CEE Student Percy Curtis Wins the 2024 George Washington Prize
Percy Curtis, a senior majoring in environmental engineering at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering, was the recipient of this year’s George Washington Prize at the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania (ESWP) Engineering Awards Banquet. They received a $2,500 cash prize and a $7,500 Dean’s Fellowship to pursue graduate studies.
“Percy has maintained a perfect GPA throughout his tenure here,” said Sanjeev Shroff, interim dean of the Swanson School. “Meanwhile, they were also balancing research and service on top of course workload. To say that it’s impressive is an understatement.”
Curtis entered the environmental engineering program as a sophomore and was immediately noticed by their professors. Curtis then joined Professor Carla Ng’s research group through a “Research for Undergraduates” position funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Through collaborating with PhD students and postdocs, Curtis was a leader in evaluating the use of green infrastructure to control stormwater in the Pittsburgh region.
Curtis is also committed to improving the life of their fellow students and others around the world. They serve as president of the Pitt chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable World, and is the undergraduate co-chair for the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access Committee.
The finalists will receive a cash award of $500 and a $2,500 Dean’s Fellowship to pursue graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Finalists include:
- Kyra Cunningham, a senior majoring in industrial engineering
- Benjamin Leslie, a senior majoring in bioengineering
The George Washington Prize is intended to promote excellence in engineering education and encourage students to pursue additional engineering training at the graduate level by presenting a cash award, and a fellowship to well-rounded students in their senior year of undergraduate engineering studies.
Meet this year’s winner and nominees