Eight Graduating Seniors Honored for Outstanding Undergraduate Achievements
Eight graduating seniors have been chosen by the UMass Amherst Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) to receive its 2023 Outstanding Undergraduate Achievement Awards, the college's highest honor given to undergraduates. This year's recipients, recognized for outstanding performance in the classroom and in the community, are Grace Chang, Sebastien Christensen, Gilbert Hoermann, Sahil Joshi, Maggie Kenslea, Daniel Melanson, Steven Rossi, and Larry Tseng.
Grace Chang
Student Leadership
For exceptional student leadership, support, and efforts to advance the college's teaching mission as an undergraduate course assistant
Grace Chang is cited as having demonstrated exceptional leadership through her support and work to advance the college’s teaching mission while showing exemplary organizational skills and an ability to lead by example. As an Undergraduate Course Assistant (UCA) Coordinator, she oversaw a significant expansion of the Undergraduate Course Assistant program, performing key duties, including overseeing the UCA program and the assignment of UCAs to classes – tasks that are typically performed by a faculty member. Faculty and peers have praised her for her ability to lead, train, and inspire other student leaders.
Sebastien Christensen
Community Service
For excellence in community service and representation fo the college as a member of the Recruitment and Outreach Committee
In his work as a Recruiting and Outreach Committee (ROC) student guide, Sebastien Christensen conducted hundreds of weekly information sessions, representing CICS at almost every Fall Visit Day and Destination Day over the past two years, and providing a peer perspective for those facing the challenge of selecting a college program. Sebastien also regularly initiated his own projects, providing data analytics for the ROC program and creating an onboarding manual for new ROC members. Sebastien also served as the co-president of the Cybersecurity Club, helping lead its now annual UMass Capture-the-Flag event, an ethical hacking and cybersecurity competition that hosted over 2000 participants across more than 50 countries.
Gilbert Hoermann
Student Leadership
For outstanding student leadership, dedication to education fellow students, and commitment to supporting the college's teaching mission
Gilbert Hoermann was described by nominators as an exceptional leader and a natural educator, and is being honored for his dedication to educating his fellow students. In addition to serving as the technical director of the UMass Cybersecurity Club and his involvement with the UMass National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) team, Gilbert proposed and co-created a course, COMPSCI 390R: Reverse Engineering and Vulnerability Analysis, with fellow 2023 Undergraduate Achievement award winner, Steven Rossi. Under the supervision of Professor Brian Levine, Gilbert co-taught the course twice, with the primary goal of providing students with an understanding of attack patterns, code vulnerability, and ensuring students implement more secure coding practices.
Sahil Joshi
Academic and Research Excellence
For exemplary academic performance, achievement in research, and consistent commitment to teaching and mentoring
Sahil Joshi, a double major in computer science and mathematics, is cited for his consistent commitment to teaching and mentoring, and dedication to research. A recipient of a Baystate Fellowship, he has served as an undergraduate course assistant for five courses. His research in cybersecurity, primarily focusing on detecting distributed denial of service attacks, has led to the design and development of several such detectors.
Margaret (Maggie) Kenslea
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion-Driven Leadership
For inclusive leadership, commitment to social justice, and advocacy for marginalized identities
While at UMass, computer science and mathematics double major Maggie Kenslea has worked on several community service projects, including the “Boltwood Project,” where she advocated for members of the disability community in Amherst. She also worked with the non-profit 180 Degrees Consulting, which offers remote tutoring options for children, provides literacy and housing education, and assists immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Additionally, Maggie has worked as a student assistant in the CICS Office of Diversity and Inclusive Community Development, where she planned and hosted community events and conversations and spoke as a panelist at multiple events promoting women’s empowerment in STEM fields.
Daniel Melanson
Student Leadership
For exceptional student leadership, support, and efforts to advance the college's teaching mission as an undergraduate course assistant
Daniel Melanson has been an undergraduate course assistant for COMPSCI 220: Programming Methodology for four semesters, spearheading a substantial course redesign. Professor Marius Minea praised Daniel's remarkable pedagogical abilities and his contributions to the development of course content and described Daniel as “a collaborator who has shown exceptional leadership abilities,” stating, “In all this work, [Daniel] has gained the universal respect of his colleagues on the CS 220 staff, inspiring them to likewise go the extra mile and support our students. He has continued to tirelessly provide help to individual students: promptly finding creative fixes and scheduling extra office hours to make sure everyone’s problems were addressed in a 300-person class.“
Steven Rossi
Student Leadership
For outstanding student leadership, dedication to educating fellow students, and commitment to supporting the college's teaching mission
Described as “off-the-charts in terms of intelligence, leadership, drive, and maturity,” Steven Rossi is a triple major in computer science, mathematics, and management. He is the current co-president of the UMass Cybersecurity Club and has also been heavily involved in recruiting and training the UMass Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) team, which has successfully participated in several national competitions. In partnership with fellow 2023 Undergraduate Achievement award winner Daniel Melanson, he proposed, created, and taught COMPSCI 390R: Reverse Engineering and Vulnerability Analysis. Professor Brian Levine states that Steven is at the "top of the list of students I have worked with since I joined in 1999.”
Lawrence (Larry) Tseng
Computing for the Common Good
For sustained dedication to community-centered work, student advocacy, and the utilization of technology for the common good
Computer science and management double major Larry Tseng received praise for his “long history of using technology for the common good.” At UMass, Larry has worked as a peer Career Developer and a leader in several student projects and organizations, including the Cybersecurity Club. He was a key member of a team that developed Campus Atlas, an app that provides accessible wayfinding and navigation across campuses. The project won the grand prize as well as the Best Software Hack prize at HackUMass IX in 2021. He currently serves as the undergraduate representative on the Computer Science Laboratories Building Committee, advocating for students’ needs. Larry also received a UMass Amherst Alumni Association Award in 2022.