Department Announces 2024 Wall of Excellence Undergraduate Honorees
November 15, 2024
Five undergraduate students in Mississippi State University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have been named to the department’s Wall of Excellence.
ECE’s Wall of Excellence was created to recognize students who have demonstrated a commitment to their academics and their involvement at Mississippi State. They have an established record of leadership, service and contributions within the department, the Bagley College of Engineering and the university.
The recipients were honored during a luncheon in November, and the awardees have their name displayed in Simrall Hall on the second floor.
The awardees include Caleb Anderson, Jigar Bhatt, Jaydon Haymon, Kathleen Pierce and Andrew Rountree.
Caleb Anderson
Electrical Engineering
Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Caleb Anderson has been engaged in the Bagley College of Engineering and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, as well as being named as a President’s Scholar numerous times. Caleb is an active member of the Bagley College of Engineering Ambassadors, giving tours and participating in outreach efforts. In the department, he served as the lead undergraduate researcher with four other students, providing leadership in their work of path planning algorithms and optimization with an ECE faculty member. In addition, his capstone design team was awarded second place for its work on a home-monitoring device equipped with motion detection and image processing. Other notable engagement opportunities include participation in study abroad and two internships.
Jigar Bhatt
Computer Engineering
Collierville, Tennessee
Jigar Bhatt has been involved in a variety of opportunities while working on his undergraduate degree. He has served as a Supplemental Instructor for Introduction to Circuits, an ECE mentor for the department’s introductory classes, and been an active Bagley Ambassador. He has participated extensively in undergraduate research. He has worked with Taebi Lab in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, focusing on a low-cost, multimodal cardiac monitoring system. This work has been highlighted in two Undergraduate Research Symposiums and culminated in his co-authoring the findings in a conference paper. Jigar also participated in ECE’s RIS Lab, which led to his participation in the Graduate Student Research Symposium as only an undergraduate. He is a member of the Shackouls Honors College, Tau Beta Pi Honor Society, and Lambda Sigma Honor Society.
Jaydon Haymon
Electrical Engineering
Pearl, Mississippi
Jaydon Haymon has been an engaged undergraduate at MSU, in the Bagley College of Engineering, and in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He has been in a variety of campus organizations, including Men of Excellence, the Famous Maroon Band, and the Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity. Jaydon has been an integral part of mentoring students for ECE in both the Foundations in ECE and Foundations in Design courses, helping teach technical skills and serving as manager for first-year student teams. He has also served as a tutor for the Center for Academic Excellence, tutoring students in math and circuits courses. Jaydon has been President’s Scholar, as well as having other noteworthy professional enrichment opportunities such as participating in study abroad and in the co-op/internship program.
Kathleen Pierce
Computer Engineering
Flowood, Mississippi
Kathleen Pierce has been an active student at Mississippi State University, especially in her engagement with students. In addition to being an ECE mentor for the department’s introductory course, Kathleen has served as both a Supplemental Instructor leader and mentor for the Center for Academic Excellence, starting her SI work in the Intermediate Computer Programming course. Her other campus involvement includes being a Bagley Ambassador and a member of the Famous Maroon Band. Kathleen also participates in undergraduate research with MSU’s High Performance Computing Collaboratory, and she completed experiential learning with co-ops at two companies.
Andrew Rountree
Electrical Engineering
Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Andrew Rountree is a senior electrical engineering student at Mississippi State University through Engineering on the Coast. He is actively engaged on campus as IEEE Student Branch Chair, with IEEE being the trusted voice for engineering, computing and technology information around the globe. He supports faculty as an IT student worker, troubleshooting hardware and software issues, and mentors peers in digital and electronics labs, offering hands-on guidance and fostering a collaborative learning environment. As part of his program, he also participated in Bagley’s study abroad program by taking engineering economy in Europe.
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Mississippi State University consists of 27 faculty members (including seven endowed professors), seven professional staff, and over 700 undergraduate and graduate students, with approximately 100 being at the Ph.D. level. With a research expenditure of over $14.24 million, the department houses the largest High Voltage Laboratory among North American universities.