Undergraduate Awards Presented 2016 | Duke Computer Science

May 16, 2016

Congratulations to recipients of the 2016 undergraduate student awards which were presented at commencement ceremonies on May 15.

Alex Vasilos Memorial Award

Friends and colleagues of the late Alex Vasilos donated the Alex Vasilos Memorial Award to the Department of Computer Science to recognize deserving students. This year's recipients:

William James Victor (Double major in computer science and mathematics) For outstanding excellence in both fields, for graduating with highest distinction based on a project designing efficient algorithms for traffic data analysis, for leadership at many levels, and for contributing to the academic community through his work as a teaching assistant.

Roger Shu-Hong Zou (Double major in computer science and mathematics) For achievement at the highest level in research and coursework, for graduating with highest distinction based on a project in computer vision that combines computer science with biology, and for bringing clarity, patience, joy, and humor to his intellectual and academic community.

Zhitao (Rex) Ying (Double major in computer science and mathematics) For excellence in several research projects including projects that combine mathematics and computer science in novel, interdisciplinary ways, and for graduating with highest distinction in computer science with a project that breaks new ground in geometric computing.

DeNardis Memorial Award

Ron Parr presents award to Rebecca Steier

Family, friends and colleagues of the late Rebecca DeNardis donated the Rebecca DeNardis Memorial Award to the Department of Computer Science to recognize deserving students for creating and instilling a sense of purpose and excellence. This year's recipient:

Rebecca Steier For academic curiosity, for consistently outstanding and excellent work, and for creating a climate of support and inclusion.

Undergraduate Senior Thesis Projects

Graduation with Distinction is awarded to students who complete a substantial project that consists of at least one year's work, including an independent study under the guidance of a faculty member. The project represents a significant intellectual endeavor and requires a presentation made to a committee of three faculty members.

Graduation with Highest Distinction

William Victor - Advisor: Pankaj K. Agarwal. Efficient Algorithms for Traffic Data Analysis.

Zhitao “Rex” Ying - Advisor: Pankaj K. Agarwal. Approximation Algorithms for Dynamic Time Warping and Edit Distance.

Roger Shu-Hong Zou - Advisor: Carlo Tomasi. Deformable Graph Models for Tracking Epithelial Cell Sheets in Fluorescence Miscroscopy.