2020 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize
Ben Taylor, Senior, Mechanical Engineering
“The Shore I Stand Upon”
Second Prize
Jonathan Van Veen, Junior, Electrical Engineering
“A Study of the Solar Eclipse”
Third Prize – tie
Kai Pederson, Senior, Computer Engineering
“Dispatches from an Engineer Abroad”
Third Prize – tie
Noah Pollard, Sophomore, Biomedical Engineering
“The Lone Captive”
Honorable Mention
Molly Nemcek, Junior, Civil Engineering
“They Don’t Remember, But We Will Never Forget”
2019 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize – tie
William Moe, Senior, Mechanical Engineering
“The Job Application”
First Prize – tie
Kelsey Murphy, Senior, Biomedical Engineering
“Steve”
Second Prize – tie
Aagney, Sophomore, Chemical Engineering
“Grandmother”
Second Prize – tie
Saivya Chauhan, Senior, Mechanical Engineering
“Different”
Third Prize – tie
Joel Baraka, Sophomore, Civil Engineering
“The Grade Three Question I Am Yet to Answer”
Third Prize – tie
Joshua Olson, Sophomore, Chemical Engineering
“The Waterhole”
Third Prize – tie
Lizzy Ploumidis, Senior, Material Science
“Peachy Keen”
2018 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize
Nicolas Tremain, Senior, Electrical Engineering and Physics
“Cronus”
Runner-Up – tie
Maggie Heinemann, Junior, Mechanical Engineering
“The Importance of Gratitude”
Runner-Up – tie
Dakota Hitchner, Junior, Chemical Engineering
“Electronegativity, Entropy, and Spirituality”
Runner-Up – tie
Nawang Singhe, Junior, Industrial Engineering
“Awkward”
2017 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize
Mikaela O’Keefe, Senior, Industrial Engineering
“Balancing Act”
Runner-Up – tie
Mathew Buchholz, Senior, Computer Engineering
“A Kiss on the Elbe”
Runner-Up – tie
Stephen Slattery, Senior, Engineering Mechanics and Astronautics
“Denouement”
Runner-Up – tie
Jacob Redovich, Junior, Chemical Engineering
“Train Austen”
Runner-Up – tie
Andrew Puck, Senior, Chemical Engineering
“Baptism by Fire”
Honorable Mention – tie
Dayla Van Dyke, Junior, Material Science and Engineering
“Too Vivid”
Honorable Mention – tie
Croix Kimmel, Junior, Biomedical Engineering
“The Tragic Irony of Self-Defense Culture”
2016 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize
Michelle Tong, Junior, Biomedical Engineering
“An Oral History of Asian America in the Midwest”
Second Prize
Nikhil Victor, Sophomore, Chemical and Biological Engineering
“An Uneven Transition: Pittsburgh’s Hill District from 1950 to Present”
Third Prize
Jessica Thomas, Junior, Mechanical Engineering
“Musings of a Student in Engineering”
Honorable Mention – tie
Schyler S. Sanks, Senior, Mechanical Engineering
“Unseen Wounds of War: Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injuries”
Honorable Mention – tie
Matthew Benbenek, Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering
“Pack of Lions”
Honorable Mention – tie
Croix Kimmel, Biomedical Engineering, Sophomore
“Friends and ‘Friends’”
2015 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize – tie
Jared Ottmann, Senior, Materials Science
“Java Madness”
First Prize – tie
Jim Costello-Mikecz, Senior, Chemical and Biological Engineering
“The Basement”
First Prize – tie
Andrew Puck, Sophomore, Chemical and Biological Engineering
“The Full Story”
Second Prize
Drew Dillman, Junior, Mechanical Engineering
“The Market Effects of a Standards War in Direct Current Vehicle Charging”
Third Prize – tie
Brian Smith, Senior, Chemical and Biological Engineering
“Paradoxes in Layla and Majnun”
