Fairfield University School of Engineering graduate Noah John Benjamin, of West Simsbury, Conn. was awarded the Bellarmine Medal, presented to the senior with the highest quality grade point average. Benjamin, who was among the University's 940 graduating seniors, had a perfect 4.0 grade point average, one he maintained all throughout his undergraduate years.

University President Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J. presented the award to Benjamin at the University's 59th commencement. A mechanical engineering major, he will soon start a position in engineering with Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in Stratford, where he interned his senior year. He'll work on a project concerning Sikorsky's S-76D helicopter, which successfully completed its first test flight in February.

E. Vagos Hadjimichael, Ph.D., dean of the School of Engineering, said he is very proud of Benjamin for his academic achievement of a perfect 4.0 over four years of demanding academic work. "I have followed Noah's development over the years and found him to be a consistently good learner and very affable. While he is starting work at Sikorsky, I am hoping that he will eventually go back to school for a graduate degree. He certainly has the capacity to contribute a great deal to his engineering discipline."

While at Fairfield, Benjamin was inducted into Tau Beta Phi-Fairfield, the School of Engineering's chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the prestigious Engineering Honor Society. He was a student in the Honors Program and graduated summa cum laude. Upon graduation, he also received the John and Veronica Gleason Award, presented to the graduating senior with the highest academic average. He also was a cellist in Fairfield's orchestra.

The son of Norm and Pam Benjamin, he graduated from Simsbury High School in 2005. "During high school, I was a counselor at a summer camp for Boy Scouts and I enjoyed working on bicycles," Benjamin said. "I just liked seeing how they worked, their mechanics, parts. I also took a principles of engineering class in high school, so both got me thinking about studying engineering."

Of all the courses Benjamin took at Fairfield, he counted Dr. Jerry Sergent's Design Project course as his favorite. It involved working on a Sikorsky helicopter blade tracking camera device to limit its vibration.

Dr. Sergent, chair of the electrical engineering program, said Benjamin was one of his most talented students. "He is not only great in the theory (aspect of engineering), but he shows considerable talent at improvising and making things work. Beyond that, he is really a nice person and was a pleasure to have in class. I wish we had a hundred like him."

Posted On: 06-01-2009 10:06 AM

Volume: 41 Number: 346