School of Engineering honors 2025 winners at 140th Annual Awards Presentation
As members of the Case Western Reserve University community celebrated Homecoming and Reunion Weekend 2025, the School of Engineering took time to acknowledge outstanding alumni from the college.
On Oct. 10, alumni and supporters attended the 140th Annual Awards Presentation of the Case Alumni Association. Learn more below about this year’s award recipients, who inspire others through their professional achievements and commitments to creating positive change.
Gold Medal Award
P. Hunter Peckham (GRS ’68, GRS ’72, biomedical engineering)
Peckham pioneered rehabilitation engineering, in part by using electrical stimulation to restore function in paralyzed muscles. His breakthroughs laid the foundation for the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Case School of Engineering. Over the years, he implanted hundreds of his devices, which helped people to move their hands, arms or legs. His neuroprosthesis, now in its third generation, acts like a networked computer inside the body. It sends electrical pulses that activate nerves and muscles and help to restore some of the essential activities of daily life. Peckham helped to grow the field by building collaborations across disciplines and institutions. He co-founded and for years led the Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation Center, a research hub that pulls together specialists from Case Western Reserve, the Cleveland VA Medical Center, the MetroHealth System, University Hospitals and Cleveland Clinic. He also served as co-director of the MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute.
Samuel H. Givelber 1923 Fellowship Award
Norman Diederich (CWR ’64, GRS ’66,
electrical engineering and applied physics; GRS ’70, engineering)
An electrical engineer, Diederich spent much of his working life as an internal and external consultant, ultimately with Hewlett-Packard, helping companies to integrate new efficiencies into their computer systems. He has steadfastly supported the university as a donor, a reunion organizer and a member of the Case Advisory Board. In retirement, he remains active in the Silver Wheels bicycle club, as a RedCoat at Playhouse Square and as a member of the National Ski Patrol.
Young Alumni Leadership Award
J.C. Schmidt (CWR ’19)
Schmidt was a double major in both systems and control and electrical engineering, while playing all four years with the CWRU Symphonic Winds. To spread the word to other students, he became active in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and Phi Beta Tau, the engineering honor society. Now a supplier development engineer and a recruiter at Swagelock, Schmidt shares his insights with students at networking events like CAA Connect, where he hosted a table of STEM students for career conversations.
Immediate Past President
Brian Casselberry (CWR ’95)
The head of the Case Alumni Association for the past two years, Casselberry earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Case Western Reserve while becoming a two-time All-American as a distance runner, earning him a spot in the Spartan Club Hall of Fame. A Junior-Senior Scholarship recipient as an undergraduate, Casselberry, joined the Case Alumni Association board in 2013 and immediately joined the scholarship committee. He handled various engineering leadership roles at Swagelock while also serving in numerous capacities at CAA.
Thomas P. Kicher ‘59, MS ‘62, PhD ‘65 Meritorious Service Award
Kathy Harper (CWR ’93, GRS ’96, electrical engineering)
As assistant director of the Roger E. Susi First-Year Engineering Experience Lab, Harper introduces students to the many facets of the field and helps them to decide if an engineering career is for them. She studied electrical engineering and physics at Case Western Reserve, while also earning a music minor. After earning her doctorate at The Ohio State University, she returned to campus in 2021 as assistant director of the Susi lab. Harper is quick to volunteer as a contestant in The Engineering Game during Engineers Week, or as a tour guide and speaker for alumni groups, but her primary focus is on developing the engineers of the future.
Sean Higgins (GRS ’90, electrical
engineering)
Higgins came to Cleveland to work for GE Lighting, and the company steered him to Case Western Reserve for his master’s degree in electrical engineering. After GE sent him to Ontario, Canada, Huggins crossed paths with Robert Herjavec—of Shark Tank fame. The pair began working together and in 2003 co-founded the Herjavec Group, which specialized in cybersecurity. For nearly 20 years, Higgins and Herjavec designed and sold firewalls and tried to outsmart the hackers. Now semi-retired, he consults on cybersecurity and volunteers his time and insight to the Case Alumni Association, including interviewing students for Junior-Senior Scholarships.
Wayne Liu, PhD (GRS ’96, materials science and engineering)
Liu came to CWRU from Taiwan, following a sister and a brother-in-law to Case Western Reserve. He went on to earn his doctorate in electrical engineering and quickly moved into project management and business development roles. Liu was part of innovation teams at Intel and then Nvidia, where he led the group that designed its powerful graphics processing unit. Today, he’s the co-founder and President of the Americas for Perfect Corp., a technology company that specializes in facial recognition software. Perfect developed virtual makeup, an application that allows users to see how they look in different cosmetics and colors. Its software is used throughout the cosmetics industry.
