April 22, 2025

Purdue ECE grad students win annual awards

Each spring, Purdue University's College of Engineering honors the outstanding accomplishments of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers through several prestigious awards. Graduate students also select an outstanding faculty mentor who has gone above and beyond to serve the graduate students in their program.
A diverse group of individuals, each holding a certificate, showcasing their accomplishments and teamwork.
ECE Graduate Student Award winners pose with several ECE faculty members

Each spring, Purdue University’s College of Engineering recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of graduate students and postdocs through several prestigious awards. Graduate students also select an outstanding faculty mentor who has gone above and beyond to serve the graduate students in their program.

Awards include:

  • Magoon Excellence in Teaching Award
  • Magoon Award for Research Excellence
  • Outstanding Graduate Service Scholarship
  • Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award

The Magoon Award for Excellence in Teaching is given to outstanding teaching assistants in memory of Estus H. and Vashti L. Magoon, who have influenced the lives of many engineering educators early in their careers through this award. The following ECE students received this honor in 2025:

  • Logan Dihel
  • Jack Gardel
  • Wafaa Kanakri
  • Manas Pratap
  • Shantanu Sinha

The Magoon Award for Research Excellence is given to students who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in research through publications, participation in professional organizations, and willingness to mentor others. The following ECE students received this honor in 2025:

  • Wenxin Jiang
  • Zichen Miao
  • Deepak Ravikumar
  • Abishek Bharatbhai Solanki
  • Yipei Wang

The Outstanding Service scholarship is presented to engineering graduate students who have provided outstanding service to the graduate student community, the School, the College, and/or the University. ECE’s Akshita Kamsali was a 2025 recipient.

Finally, the graduate students in each School select an Outstanding Faculty Mentor to recognize his or her exceptional mentoring of engineering graduate students. These professors receive an engraved plaque with a personal tribute composed by the students. The graduate students in ECE chose Xiaoqian Wang, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, to receive this year's award.

To see more photos from the event, click here.

To see a complete list of current and past award recipients, please visit the CoE Graduate Education Program Awards page.