April 7, 2008

  • 1st Row (L-to-R): Hali Bordelon, Lindsey Blanchard, Robert Egnatchik, Chris Kennedy and Cameron Faxon; 2nd Row (L-to-R): Andrew Keller, Jacob Scheibal, Marilany Urbano, Meocha Whaley and Leah Muller; 3rd Row (L-to-R): Corey Rohrbach, Samantha Vallette, Syed Ali Zamin, Jon Juneau and Paul Nguyen; 4th Row(L-to-R): Cody Darnell, Tomas Rush, John White, Chad Jarreau; 5th Row (L-to-R): Dean Kenneth Koonce, Dr. Richard Bengtson and Dr. Daniel Thomas.

The Biological and Agricultural Engineering (BAE) Scholarship banquet was an exceptional event held on April 7, 2008, where current undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of BAE were honored. Nineteen different scholarships were awarded, most of which are tied to current and former faculty members in the department. The event was held at the Magnolia Room in the LSU Union, with nearly 100 attendees from the faculty, students, spouses, families of students and families associated with the scholarships. Prior to the evening’s program, a reception was held to provide scholarship recipients the opportunity to meet the families and donors of their respective scholarships. 

Dr. Richard L. Bengtson, Chairman of the BAE Scholarship Committee, was Master of Ceremonies. The banquet was organized by the BAE Scholarship Awards Program Organizing Committee, the BAE Scholarship Awards Committee and the Biological Engineering Student Club.

The banquet began with opening remarks and a welcome from Dr. Daniel L. Thomas, BAE professor and department head. “The BAE scholarship banquet is our premiere event for recognizing outstanding current students in our program. Linking our students with faculty and families that have been associated with the department for many years helps us keep connected, and provides a great event to celebrate the achievements of the students,” said Thomas.

Dr. Thomas also introduced the banquet’s the keynote speaker, Dr. Lakiesha Williams, Research Assistant Professor at Mississippi State University in the area of bioengineering and a graduate of the department (BS in Biological Engineering in 2001 and an M.S. in BAE in 2003) and member of the BAE Advisory Council.  She presented her unique perspectives on attaining goals and striving for success while maintaining a balance in your life.

Distinguished guests included Dr. Kenneth Koonce, Dean of the College of Agriculture; Lee Rayner, Development Officer from the College of Engineering; Dr. David Boethel and Dr. Paul Coreil, Vice Chancellors at the LSU Agricultural Center; Dr. Otto Loewer, one of the newest inductees to the College of Engineering Hall of Distinction and member of the BAE Advisory Council; and Henry Landry and Scott Bergeron, other members of the BAE Advisory Council not mentioned above. New officers from the Biological Engineering Student Organization were also presented at the event, including: Robert Egnatchik, President; Chris Kennedy, Vice-President; Lindsey Blanchard, Treasurer; and Hali Bordelon, Secretary. 

Robert Egnatchik, recipient of the William H. and Barbara A Brown Scholarship, gave the banquet’s invocation. Seven scholarships and one fellowship were recognized on a diverse group of 17 undergraduates and two graduate students. Included in this group were six of BAE’s female undergraduates and three minority students. The table below lists the 2008 fellowship, scholarships and recipients.

Article by Lee Rayner, LSU College of Engineering, 225-578-3456, lrayner@lsu.edu 

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