Published: November 03, 2009 08:55 pm         

Newsmakers: Nov. 4, 2009

Rose-Hulman student newsmakers:

Thirty Rose-Hulman students completed this year’s Leadership Academy personal development course, conducted on Oct. 14-16, to build confidence in their ability to lead, consciousness of various leadership approaches, connection with leadership resources and mentors and civic awareness.

Topics and activities covered in the academy’s curriculum are leadership theory, communication skills, personality type (understanding self), networking, ethics and character development, privilege, community engagement, and personal goal setting and strategic planning.

Students were chosen for the program based on campus involvement and leadership positions, a personal essay and faculty/staff recommendations.

The list of Leadership Academy graduates were:

• Seth Carter, a senior mechanical engineering major from Newton, Ill.

• Lauren Christensen, a senior biomedical engineering major from St. Louis

• Chad Conway, a sophomore electrical engineering and mechanical engineering major from Duxbury, Mass.

• Emily Curtis, a senior applied biology major from Plainfield

• Matthew Devonish, a sophomore mechanical engineering major from Washington, D.C.

• Ryan Easterling, a junior electrical engineering and mechanical engineering major from Decatur, Ill.

• William Eckert, a junior mechanical engineering major from Cincinnati, Ohio

• Emily Eckstein, a freshman biomedical engineering major from New Ulm, Minn.

• Tyler Gonnsen, a senior software engineering major from Maquoketa, Iowa

• Yile Gu, a freshman chemical engineering major from Jiangsu, China

• LeMoyne Habimana-Griffin, a junior biomedical engineering and electrical engineering major from Alexandria

• Elaine Houston, a senior biomedical engineering major from Hopewell Junction, N.Y.

• Leah Howard, a senior biomedical engineering major from Crawfordsville

• James Jones, a senior mechanical engineering major from Brownsburg

• Satomi Kaminaga, a senior chemical engineering major from Tokyo, Japan

• Andrew Kruth, a junior software engineering and computer science major from Cedar Park, Texas

• Evan Luscher, a senior mechanical engineering major from Libertyville, Ill.

• Johanna Moore, a junior applied biology major from Brazil

• Martin Novick, a freshman chemical engineering major from Taipei, Taiwan

• EJ Oruche, a junior biomedical engineering major from Fishers

• Mitchell Pettigrew, a junior mechanical engineering and electrical engineering major from Delaware, Ohio

• Bryan Poulsen, a senior biomedical engineering major from Newburgh

• Michael Rooney, a junior mechanical engineering major from Atco, N.J.

• Lindsey Saxton, a sophomore applied biology major from Indianapolis

• Ann Say, a freshman computer science major from Sterling, Ill.

• Vidhushah Sudhakar, an engineering management graduate student from Chennai, India

• Didem Tunc, a senior biomedical engineering major from Greenfield

• Jeff Van Treuren, a senior mechanical engineering major from Waco, Texas

• Robert Williamson, a senior applied biology major from Alpine, Texas

• Christopher Wlezien, a senior mechanical engineering major from Chicago

Now in its third year, the Leadership Academy is organized by a team of Rose-Hulman faculty and staff volunteers.



• Rose-Hulman freshman Kayla Irwin of Shelburn has received a $1,000 scholarship from Terre Haute’s P.E.O. Chapter K philanthropic organization that promotes women’s achievements in higher education.

The scholarship is awarded annually to a Rose-Hulman student on the basis of financial need, academic success and extracurricular activities.

Irwin, a freshman chemical engineering major who was a 2009 graduate of North Central High School, is the daughter of William and Peggy Irwin of Shelburn. She plans to play on the softball team and participate in intramurals.

Terre Haute’s P.E.O. Chapter K consists of approximately 50 members. Tina Elliott of Terre Haute is chapter president this year.



•Brian Kiraly, a senior Rose-Hulman engineering physics major from Granger, Ind., has been selected to participate in the U.S. government’s Science and Energy Research Challenge on Nov. 8-9 at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn. He will join 100 student researchers to present their research in Department of Energy-funded projects at the national laboratories.

Kiraly and faculty advisor Scott Kirkpatrick, visiting assistant professor of physics and optical engineering, will attend seminars and tour Oak Ridge facilities.

Student researchers will vie for awards in each of six categories; first, second and third place, for $3,000, $1,500 and $1,000 scholarships, respectively. One overall winner will receive a $10,000 grand prize scholarship ($3,000 for first in category and $7,000 for overall winner).

Kiraly ranks among the top students academically in this year’s senior class. He was named a Paul N. Bogart Scholar for having the highest grade point average after completing the sophomore year.



• Rose-Hulman senior chemical engineering major Nick Kirkland is among the nation’s top Army ROTC cadets, ranking 176th out of 4,706 cadets in the 2009-10 classifications by Army officials. The ranking was based on campus leadership, academic performance, Army ROTC course grades, and performance in the Army ROTC’s leadership assessment, physical fitness and military skills courses.

Kirkland is from Peachtree City, Ga.



• Troy Chester has made a favorable impression on his classmates during his first quarter at Rose-Hulman, being selected Freshman Class President in an election by the Student Government Association. He is a civil engineering major from Frankfort.

Students elected to serve as senators for their residence halls this year were Matt Cartwright and Cameron Henderson, Baur-Sames-Bogart Hall; Brent Gregory and Yile Gu, Deming Hall; Nicholas Addante, Mees Hall; Deborah Davis-Brutchen, June Li and Douglas Selby, Percopo Hall; Clay Condol and Caleb Drake, Speed Hall; Kevin Harris and Cheyenne Arrowsling, Apartments; Hobey Tam, Blumberg Hall; Christian Hidden, Scharpenberg Hall; Nicholas Leedy, Skinner Hall; and Dillon Mitchell, Robert Williamson, Matt Melton and Derek Archer, commuter students.



• Rose-Hulman junior physics major David French stood alongside professors from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Central Florida’s famed College of Optics and Photonics while presenting his first research paper at the Directed Energy Professional Society’s Ultrashort Pulse Laser Workshop. DEPS members were so interested in French’s research that they made his paper into an oral presentation.

French, from Stillwater, Okla., examined the use of an ultrashort pulse laser at Rose-Hulman Ventures to create plasma channels in air to guide electrical discharges. He started work on his project during his freshman year while working with professor Galen Duree of Rose-Hulman’s Department of Physics and Optical Engineering.

This past summer, French worked on projects in the Center for Applied Optics Studies’ Ultrashort Pulse Laser Laboratory.