WORCESTER, Mass. – Charles "Chuck" A. Gammal III, a senior at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) was named to the Second Team in USA Today's 2008 All-USA College Academic Team program. Students awarded this recognition excel in scholarship and extend their intellectual abilities beyond the classroom to benefit society. Gammal's achievement was nationally noted on Feb. 14, when USA Today announced the winners in the newspaper.
In the All-USA College Academic Team program, the First, Second, and Third Teams of 20 each were selected by a panel of judges from approximately 500 students nominated by colleges and universities across the United States. Judges considered grades, leadership, activities and, most importantly, how students extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom. In Gammal's case, the newspaper recognizes him for helping to design a device to quantify the severity of edema in the lower extremities.
"I am truly honored to be recognized by USA Today," said Gammal, 22, of Westboro, Mass. "Receiving the award is a testament to the quality of undergraduate education at WPI. I know I would not have been able to receive such an award if it were not for the outstanding faculty members with whom I have had the pleasure of interacting since matriculating at WPI."
Gammal, president of WPI's Student Government Association, majors in electrical and computer engineering and mechanical engineering. He has received many academic honors and community service awards from the university. In 2007, Gammal received national honors such as a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Honorable Mention and being named a Tau Beta Pi Scholar for high scholarship and campus leadership.
Criteria for the All-USA College Academic Team were developed in consultation with USA Today's education co-sponsors: the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC), the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), the American Council on Education (ACE), and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
"The team is chosen in a process that considers academics, breadth and depth of activities and leadership, and most importantly, how these students have extended their academic skills beyond the classroom to benefit society," said Peter Hansen, WPI associate professor of Humanities and Arts, and the university's advisor to undergraduate awards. "This is a singular honor for Chuck and for WPI, as USA Today judged him among the very best students in the country."
Said USA Today Editor Ken Paulson: "USA Today is pleased to be able to honor academic excellence and community service throughout the country."