Third Prize – tie
Benjamin Kufahl, Senior, Mechanical Engineering
“The Imperative Investment”
2014 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize – tie
Mikaela O’Keefe, Junior
“Shoulders”
First Prize – tie
Yifan Li, Sophomore, Biomedical Engineering
“Returning Home”
First Prize – tie
Phillip Schultz, Junior, Chemical and Biological Engineering
“California Dreamin'”
First Prize – tie
Susanna Kwok, Junior, Biomedical Engineering
“At Least the Food Is Good”
Second Prize – tie
Alia Schoreder, Junior, Geological Engineering
<http://tc.engr.wisc.edu/wp-uploads/2014/06/SchroederSteuber2014.pdf”>”The Woods of Grace”
Second Prize – tie
Helen Tael, Junior, Engineering Mechanics and Astronautics
“My Dear Jagiyah”
Second Prize – tie
Benjamin Sonnentag, Sophomore, Civil and Environmental Engineering
“The Power of an Individual in a Populous World”
Second Prize – tie
Johnnie Wagman, Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering
“What’s in a Name”
2013 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize – tie
Kate Slattery, Senior, Mechanical Engineering
“Edith’s Umbrella”
First Prize – tie
Olabimpe Olaniyan, Junior, Mechanical Engineering
“Take Me Back to Wondaland”
Second Prize
Lauren Stopfer, Sophomore, Biomedical Engineering
“Crocodile Rock”
Third Prize – tie
Jarek Kobor, Junior, Electrical Engineering
“The Truth about DIY”
Third Prize – tie
Erin Kunkel, Senior, Civil and Environmental Engineering
“Comment L’Americaine a Traverse le Labyrinthe (or How My Boss Was Right All Along)”
Honorable Mention
Sarvesh Periyasamy, Junior, Biomedical Engineering
“A Royal Relationship”
2012 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize — tie
Taylor Milne, Junior, Biomedical Engineering
“Every Day”
First Prize – tie
Taylor Passofaro, Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering
“The Painter’s Servant”
Second Prize
Abilash Seshadri, Junior, Electrical Engineering
“After Twelve Years”
Third Prize – tie
Scott Hatfield, Junior, Engineering Mechanics and Astronautics
“Dead Squirrels and Google”
Third Prize — tie
Jacob Meyer, Senior, Biomedical Engineering
“Homeless Mike”
Third Prize — tie
Paul Van Rooy, Junior, Civil Engineering
“Blah, Blah, Blah…Dead”
Honorable Mention — tie
Tom Poernich, Senior, Mechanical Engineering
“Finland”
2011 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize — tie
Steven Hoerning, Sophomore, Industrial Engineering
“Cow Tongue”
First Prize — tie
Scott Hatfield, Sophomore, Nuclear Engineering
“Carrots and Sticks: Human Motivation in the 21st-Century Corporate World”
Second Prize – tie
Colin Wiesner, Senior, Industrial Engineering
“A Delicate Balance”
Second Prize – tie
Erin Kunkel, Junior, Environmental Engineering
“Listening to the River”
Third Prize – tie
Brian Balzar, Sophomore, Nuclear Engineering
“High Speed Rail in Madison? Not So Fast!”
Third Prize
Ryan J. Nelson, Senior, Civil Engineering
“The Legend of the Barn Monster”;
2010 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize — tie
Ryan Nelson, Junior, Civil Engineering
“My Climb to Freedom”
First Prize — tie
Lea Zeise, Junior, Mechanical Engineering
“This is Pow Wow”
Second Prize – tie
Laura Piechura, Senior, Biomedical Engineering
“Engineering the Microenvironment: Micropatterning as a Means for Controlling Stem Cell Fate and Function”
Second Prize – tie
Andrea Sotirin, Sophomore, Industrial Engineering
“Water Wars in the West”
Third Prize – tie
Brian Balzar, Sophomore, Nuclear Engineering
“High Speed Rail in Madison? Not So Fast!”
