2025 HONORS BANQUET
The Computing and Mathematics Department's Annual Honors Banquet is an opportunity to recognize the hard work and dedication of our students and faculty during the academic year. This year's event was on Friday, April 25, on the ORU Campus in Tulsa. We were proud to honor the outstanding students from our undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as those with exceptional Senior Projects/Papers. In addition, several faculty members were recognized for their excellence in teaching and service, and an Alumnus of the Year was announced.
Interested in playing a part in this memorable night? Consider purchasing a table for next year's events!
Past Nominees
April 25, 2025
Outstanding Graduate Capstone Project - Stebin Thomas Jose (with Sandeep John Philip, ENGR) - Autonomous Drone Navigation System using Deep Reinforcement Learning
Outstanding Computer Information Technology Senior Project - Parker Ross - Floods of Faith: A video game based on the story of Noah's Ark
Outstanding Computer Science Senior Project and Overall Outstanding Computing & Mathematics Department Senior Project - Nathan Anderson, Queena Lee Chin, Rita Njoroge - BioVista Graph Storage Engine
Outstanding Mathematics Senior Project and Outstanding Undergraduate Mathematics Student and Outstanding Undergraduate Dual Degree Student (Mathematics and Biblical Literature - New Testament) and 4.0 Scholar - Caleb Scott Alons - Proof of the Pitch-Class Integer Theorem: An Axiomatic Approach to Musical Harmony
Outstanding Graduate Student in Computer Science - Computer Science Concentration and Overall Outstanding Computing & Mathematics Department Graduate Student and 4.0 Scholar - Chris Karottukoikal
Outstanding Graduate Student in Computer Science - Data Science Concentration and 4.0 Scholar - Toluwanimi Olufawo
Outstanding Undergraduate Applied Science Student - Rebecca Corbaz
Outstanding Undergraduate Computer Information Technology Student and 4.0 Scholar - Micah Hendrickson
Outstanding Undergraduate Computer Science Student and Overall Outstanding Computing & Mathematics Department Undergraduate Student and Overall Outstanding College of Science and Engineering Undergraduate Student and 4.0 Scholar - Nathan Anderson
Outstanding Undergraduate Information Technology Student and 4.0 Scholar - Samuel Aryee
Outstanding Undergraduate Mathematics Student - Data Science Concentration - Derrick Baruga
Outstanding Undergraduate Mathematics Preactuary Student - Chelsea Van Vessen
Research Presentations -
- BioVista Graph Storage Engine - Nathan Anderson, Queena Lee Chin, Rita Njoroge
- Proof of the Pitch-Class Integer Theorem: An Axiomatic Approach to Musical Harmony - Caleb Scott Alons
Computing & Mathematics Alumnus of the Year - Robert R. Dudley ('89)
Computing & Mathematics Excellence in Teaching Award - LeighAnne Locke, M.S.
Computing & Mathematics Faculty-Alumni Relations Award - Stephen Wheat, PhD.
Computing & Mathematics Outstanding Service Award - Stephen Wheat, PhD.
Computing & Mathematics Models of Excellence in Scholarship Award and College of Science & Engineering Models of Excellence in Scholarship Award and Oral Roberts University Models of Excellence in Scholarship Award - William Collier, Ph.D.
April 19, 2024
Outstanding Graduate Capstone Project - Andrew Gessinger Ferreira - Church Member Churn Prediction and Growth Analysis: A Framework for Churches to Analyze Their Church Management Data
Outstanding Mathematics Senior Project - Anna Price - Using Cheminformatics to Predict Water Solubility
Outstanding Computer Information Technology Senior Project - Luke Munhofen - Secure Login Framework for ORU Web Application
Outstanding Computer Science Senior Project and Overall Outstanding Computing & Mathematics Department Senior Project - Austin Lehman - Automated Irrigation System for the ORU Biology Department
Outstanding Masters Student in Computer Science - Computer Science Concentration - Michael Luna
Outstanding Masters Student in Computer Science - Data Science Concentration and Overall Outstanding Computing & Mathematics Department Graduate Student and Overall Outstanding College of Science & Engineering Graduate Student and Overall Outstanding Oral Roberts University Graduate Student - Youngmin Lee
Outstanding Applied Science Student - Kristi Keller
Outstanding Computer Information Technology Student - Luke Munhofen
Outstanding Computer Science Student and Overall Outstanding Computer & Mathematics Undergraduate Student - Mengen Zhao
Outstanding Information Technology Student - Jason McKenzie
Outstanding Mathematics Student - Matthew Henderson
Outstanding Mathematics Education Student - Marissa Hauke
Research Presentations -
- Automated Irrigation System for the ORU Biology Department - Austin Lehman
- Bridging Two Worlds: Corpus Linguistics and the Investigation of Natural Language Processing - Samuel Vargas
Computing & Mathematics Alumnus of the Year - Chris Busch ('73)
Computing & Mathematics Excellence in Teaching Award - Jan Woerner, DEng.
