• LATEST NEWS
• More News
• News Archive
• RSS
• CAMPUS PHOTOS
• IN THE MEDIA
• CLOSING & DELAY POLICY
• COLLEGE QUICK LINKS
• Student Resources
• Faculty and Staff Resources

Young Alumni News: Three School of Engineering Graduates Presented with National Awards

Posted August 18, 2007

Three School of Engineering graduates recently earned national accolades: Matt Solomito ’07 and Chris Berglind ’07, received the National BMES (Biomedical Engineering Society) 2007 Undergraduate Research Award, and Nicole Mendillo ’05 (pictured) won the annual Helen Sternberg Award from the Society of Women Engineers.

Solomito and Berglind, who were biomedical engineering majors, won the BMES award with their senior project entitled “The Design of a Thermal Sweating Manikin to Evaluate the Comfort of Prostheses.” Their project advisor was Judy Cezeaux, a biomedical engineering professor, and their work was supported by a grant from the Biomedical Division of the American Society for Quality.

Sponsored by Shriners Hospital for Children in Springfield, MA, the duo’s project represented one of just five undergraduate projects chosen for this honor; more than 250 applications from across the country were considered. Solomito and Berglind presented their winning project at a BMES scientific meeting in Los Angeles, CA. “The vast majority of the presenters were faculty and graduate students,” says Steve Schreiner, an associate professor and chairman of the biomedical engineering department. “Matt and Chris did a terrific job, bringing very positive national recognition to the College.”

Mendillo’s award, presented by the Society of Women Engineers, recognizes the achievements of young women engineers annually. The society is a national nonprofit education and service organization. Mendillo, who was an electrical engineering major, is a systems engineer for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, RI, the U.S. Navy’s full-spectrum research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support center for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, and offensive and defensive undersea weapons systems.