Second Annual Outstanding Achievement and Advocacy Awards Banquet

Friday, April 30, 2010

Computer Science Building, 140 Governors Drive

To recognize their remarkable accomplishments of graduates of the Department's degree programs and to acknowledge the support of important friends of the department, the Department established the University of Massachusetts Amherst Computer Science Department Outstanding Achievement and Advocacy Award (OAA) program, under which awards will be presented annually in various categories.

The second Outstanding Achievement and Advocacy Awards Banquet was held on campus in the Campus Center at the Top of The Campus on the evening of Friday, April 30, 2010, culminating an afternoon of events in the Department.

Over 75 people joined us to help celebrate the accomplishments of our award recipients and to reconnect with fellow alums.

View photos of from the OAA 2010 Event

The 2010 OAA Award Recipients are:

• Outstanding Achievement in Education: Carla Brodley (UMass Amherst CS Ph.D. '94), Professor of Computer Science at Tufts University
• Outstanding Achievement in Public Service: Jody Daniels (UMass Amherst CS Ph.D. '97), Director of Advanced Programs for Lockheed Martin's Advanced Technology Laboratories and a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves [nomination for Brigadier General in fall 2010]
• Outstanding Achievement in Entrepreneurship: Andrew Singer (UMass Amherst CS Ph.D. '79), Chief Scientist of Edison Labs LLC
• Outstanding Achievement by a Young Alum: Sanjay Tandon (UMass Amherst CS B.S. '01), Chief Executive Officer of Paramount Defenses, Inc.
• Outstanding Support for the Department: Sidney Topol (UMass Amherst Physics B.S. '47), President of the Topol Group, founder of the Massachusetts Telecommunications Council, retired President, CEO and Chairman of the Board at Scientific Atlanta
• Outstanding Achievement in Management: Steve Vinter (UMass Amherst CS Ph.D. '85), Engineering Director at Google, Inc. Cambridge
• Outstanding Achievement in Research: Alexander Wolf (UMass Amherst CS Ph.D. '85), Professor of Computing at Imperial College London

OAA Award Recipient Biographies

The Graduate Student Award* Recipients are:

• Outstanding Dissertation Award: Nilanjan Banerjee (Ph.D. '09)
• Outstanding Dissertation Award: Ting Yang (Ph.D. '09)
• Outstanding Synthesis Award: Devesh Agrawal
• Outstanding Synthesis Award: Daniel Menasche
• Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award: Phillip Kirlin
• Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award: James Partan

 

The Undergraduate Student Award* Recipients are:

• Overall Achievement in Computer Science: Daniel R. Amirault
• Achievement in Artificial Intelligence: Carlton C. Henderson
• Achievement in Interdisciplinary Study: Marisa Pacifico
• Achievement in Multimedia: Eric Ssebanakitta
• Achievement in Security: Norman S. Provost
• Achievement in Software Engineering: Meagan S. Day
• Achievement in Systems:  James M. Gummeson
• Achievement in Theory: John Brattin

* The Graduate and Undergraduate Awards are sponsored by Yahoo!

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

1:30 - 3:00 p.m.	- Poster Session Computer Science Building, Rms CS 150/151
3:00 - 4:30 p.m.	- Roundtable Discussion with our award recipients Computer Science Building, Rooms CS 150/151
5:00 - 9:00 p.m.	- Reception and Awards Banquet Marriott Center, 11th Floor, Campus Center

 

REGISTRATION:

Online registration is now closed.  Last minute registrations will be accepted until Tuesday, April 27th at 9:00 a.m. -- send email to Leeanne Leclerc at leclerc [at] cs [dot] umass [dot] edu. Banquet Tickets are $35 for each attendee. Please make checks payable to UMass Amherst Computer Science and mail (by April 19) to: Leeanne Leclerc, Computer Science Dept., UMass Amherst, 140 Governors Drive, Amherst, MA 01003-9264.

ACCOMMODATIONS:

If you require lodging, please make reservations directly with the hotel. We have a room block at the UMass Amherst Campus Center Hotel. For the room block rate, reservations must be made by April 9. See the accommodations page for more details.

LOGISTICS/DIRECTIONS:

Afternoon events will be held in our Computer Science Building, 140 Governors Drive, UMass Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003. Free parking will be available in Lot 31 directly across from the main entrance of our bulding (note: do not park in the spots with parking meters). The OAA 2010 banquet will be held at the Top of the Campus in the UMass Amherst Campus Center.  Parking is available in the campus parking garage.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:  nominations are no longer being accepted for the 2010 awards, but please consider nominating an alum for a 2011 award.

VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE 2009 EVENT