Third Prize – tie
Elise Larson, Junior, Biomedical Engineering/Art
“Lea Krasner: Earth No. 6”
Third Prize – tie
Jennifer Levin, Senior, Mechanical Engineering
“Respect”
Honorable Mention
Jason Lohr, Senior, Electrical Engineering
“Actionnel”
2009 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize
Caroline Boecher, Junior, Civil Engineering
“The New Year’s Party”
Second Prize
Rachel Hunerdosse, Sophomore, Civil and Environmental Engineering
“The Stench that Changed History”
Third Prize
Jennifer Levin, Junior, Mechanical Engineering
“Resonance”
Honorable Mention
Josephine Lembong, Junior, Chemical and Biological Engineering
“Life 101: The Fundamentals of Living Life to the Fullest ”
2008 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize — tie
Garren Riemenschneider, Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering
“I Learned That in a Video Game”
First Prize — tie
Victoria Yakovleva, Sophomore, Chemical Engineering
“A Memory is Worth a Thousand Words”
Second Prize
Dustin Schneider, Senior, Mechanical Engineering
“Across an Ocean”
Honorable Mention — tie
Rebecca Hager, Senior, Engineering Mechanics and Astronautics
“Methods Used to Damp Structural Vibrations that Cause Noise in
Passenger Vehicles”
Honorable Mention — tie
Maia Jacobs, Junior, Industrial Engineering
“Be Positive! Your Life May Depend on It”
Honorable Mention — tie
Ashley Kehus, Junior, Mechanical Engineering
“What it Means to be an Accomplished Woman”
Honorable Mention — tie
Anika Lohrentz, Junior, Biomedical Engineering
“Lack of Correlation between Fetal Testosterone Levels for Autism and
Engineering”
2007 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize — tie
Eyleen Chou, Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering
“You Don’t Live on the Outside”
First Prize
Michele Lorenz, Junior, Biomedical Engineering
“Response and Recovery Pattern Similarities between Mangrove Forests and Caribbean Coral Reefs after Hurricane Activity”
First Prize — tie
Vidhya Raju, Sophomore, Biomedical Engineering
“The Pterodactyl and the Amoeba”
Honorable Mention
April Zehm, Senior, Biomedical Engineering
“Where Have All the Cowgirls Gone? Explaining the Underrepresentation of Women in Science and Engineering”
2006 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize
Kyle Oliver, Senior, Nuclear Engineering
“How I Remembered Rachel”
Second Prize — tie
Brian Barrett, Senior, Mechanical Engineering
“No Going Back”
Second Prize — tie
Ryan Hertel, Senior, Mechanical Engineering
“Brunelleschi and I”
Third Prize
Timothy D. Miller, Senior, Civil and Environmental Engineering
“Additions to the 2050 Edition of World Book Encyclopedia”
2005 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize
Christopher Mohar, Senior, Materials Science and Engineering
“From Madison to Memphis”
Second Prize
Kyle Oliver, Junior, Nuclear Engineering
“Departures and ‘Relations: Milne and Poincaré on Methods and Mathematics”
2004 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize
Eli Gratz, Sophomore, Industrial Engineering
“The Proscenium: A Cloak of Immunity”
Second Prize
Christine Lauren Weisshaar, Junior, Biomedical Engineering
“Lower Limb Prosthesis: Design Consideration”
Honorable Mention
Robert Slowinski, Senior, Mechanical Engineering
“Case Studies in Biomimicry”
Honorable Mention
Jeff Schneider, Junior, Geological Engineering
“Sailing”
2003 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize
Eric Johnson
“Nano-scale Drug Delivery Particles: The Future of Medicine”
Second Prize
Jill Ann Gradecki
“Anaerobic Digestors on Wisconsin Dairy Farms: An Analysis of Biogas for Energy Generators”
2002 CONTEST WINNERS
First Prize
John Becker, Senior, Mechanical Engineering
“Nyotaimori”
Second Prize
Kelly McNamer
“Synthetic Spider Silk”