Student accepts high-achievement award
March 11, 2015
STARKVILLE, Miss – An industrial engineering major’s outstanding performance in academics, leadership and service has earned recognition from Mississippi State University.
Senior Ryan Weitzel received the Harry Charles Simrall Award for Engineering Excellence from the MSU Association of Retired Faculty.
One of the highest awards a Bagley College of Engineering student can receive from the university, the Simrall Award recognizes one student each year based on nominations from each department.
In his nomination packet, faculty described Weitzel as “organized, disciplined, and proactive… dedicated and driven while still being compassionate.”
Weitzel said he chose to major in engineering because he enjoys solving problems. Specifically, he likes to solve problems at the systems level, which lead to his choice of industrial engineering. He said he hopes to find a job with a firm that specializes in operations research, transportation and logistics.
In addition to maintaining a 4.00 GPA and earning research experience, Weitzel leads the student chapter of the Institute of Industrial Engineers and the IE Honorary Alpha Pi Mu organization. He is active in community service projects through the Maroon Volunteer Center, Salvation Army and several other organizations. He has spent the majority of his time serving in the Mississippi Youth and Government program, which conducts mock legislative sessions for senior-high and junior-high students.
Robert Green, chairman of the Simrall Award selection committee, said choosing the honoree becomes more difficult each year due to the high caliber of the nominees.
“I do not remember ever having someone nominated for this award who did not deserve it,” Green said. “They’re all strong academically, and most of them have really strong leadership records. A lot of times, it comes down to community service and who’s done what,” Green said.
A committee of BCoE faculty and staff, and a representative from Association of Retired Faculty reviews the nominees. Each year, eight to 10 nominations are made. When choosing a recipient for the Harry Charles Simrall Award for Engineering Excellence, Green and the selection committee ponders many questions, including “Would Dean Simrall like to sit down and talk to these students?”
“It’s not just someone who makes good grades, but it’s someone who is destined to be a professional, thinks of others, serves the community, and has demonstrated leadership while also being a good student,” Green said.
The Harry Charles Simrall Award for Engineering Excellence was established in 1999 to honor Simrall. In his 44-year career, the award’s namesake served as an electrical engineering professor, dean of engineering, president of the National Society of Professional Engineers, and, following his 1978 retirement, a charter member of ARF.
To learn more about the Harry Charles Simrall Award for Engineering Excellence, visit http://lib.msstate.edu/arf/studawards.php.
More information about the Bagley College of Engineering can be found at www.bagley.msstate.edu.
By Jen Nguyen