Category: Awards and Prizes

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Honors Thesis: Evolutionary Control of Micro Aerial Vehicles in Simulation– Coletta R. Fuller ’21

Coletta, a Johnson Scholar, double majored  in computer science and music, and minored in creative writing.  She presented her Honors Thesis on Evolutionary Control of Micro Aerial Vehicles in Simulation via Zoom on Wednesday April 14th.

This thesis examined the challenge of safely landing quadcopters in simulation, using OpenAI gym environments to evaluate various machine learning algorithms. The two main categories explored were Deep Reinforcement Learning and Evolutionary algorithms. While the success of the DRL approach motivated this work, the evolutionary angle is of more interest due to its roots in more realistic biological inspiration. One specific evolutionary approach, NEAT, had success in the three-dimensional version of the problem, while none of the DRL attempts were successful. The dominance of NEAT on this challenge, while impressive in contrast with DRL, also had reasonably comparable success to a heuristic, human engineered approach.

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2021 Computer Science Degrees, Scholarships, Prizes and Awards

Congratulations to the Class of 2021 Computer Science Majors and Minors for their outstanding achievements! They are listed here, as they appear in the Commencement Bulletin.

2021 Graduates:

TEMITOPE ELIZABETH ADEYANJU – Bachelor of Science, cum laude
KUSH ATTAL – Bachelor of Science, Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude
JEFFREY MICHAEL BRADLEY – Bachelor of Science
MICHAEL WILLIAM BROWN – Bachelor of Science, Honors in Geology (Thesis “Estimating Soil Carbon Content of Grazing Lands in Rockbridge County, Virginia, using Statistical and Machine Learning Techniques”)
TRISTAN HENRY CADE – Bachelor of Science
ALEXANDER ALFREDO CAINES – Bachelor of Science
JAY JAEYEON CHOI – Bachelor of Arts
KATIE SUE CONES – Bachelor of Arts, Honors in Mathematics (Thesis: “Bounding Box Sizes and Closure Properties of Spirolateral Graphs generated by Permutations”)
JACOB AIDAN FLOOD – Bachelor of Arts
COLETTA R. FULLER – Bachelor of Arts,  Honors in Computer Science (Thesis: “Evolving Neural Controllers for Micro Aerial Vehicles in Simulation”),  Computer Science Department Award, cum laude.
CALLAN JANE GARST – Bachelor of Science, Honors in Mathematics (Thesis: “It’s a Point, It’s a Line, It’s the Projective Plane:  An Exploration of the Algebraic and Geometric Connections of the Projective Plane”), magna cum laude
ANNJOY MUTHONI GICHANE – Bachelor of Arts
FADY E. GOUDA – Bachelor of Science
ABHI ANANDA JHA – Bachelor of Arts
(TINA) DONGTING JIN – Bachelor of Science, Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude
CORINNE GRACE JOIREMAN – Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude
HANNAH LAURIE JONES – Bachelor of Science
DANIEL AUSTIN KUNTZ – Bachelor of Science
JAMES EDGAR LAWSON – Bachelor of Arts
WILLIAM WYATT MEDICK – Bachelor of Science
ALLIE SMITH MILLER – Bachelor of Science, Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude
SAMUEL WILSON NODEN- Bachelor of Arts
GRIFFIN WILLIAM NOE – Bachelor of Arts
WILLIAM HARRISON PINKERTON – Bachelor of Arts
MARGARET GRACE ROQUEMORE – Bachelor of Science
JOHN NICHOLAS ST. PIERRE – Bachelor of Science, cum laude
UTKRIST PRATAP THAPA – Bachelor of Science
ANDREW TOSTEN THOMPSON – Bachelor of Science, cum laude
ALEXANDRA ROTH WAGNER – Bachelor of Arts

Fellowships Received

ANA ESTRADA HAMM, ’22 – Boren Scholarship (scholarship for language study abroad)

Scholarships, Awards and Prizes

(ALYSSA) TRANG THUY VU ,’22 – The James D. Davidson Memorial Fund Scholarship, The James McDowell Scholarship
KUSH ATTAL ,’21 – The Mapleson Award
MICHAEL WILLIAM BROWN, ’21 – The Henry Ruffner Scholarship, The Lena T.  Stevens Scholarship in Geology
KATIE SUE CONES, ’21 – The Classical Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS) Award
LAURIE A. LEE, ’22 – The Catherine Houston Campbell Scholarship in English Literature
SAMUEL THOMAS BLUESTONE, ’22 – The Jewish Learning Fellowship
ELYSSA M. MCMASTER, ’22 – The Jewish Learning Fellowship
DANIEL AUSTIN KUNTZ, ’21 – The Williams Prize in Mathematics
COLETTA R. FULLER ’21 – The Washington and Lee University Orchestra Award, The Computer Science Department Award
PRAISE D. APATA, ’23 – The Douglas C. Halstead Memorial Scholarship

 

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2021 PBK initiates from the Computer Science Department

Following are the Computer Science student inductees from the Class of 2021 and 2022 for Phi Beta Kappa/Society of the Cincinnati:

  • Allison Miller ’21
  • Merrina Lan ’22
  • Alyssa Vu ’22

CONGRATULATIONS!

