ECE undergraduates receive nearly $1M in scholarships

Friends of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), staff and faculty gathered recently to celebrate the 191 undergraduate ECE students who received financial and community support through scholarship awards this fall. The awards from the department and the College of Engineering totaled $992,500, the highest amount in the department’s history.

At the event, ECE Interim Department Chair Parmesh Ramanathan spoke to what nearly $1 million in scholarships means from a broader perspective: “Those numbers represent much more than dollars and awards. They represent people investing in our students and in their futures. What a gift to our students, who take those scholarship awards as a sign of confidence and go on to work hard, become involved on campus, and grow into the leaders they wish to be.”

Ramanathan went on to highlight specific undergraduates who received scholarships and the benefactors who supported them. He recognized Alison Thompson, a senior studying computer engineering who is a member of the Outreach Team of Wisconsin Robotics, has served as an undergraduate math tutor, and has worked as both an intern and co-op student with Sub-Zero. Several of Alison’s scholarships were made possible by ECE Professor Emeritus John Booske and UW alumni Joanne Grassman, Richard and Jennifer Arndt, and Nana Murugesan.

Ramanathan continued, “Shengju Zhao, a junior studying electrical engineering, is involved with the Asian Musical Instrument Community and works with ECE Assistant Professor Chirag Gupta in the Wide-Bandgap Materials and Devices Lab. Shengju’s support comes from the Richard Davis Memorial and Clarence and Helen Martin Scholarships. Clarence Martin received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from UW–Madison in 1925. Nearly a century later, his legacy is still helping ECE students pursue their education.”

ECE first-year student Joe Beal spoke at the event, reflecting on the meaning of receiving a scholarship. He described it not as a prize for past accomplishments, but as a vote of confidence. Beal, recipient of the Dorothy Marshall Scholarship in honor of Charles Marshall Frawley says, “…a scholarship is trust; it’s a belief that in the coming years, we’ll make the most of the resources we have at UW, and that in the coming decades, we’ll shape what this field looks like.”

The difference scholarships make in the ECE student experience extends far beyond the financial support they provide. They give students the opportunity to pursue their education with greater confidence, engage in research and campus life, gain valuable professional experience and prepare for their futures as engineers and leaders. Thanks to the generosity of ECE alumni and other supporters, these investments in students will continue to make a lasting impact.

Photo at top of page: John Tsagalis, Sunghwan Cho, Ramanathan, and Hanh-Duyen Nguyen

Images by Sirtaj S. Grewal, UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health – Media Solutions