Commencement 1998

SOCORRO -- Nearly 260 New Mexico Tech students graduated at the university's 102nd commencement exercises, on Saturday morning, May 9. The science and engineering college is located in Socorro.

The Brown Award, the top award to an undergraduate, went to Ueyn Block, a physics major from Delmar, New York. Block graduated with highest honors and is headed for graduate school at Stanford next year.

The top award to a graduate student was presented to Sandra Jean Powell of Chillicothe, Illinois, who also received a master's degree in materials engineering. Two years ago, Powell was the Brown Award recipient when she got her bachelor's degree from Tech, marking the first occasion one person had won both awards.

The highest engineering awards, the Cramer Awards, went to two environmental engineering majors. Robin Carstensen of La Crescenta, Calif., and Kenneth Salaz of Kirtland, NM, were name the top achievers among engineering students.

For awards given by departments to outstanding students, see Departmental Awards.

In addition, New Mexico Tech presented several awards to outstanding researchers. Three of these were hydrologists, emphasizing the outstanding quality of New Mexico Tech's graduate program in hydrology.

Dr. John Wilson, professor of hydrology and for many years the director of the hydrology program, received Tech's Distinguished Research Award. Wilson has been considered one of the most creative researchers in the field and was called "a bubbling wellhead of hydrologic creativity."

Another hydrologist was honored by the New Mexico Tech Alumni Association. Dr. Stavros Papadopulos, who received his master's degree in 1962, received the Distinguished Achievement Award. His research in hydrology and leadership of his consulting firm, S. S. Papadopulos and Assoc., led to the award.

The final hydrologist to receive an award was graduate student Mitch Plummer. Plummer was principal author of a paper published last year in Science magazine. He received the Langmuir Award for the excellence of his research. (See Packrat Middens Give Clues to Ancient Climate).

In additional awards, John A. Kruppenbach, Class of 51 was honored by the Alumni Association for Distinguished Service. Dr. Ken Minschwaner of the physics department received the award for Distinguished Teaching.

The ceremony was followed by the dedication of Workman Center, a new building on campus.

-NMT-

(Kathleen Hedges)