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Professor Matthews wins Best Paper Award

Liz Matthews, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at W&L, was selected for the  Outstanding Paper Award  at the 13th International Conference on Game and Entertainment Technologies.  The paper, which was co-authored by Juan Gilbert (University of Florida) is entitled “ATLAS CHRONICLE: DEVELOPMENT AND VERIFICATION OF A SYSTEM FOR PROCEDURAL GENERATION OF STORY-DRIVEN GAMES”.
The Conference Committee, taking into account the blind review process, considers this paper of the highest standard.

Please click on the link to learn more…

https://www.gaming-conf.org/oldconferences/2020/

Additionally, because Professor Matthews won best paper, she got to extend the paper and publish in this journal:

http://www.iadisportal.org/ijcsis/

Congratulations, Professor Matthews!

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2020 Computer Science Degrees, Scholarships, Prizes and Awards

Congratulations to the Class of 2020 Computer Science Majors and Minors for their outstanding achievements!

2020 Graduates:

KELLY ANNE AMAR (’20) – Bachelor of Arts
GEORGE BERNARD BARKER (’20) – Bachelor of Science, Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude
LOGAN McCRAY BRAND (’20) – Bachelor of Science
ROBERT COOPER BREITHAUPT (’20) –
JOSEPH LEO CALIHAN III (’20) – Bachelor of Science
MADUBUKO DEBERECHI CHIEDOZIE (’20) – Bachelor of Arts
WILL HARRIS CLARK(’20) – Bachelor of Arts , cum laude
RYAN NICOLAS COMPOLI (’20) – Bachelor of Science
PHILIP BENJAMIN DAVIS (’20) – Bachelor of Arts
ANGELA VERGARA DELOS REYES (’20) – Bachelor of Arts
MATTHEW MICHAEL DODSON (’20) – Bachelor of Science, cum laude
ZACHARY COLE FRANCIS (’20) – Bachelor of Arts
COLLIN REID GLATZ (’20) – Bachelor of Arts, Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude
EMILY FRANCES HAGEBOECK (’20) – Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude
KATHERINE POTTER HAMILL (’20) – Bachelor of Science, cum laude
JULIO CESAR HIDALGO LOPEZ (’20) – Bachelor of Science
MARSHALL McCALL HOWERTON (’20) – Bachelor of Arts
NGUYEN KHOI KIEU (’20) – Bachelor of Science, cum laude
ALLIE RENEE LEFKOWITZ (’20) – Bachelor of Arts, cum laude
BRIAN M. LEGARTH (’20) – Bachelor of Science
RYAN CAMPBELL LESHER (’20) – Bachelor of Science, Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude
RUINAN LIU (’20) – Bachelor of Science, cum laude
MAXWELL JAMES MASAITIS (’20) – Bachelor of Science, Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude
WILLIAM ALLEN McCANN, JR. (’20) – Bachelor of Science
ABIGAIL KATHLEEN NASON (’20) – Bachelor of Science, Honors in Computer Science, (Thesis: “Generating Enjoyable Playlists Using Music Similarity and the A* Algorithm”), Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude
JUSTIN KAROL PUSZTAY (’20) – Bachelor of Science, cum laude
BETHANY ROSE REITSMA (’20) – Bachelor of Arts, cum laude
EMILY CHRISTINE ROCHE (’20) – Bachelor of Science
MICHAEL GRIFFIN SCOTT (’20) – Bachelor of Science
SHEPHERD MILLS SIMS (’20) – Bachelor of Science
TREVOR WAYNE STALNAKER (’20) – Bachelor of Science, Honors in Computer Science, (Thesis: “Procedural Generation of Metroidvania-Style Levels”), Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude
CHRISTOPHER BOYD SURRAN II (’20) – Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude
ANDREW JAMES DEVITT TAYLOR (’20) – Bachelor of Science
MITCHELL COOPER THOMAS (’20) – Bachelor of Arts, cum laude
JAMES DAVID WILSON (’20) – Bachelor of Science

Scholarships, Awards and Prizes

EMILY FRANCES HAGEBOECK (’20) – William D. McHenry Female Scholar-Athlete Award, Outstanding Women’s Swimming Award

JULIO CESAR HIDALGO LOPEZ (’20) – The James Jinkins Livesay, M.D. Premedical Award

ABIGAIL KATHLEEN NASON (’20) – The Computer Science Department Award

BETHANY ROSE REITSMA (’20) – The Washington and Lee University Orchestra Award, The John and Mimi Elrod Fellowship

ANGELA VERGARA DELOS REYES (’20) – The Studio Thesis Award

EMILY CHRISTINE ROCHE (’20) – Most Valuable Player Award (Women’s Soccer)

TREVOR WAYNE STALNAKER (’20) – The Franklin Society Scholarship, The Computer Science Department Award

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2020 Phi Beta Kappa initiates from the Computer Science Department

The Annual Convocation for the Phi Beta Kappa/Society of the Cincinnati  took place on Sunday, March 22, 2020 in Leyburn Library’s Northen Auditorium. Following are the Computer Science student inductees:

  • George Barker, ’20
  • Collin Glatz, 20
  • Ryan Lesher, ’20
  • Max Masaitis, 20
  • Trevor Stalnaker, 20
  • Kush Attal ’21

CONGRATULATIONS!

