ND Energy congratulates Tessa Clarizio, graduate of the Energy Studies Minor, on receiving the 2017 Reverend Thomas A. Steiner Award! The College of Engineering is pleased to announce the 2017 winners of the Reverend Thomas A. Steiner Award. They, like the namesake of the award, will no doubt have a great impact on their individual fields and the lives of those with whom they come in contact.
From left to right are: Tessa Clarizio, Alexander Rosner,
Julia Butterfield, Paul Rudnicki, Michael Thompson, and
McCloskey Dean of Engineering Peter Kilpatrick.
Not pictured is David Mattia.
The six recipients of the 2017 Reverend Thomas A. Steiner Award are Julia Butterfield, Tessa Clarizio, David Mattia, Alexander Rosner, Paul Rudnicki, and Michael Thompson. These seniors are being recognized for their all-around excellence, their commitment to engineering, and to the common good while undergraduates at Notre Dame.
This year’s honorees will be pursuing a variety of dreams after graduation that will keep them as engaged in engineering pursuits as they were during their undergraduate careers in the College of Engineering.
A mechanical engineering major from Sacramento, Calif., Butterfield found her niche within mechanical engineering through a course called Kinematics of Human Motion, which sparked her interest in biomechanics and human kinematics. She will be pursuing a doctorate in mechanical engineering with a focus on biomechanics at Stanford University this fall.
Clarizio, who will receive a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering (and a minor in energy studies) during the 172nd Commencement Ceremonies, will pursue a master’s degree in water, waste, and environmental engineering at the University College Dublin through Notre Dame’s Naughton Fellowship program. A native of East Lansing, Mich., Clarizio choose engineering, specifically environmental engineering, because of her interest in math and science and desire to use her engineering skills in the field of urban sustainability.
Upon graduating Mattia will be beginning his career as a software engineer for Google. A native of Lakeville, Minn., he chose to pursue a degree in computer science after falling in love with calculator programming in high school. This is when he realized he wanted to understand and impact the fundamentals of computers that make software possible. Some of his fondest Notre Dame memories center around computer science, such as the Notre Dame Hackathon.
After graduation Rosner will not be returning to his hometown of Tempe, Ariz. Instead he’s headed to University of Colorado at Boulder where he will pursue a doctorate in RF/microwave engineering. Rosner was encouraged to pursue post-graduate degree in electrical engineering through courses like IC Fabrication, as it provided him a glimpse of the power of engineering and the motivation to push the boundaries of technology.
A native of Bangor, Maine, Rudnicki is also headed to Stanford this fall. He will be pursuing a doctorate in chemical engineering. Although he always enjoyed math and science, Rudnicki was encouraged to consider the versatility offered through a degree in chemical engineering by his high school AP chemistry teacher.
Thompson, who has his helicopter pilot’s license, combined his love for flying with being able to solve engineering problems as part of his degree in aerospace engineering. He be furthering his studies in aerospace engineering at Stanford this fall, just a few hours south of his hometown of San Juan Capistrano.
FATHER THOMAS STEINER
An 1899 civil engineering graduate of the University, Father Thomas Steiner, C.S.C., was dean of the College of Engineering from 1928 to 1938. He made a great impact on the course of the college, but he made an even greater impact on the lives of his students. In 1948 former students of “Pops” Steiner established this award in his memory. It is presented annually to outstanding seniors.
Originally published by Nina Welding at engineering.nd.edu on May 16, 2017.