Computing & Mathematics Faculty-Alumni Relations Award - Stephen Wheat, PhD.
Computing & Mathematics Outstanding Service Award - Sasha Turtova, M.Ed.
Computing & Mathematics Models of Excellence for Collaborative Scholarship Award and College of Science & Engineering Models of Excellence for Collaborative Scholarship Award and Oral Roberts University Models of Excellence for Collaborative Scholarship Award - Jan Woerner, DEng. and Sasha Turtova, M.Ed.
April 21, 2023
Outstanding Masters Student in Computer Science - Computer Science Concentration - Michael VanDusen
Outstanding Masters Student in Computer Science - Data Science Concentration - Gladys Chen Ying Xuan
Outstanding Applied Science Student - Andrew Fain
Outstanding Computer Information Technology Student - Spencer Langley
Outstanding Computer Science Student - Andrew Westlund
Outstanding Information Technology Student - Joshua Tipton
Outstanding Mathematics Student - Ruth Enns
Outstanding Mathematics-Premedicine Student - Maxwell Abmas
Outstanding Mathematics-Data Science Student - Jingee Mok
Outstanding Computer Information Technology Senior Project - Spencer Langley - Faculty Evaluation and Assessment Reporting System
Outstanding Computer Science Senior Project - Andrew Westlund - New Graph Approach to Biovista Primitives
Outstanding Mathematics Senior Project - Mardee Sadowsky - Effect of Three Different Grassland Management Protocols on Grassland Health in Northwest Missouri
Stanley White Scholar Senior Presentation - Jingee Mok - Trajectory of Students at Oral Roberts University
Stanley White Scholar Senior Presentation - Sharon Li - Optimizing ALEKS-PPL Math Placement Cut-Scores for Student Success in Their First ORU Mathematics Course
Stanley White Scholar Graduate Presentation - Michael VanDusen - “Flexibility-Inherent Clustering Operation for RNA Viruses (FICO4VR)”
Overall Outstanding Computing & Mathematics Undergraduate Student - Andrew Westlund
Overall Outstanding Computing & Mathematics Graduate Student - Gladys Chen Ying Xuan
Overall Outstanding College of Science & Engineering Graduate Student - Gladys Chen Ying Xuan
Special Student Recognition - R.B. Deal Award at the Annual Oklahoma-Arkansas Session of the Mathematical Association of America - C. Scott Alons
Computing & Mathematics Alumnus of the Year - Brad Thomas
Computing & Mathematics Excellence in Teaching Award - Sasha Turtova, M.Ed.
Computing & Mathematics Outstanding Service Award - Jayne Ann Harder, Ph.D.
Computing & Mathematics Outstanding Models of Excellence Award - Stephen Wheat, Ph.D.
College of Science & Engineering Excellence in Teaching Award - Sasha Turtova, M.Ed.
Special Lifetime Service Award - Debra Sowell, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus
April 11, 2022
Outstanding Applied Science Student - Chad Scott Brandt
Outstanding Computer Information Technology Student - Jared Brian Dean
Outstanding Computer Science Student - Jonathan James Smith
Outstanding Mathematics Student - Gladys Chen Ying Xuan
Outstanding Mathematics Education Student - Morgan L. Frye
Outstanding Mathematics Preactuary Student - Corne Beneke
Outstanding Computer Information Technology Senior Project - James Cooper - Budget Management Application for Christian Credit Counseling
Outstanding Computer Science Senior Project - Jonathan Smith - Electric Consumption Predictions
Outstanding Mathematics Senior Project - Gladys Chen & Esther Lun - Neuropathy Treatment Efficacy for Peripheral Neuropathy Conditions
Overall Outstanding Computing & Mathematics Student - Gladys Chen Ying Xuan
Overall Outstanding College of Science & Engineering Student - Gladys Chen Ying Xuan
Computing & Mathematics Alumnus of the Year - Kenny Mullican
Computing & Mathematics Excellence in Teaching Award - J. Bryan Osborne, D.C.S.
Computing & Mathematics Outstanding Service Award - Leighanne Locke, M.S.
Computing & Mathematics Scholars of the Year - Andrew Lang, Ph.D. and Enrique Valderrama, Ph.D.
College of Science & Engineering Scholars of the Year - Andrew Lang, Ph.D. and Enrique Valderrama, Ph.D. (as part of Healthy Academic Community Research Group)
Special Award for William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition - Caleb Scott Alons