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CS major athletic accolades!

Senior Cooper Baird , (Fort Worth, Texas/Fort Worth Country Day) was one of three W&L athletes  honored  at The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) 2019 NCAA Division III men’s outdoor track and field ceremony.  The ceremony was held in New Orleans on Sunday, May 19th.   Cooper recorded the third-fastest time in the South/Southeast region in the 1,500m (3:56.36) at the Bison Outdoor Classic on April 13.  This marks Cooper’s second outdoor all-region citation and his third  commendation, overall.

Congratulations, Cooper!

For the full story, click here:  https://www.generalssports.com/sports/mtrack/2018-19/releases/20190520i01j4m

 

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2019 Degrees, Scholarships, Prizes and Awards for CS Students

Congratulations to the following Computer Science students for their outstanding achievements!

2019 Graduates:

HAMMAD AHMAD (’19) – Honors in Computer Science, Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude and The Computer Science Award
COOPER BROCK BAIRD (’19) – Bachelor of Science
ALEXANDER KARL CANTRELL (’19) – Bachelor of Arts
EMILY SHILLINGTON CARDEN (’19) – Bachelor of Arts, cum laude
EMILY LYNN COHEN (’19) – Bachelor of Science
NORA KATHARINE DEVLIN (’19) – Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude
MICHAEL WILLIAM DIK (’19) – Bachelor of Science
MARK BENEDICT DONOHUE (’19) – Bachelor of Arts
DENIS JOSE ESTRADA HAMM (’19) – Bachelor of Science
MAXWELL JEFFERSON GOLD (’19) – Bachelor of Science, Honors in Interdisplinary, Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude
MARY CATHERINE GREENLEAF (’19) – Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, The Studio Thesis Award
CONNOR ALEXANDER HAYWOOD (’19) – Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science
ROBERT EVERT  BANCKER HOLMES (’19) – Bachelor of Arts
MITCHELL REED HORNSBY (’19) – Bachelor of Arts, Dan Ray Justice Memorial Football Award
CARTER DALTON HUFFMAN (’19) – Bachelor of Arts, Coaches and Captains Track and Field Award
MADHAV MATHUR (’19) – Bachelor of Arts
KELLY EWINGS McCAFFREY (’19) – Bachelor of Science
SARAH ANNE TROISE (’19) – Bachelor of Science

SIMA KUMARI SHARMA (’18 ) – Bachelor of Arts

Awards

TREVOR WAYNE STALNAKER (’20) – The Franklin Society Scholarship, The James McDowell Scholarship, and The Classical Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS) Award

ABIGAIL KATHLEEN NASON (’20) –  The James McDowell Scholarship

 

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2019 Phi Beta Kappa initiates from the Computer Science Department

The Phi Beta Kappa/Society of the Cincinnati Convocation took place on Sunday, March 17, at 3:00 p.m., in Leyburn Library’s Northen Auditorium. Congratulations to the following CSCI students who were initiated into PBK this year:

  • Maxwell Gold ’19
  • Pengrui Wang, (CS Minor),  ’19
  • Abby Nason, ’20

These students join the following previously inducted members:

  • Truth Iyiewuare ’18
  • Tommy Thetford ’18
  • Hammad Ahmad,  ’19

Congratulations to all current and previous inductees!

 

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CS Major Sarah Anne Troise ’19 is new ODK member

Washington and Lee University’s annual Founders Day/ODK Convocation was held on Jan. 22nd at 5 p.m. in Lee Chapel.  CS major Sarah Anne Troise ’19 was one of the inductees.  Her accomplishments are outlined below.  Congratulations Sarah Anne!

Sarah Anne Troise (Lexington, Virginia) is majoring in engineering and computer science. She is president of Women in Technology and Science, teaching STEM lessons to local elementary school girls. She was a member of the Student Financial Aid Committee and the Science, Society, and the Arts Advisory Committee. A Johnson Scholar and the 2017 president of Sigma Pi Sigma Honor Society, she has participated in research in the Physics and Engineering Department since fall 2016 and will present her findings at the American Concrete Institute Convention this year. She was the 2017 recipient of the H. Thomas Williams Jr. Undergraduate Research Scholarship, as well as the 2016 and 2017 recipient of a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates Fellowship.

Click on the link below for details on all the initiates.

https://columns.wlu.edu/odk-to-recognize-new-members-at-2019-founders-day-odk-convocation/?utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=features