The Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering hosted its annual Awards Reception on October 11, 2024, bringing together students, faculty, staff, alumni, and donors to celebrate achievements and strengthen connections within our department community.

Department Head Ronaldo Maghirang welcomed attendees and noted that the department distributed approximately $90,000 in scholarships and awards this year, supporting the next generation of agricultural and biological engineers and engineering technology management professionals.

The event recognized outstanding undergraduate students from both the Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) and Engineering Technology and Management for Agricultural Systems (ETMAS) programs with scholarships established by distinguished alumni and supporters. Students received awards including the Douglas L. Bosworth Scholarship, the Bauling/Pershing Scholarship, the Gary and Janet Uken Scholarship, the E.W. Lehmann Award, the Ben and Georgeann Jones Undergraduate Student Scholarship, among others.

The ceremony highlighted excellence across both programs, with notable recipients including Sam Atkinson (ABE ‘24) and Eric Hall (ETMAS) for the H. Paul Bateman Congeniality Awards. The E.W. Lehmann Award for Outstanding Seniors recognized Jamie Abbott (ABE ‘24) and Jarvis Williams (ETMAS ‘24).

A highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of the Distinguished Alumni Award to Dr. KC Ting, who earned his Ph.D. from the department in 1980 and served as department head from 2004 to 2016. The Young Alumni Achievement Award went to Elizabeth Bruns (Class of 2009), currently a Civil Engineer with the US Army Corps of Engineers – Rock Island District.

The event was enhanced by the presence of several scholarship donors, including Professor Roscoe Pershing (the department's first Ph.D. graduate and former head), Doug Bauling, Doug Bosworth and Judy Keene, and Gary and Janet Uken.

Faculty and staff excellence was also celebrated, with Dr. Ann-Perry Witmer receiving the Ben and Georgeann Jones Excellence in Teaching Award, Dr. Josie Rudolphi earning the Faculty Award for Research Excellence, and Darryl Negangard receiving the Staff Award of Excellence. Graduate student achievements were recognized with the Ben and Georgeann Jones Graduate Student Award for Research Excellence going to Dr. Zixin Wang (PhD ABE ’24) and Dr. Hongxu Zhou (PhD ABE ’24).

The reception also highlighted student achievement through recognition of outstanding capstone projects, including the "COHW Team" from ABE 469 and the Sustainable Structure Design team from ETMA 439.

View the complete list of award recipients here.

Supporting Future Excellence

If you're interested in contributing to scholarship funds that support the next generation of agricultural and biological engineers and engineering technology management professionals, please contact the ABE Department at abe@illinois.edu or visit our website at https://abe.illinois.edu/give.

Your support helps maintain our department's tradition of excellence and ensures that talented students can pursue their education regardless of financial circumstances.