GRASP holds its first Volunteer Awards Ceremony

_{^{Text by Jillian Mallon}}

_{^{Caption for featured photo: A group photo of Robotics Master’s students, GRASP student volunteers, and faculty who attended the GRASP Volunteer Awards Ceremony after the Robotics Master’s Thesis and Capstone Lightning Talks and Poster Session on May 6, 2025.}}

The GRASP Laboratory is known for the breadth of research advances that its members have contributed to the fields of robotics and engineering. While GRASP members have been recognized yearly for their academic and research achievements, GRASP Faculty Directors and Staff decided to take the opportunity to recognize them specifically for their efforts to share GRASP research and STEAM with the greater community. This Spring, GRASP held their first GRASP Volunteer Awards ceremony to recognize the students who make it possible for the GRASP Lab to host demonstrations and lab tours for external visitors, hold events for current and prospective students, run seminars and outreach programs, and more.

One way that students can get involved in event planning for the GRASP lab is by joining one of its student committees. Of the 15 students who have served on these committees in the past year, two students in particular were recognized for their extraordinary contributions.

Jack Campanella, a Robotics Master’ student, was given the Outstanding SFI Committee Member award for his 3 semesters of service on the Student, Faculty, and Industry (SFI) Seminar Committee. Jack was the committee’s strongest proponent of their mission to represent the robotics industry in the series through inviting and hosting speakers from the automation, AI, entertainment, and construction industries.

Greg Campbell, a MEAM PhD student, was presented the Outstanding Social Committee Member award for serving on GRASP’s Social Committee for five semesters. He was an instrumental part of the organization of social events such as a group bike ride, yearly March Madness basketball watch parties, UNO tournaments, crafting events, and more. These events provide GRASP lab members with an opportunity to take a much-needed research beak while also fostering collaboration and unity within the GRASP community.

GRASP also presented awards to the PhD student and Robotics Master’s student who had volunteered for the most outreach-related events. Daniel Feshbach, a CIS PhD student, received the GRASP PhD Student Outreach award, while Siming He, a Robotics Master’s student, received the GRASP ROBO Student Outreach award. Both students provided demonstrations and presentations for at least five of GRASP’s K-12 student tours and gave presentations on their research to local Philadelphia students at GRASP’s outreach program at the Roxborough Library.

The GRASP Service Award was presented to Torrie Edwards, a MEAM PhD student who provided demos, presentations, organization, and preparation for over 10 GRASP events in the past year. Torrie was also a member of the SFI seminar committee and spearheaded a new initiative to nominate GRASP students and postdocs for internal SFI seminars. The SFI Committee hopes to continue this program to give Master’s students and graduating PhD students a chance to practice presenting their research to their community, as well as give them bragging rights for being nominated.

Four GRASP students were also presented with an Honorable Mention Service Award. Shivangi Misra, an ESE PhD student, was recognized for serving on the SFI committee and helping with many of GRASP’s K-12 tours, even once when an SFI seminar and a tour were scheduled for the same time! Anish Bhattacharya, a CIS PhD student, was recognized for assisting with K-12 tours and helping to coordinate the 2025 GRASP admitted PhD students visit. Benedict Onyekwe, a Robotics Master’s student, was recognized for volunteering for the widest variety of activities, including as a panelist for GRASP’s admitted students’ day, as a social committee member, and on Take Our Children to Work Day. Sam Wang, a Robotics master’s student was recognized for demonstrating his research at tours, our ROBO Admit open house, and for prospective students.

Award recipients were honored at a reception that followed the Robotics Master’s Thesis and Capstone Lightning Talks and Poster Session. At the reception, GRASP presented certificates and gifts to the nine award winners and also presented small volunteer gifts as a token of appreciation to the over 90 other GRASP students who volunteered for events in the past year. GRASP Faculty Directors and Staff hope that these awards demonstrate how grateful they are for their volunteers and encourage students to continue to do so in the future. Student volunteers make it possible to hold events and programs that not only strengthen the GRASP community itself, but also encourage and impact young future engineers in the Philadelphia community and beyond.