Division 1 track and field athlete.

“Athletics taught me perseverance, accountability and teamwork, qualities that directly translate to engineering practice,” Harvey says. “Receiving this recognition affirms that hard work, integrity and disciplined commitment to excellence matter. I also hope it serves as encouragement to others to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degrees with confidence and ambition.”

The other WES award recipients were:

-- Aubreanna Wolfe, of Casper, an architectural engineering major.

-- Sullivan Fagan, of Cheyenne, a computer engineering major.

-- Hailey Haufler, of Brighton, Colo., a civil engineering major. Haufler also received a general scholarship.

-- Zach Nelson, of Laramie, an electrical engineering major.

-- Walter Duquette, of Jackson Hole, a mechanical engineering major.

-- Andrea Comer, of Webster, Fla., a petroleum engineering major.

The following students received general scholarships:

-- Brody Greene, of Beaver, Pa.

-- Brett Jones, of Riverton.

-- Alexander Nichols, of Craig, Colo.

-- Thomas Sullivan, of Casper.

These general scholarships are given to university juniors for use during their senior year.

Yesenia Vicencio-Delgadillo, of Rock Springs, was awarded the Past-Presidents’ Scholarship in honor of her past service to the organization. The scholarship is awarded to a university junior headed into their senior year.  

Braxton Bauer, of Evanston, and Samantha Ledford, of Greeley, Colo., both received the Carl Oslund Scholarship, established by the family of Carl Oslund in his memory. Oslund was a longtime member of WES and served as president in 1965-66. This scholarship is awarded to university sophomores for use during their junior years.

For more information about the convention or the WES, visit www.wyomingengineeringsociety.org/.