Each year the CCEE department presents four Outstanding Senior Awards to students who have demonstrated continued excellence during their undergraduate studies. This year’s honors go to Harrison Dean for Leadership, which recognizes demonstrated ability to provide guidance and direction within organizations and individually; Maddie Macmillan for Citizenship and Service, which recognizes significant humanitarian contributions that improve the welfare of fellow citizens and the community; Thomas Stirewalt for Scholarly Achievement, which recognizes exceptional academic performance including participation in undergraduate research; and Jimmy Tabet for Humanities, which recognizes high achievement in CCEE with an equal commitment to a broad liberal education in social sciences, arts or humanities. Find out more about these academic superstars, including their plans for work or pursuing further education after graduation!
Leadership: Harrison Dean
Harrison Dean grew up in North Carolina and came from a family with several civil engineers and many NC State Alumni. He says the NC State CCEE engineering program was always at the top of his list and can now confirm that civil engineering is the ‘perfect fit’ for him.
“I have always had a great influence to do engineering from my dad and uncle who both graduated from NC State with a Civil Engineering degree. The idea of working with a team on large projects to make a positive impact on the community excites me.” Harrison Dean
Harrison joined the Student Chapter of ASCE early in his college career and participated in both the Steel Bridge Team and Concrete Canoe team. As the conference Chair, he led the planning and execution of the 2019 ASCE Carolinas Conference, held on and around NC State’s campus in April of 2019. He says he learned to delegate responsibility, and dramatically improved his public speaking skills, while overseeing preparations for the 3-day event, which saw more than 300 students from 10 schools throughout the southeast compete in numerous events. “I have never had to accomplish a task with so many components and with such a large team to lead. This role has added countless tasks on top of my rigorous senior classes, and I have learned valuable time management skills,” Harrison said.
Harrison completed two internships, including one at NCDOT and one at Kimley-Horn. While his area of concentration has been Structures, through his internships he has realized a new passion in roadway design and transportation engineering. After graduation, he will be working with Kimley-Horn as a Roadway Design Analyst.
Citizenship and Service: Maddie Macmillan
Maddie Macmillan is originally from Chicago, but her family now lives in Chapel Hill, NC. Maddie combined her environmental advocacy with service by joining the Sustainability Board, and by her Senior year she was chosen as Chairman. She managed a large budget and oversaw many projects including water bottle refilling stations and the production of a solar-powered car.
Maddie also served two years as an CCEE Student Ambassador, representing the department at the COE annual Open House, career fairs, and classroom visits by high school students. She joined Engineers Without Borders, working on a team that designed and implemented a solar powered water treatment system for a school in Sierra Leone.
“I have really enjoyed being a student ambassador. Through this program, I have met other eager and outgoing students in the department. I have also had the opportunity to share my love for NC State and my major with prospective students and freshmen.” Maddie Macmillan
Achievement: Thomas Stirewalt
Thomas Stirewalt is one of the Valedictorians of the Class of 2019. He has been on the Dean’s List every semester since transferring to NC State from Forsyth Technical College and has exceeded the requirements for the accelerated Bachelors to Masters program recently began by our department. He earned A+ in two Masters level courses while an undergraduate. Beyond his classroom achievements, Thomas has also participated in undergraduate research in two different concentrations. As an undergraduate research assistant at the Constructed Facilities Laboratory, he collected and analyzed data related to research in a bridge repair techniques. He also worked on another research project that explored transportation options for low-income populations affected by gentrification and urban sprawl in the Raleigh area.
“I chose to work on the public transportation project even though it is not within my specialty area because it allowed me to make a different in my community.” Thomas Stirewalt
Thomas has been active in the ASCE student group, including working as Treasurer and serving as concrete canoe captain. He served on the Zia Lecture Committee, and was a member of Engineers Without Borders, as well as working with Feed The Pack food pantry. After graduation, Thomas plans to attend graduate school at NC State, with a concentration in structures.
Humanities: Jimmy Tabet
Jimmy Tabet grew up in Raleigh and was exposed to NC State’s strong engineering programs during summer camp as a teenager, and says it was civil engineering that most interested him. Along with his civil engineering degree, Jimmy Tabet also earned a degree in economics as a Ben Franklin Scholar. He also completed a minor in biological sciences. He began tutoring in his freshman year as way to earn some money, and along the way he fell in love with teaching others. He cites his multidisciplinary range of knowledge as helping him immensely in his role as a tutor.
“Engineering has taught me a way to approach problems that can then be applied to unconventional situations where critical analysis and problem-solving may not necessarily seem to apply, which is exactly what I try to represent in my tutoring.” Jimmy Tabet
Jimmy says that some of his most memorable time with CCEE was doing research under Dr. Abhinav Gupta and the Center for Nuclear Energy Facilities and Structures group (CNEFS). “Even though I am switching to the medical field and plan on becoming a doctor, my time with CNEFS has shaped and developed me tremendously both personally and academically,” Tabet said.
While achieving Dean’s List every semester in both of his degrees, and working as a tutor, he also volunteered for Habitat for Humanity on campus, was a saxophonist in the NCSU Jazz Combo, and took numerous international trips in order to expand his cultural understanding of the world.
We look forward to great things from these four exceptional students.