Two CS seniors earn Purdue’s most prestigious awards
05-03-2023
Frances Ann Fu O’Leary, dual majors in computer science honors and mathematics, winner of the Flora Roberts award and Lara Chuppe, computer science major, winner of the R.A. Ross award
Congratulations to Frances Ann Fu O’Leary and Lara Chuppe
The Flora Roberts and G.A. Ross awards are presented annually to recognize two outstanding seniors. Nominations are gathered from Purdue faculty and staff to recognize exceptional students who meet the award criteria.The Flora Roberts and G.A. Ross awards are the university’s most prestigious honors for two outstanding seniors.
These awards are made possible through bequests from Flora Roberts, Purdue Class of 1887, and G.A. Ross, Purdue Class of 1916. The recipients will each have their names engraved on the obelisk in the engineering mall and will receive an engraved medallion and $2,000 award.
2023 Flora Roberts Award Winner
Presented to the most outstanding graduating student who has shown a commitment to scholarship, leadership and service and displays outstanding character. The honoree will have their name engraved on the obelisk in the engineering mall and will receive an engraved medallion and $2,000 award.
Frances An Fu O'Leary, Computer Science Honors and Mathematics
Frances Ann Fu O’Leary has served on several research and project teams. As a member of the XYTZ Lab, she worked on an Army-sponsored research group to build a self-correcting 3D printer. She served as the information technology lead on the Purdue Space Program High Altitude subteam and served as team lead of a group of Purdue students who competed within the University Nanosatellite Program. She has held internships with SpaceX and Microsoft. On campus, she has served as an officer in several organizations, including the Purdue 3D Printing Club, Computer Science Women’s Network and Purdue Space Program. She has served as a teaching assistant for several computer science courses. O’Leary has also completed training and is awaiting final approval to be a licensed pilot. She was selected as the student responder in the Division V commencement ceremony.
Words of Wisdom from O’Leary
“Explore outside of your major. On any given day at Purdue ~50,000 people are doing something, at least one of those things is bound to be interesting! For example, you can learn how to fly a plane, visit the scientific glass blowing lab, see jets at Purdue Aviation Day, meet cows during Ag Week, see a golden wrecking ball in one of the construction labs, learn about screen printing and on and on. You may find a new hobby, and at the very least it will make your day that much more interesting.”
“You don’t have to work all the time but you should think all the time.”
“Try new things, even if you’re worried about looking stupid. Play that piano on campus, learn how to roller blade, pick up that hobby you were always too scared to do. You’ll never have time like you do now. And “looking stupid” is a wasted emotion anyway.”
2023 G.A. Ross Award Winner
Presented to the most outstanding graduating student who has shown a commitment to scholarship, leadership and service and displays outstanding character. The honoree will receive an engraved medallion, $2,000 award and have their name engraved on the obelisk in the engineering mall.
Lara Chuppe, Computer Science
Lara Chuppe has held several leadership roles in Global House, a learning community in the John Martinson Honors College. She served as tutor coordinator for Honors 39900: Beyond Afghanistan course for two semesters. She co-authored a publication with Purdue Libraries faculty on empowering Afghan high school students through Pax Populi as a service-learning component of the course. She was recognized with Pillar Awards for Community and Global Engagement for 2nd and 3rd year students in 2021 and 2022 respectively. She has been involved in College Mentors for Kids, Global Science Partners, English Language Learners In-Home and several volunteer tutoring programs. Chuppe also completed a summer internship with Advocates for Human Rights, where she worked directly on US immigration policies for Afghan evacuees.
Words of Wisdom from Chuppe:
“Surround yourself with people who will support you and help you treat others with more kindness and grace.”
“No matter how impossible the odds seem, never give up on your values or the people you care about.”
“Sometimes life will take you down an unexpected path. Stay true to who you are, but embrace the journey and the people you meet along the way.”
Previous winners
Previous undergraduates majoring in computer science have won these awards. Sasha Kipnis graduated in 2021 with a major in computer science and was the recipient of the 2021 Flora Roberts award. Steve Mussman graduated in 2015 with six different majors (computer science, mathematics-computer science, mathematics honors, statistics honors, applied mathematics, and mathematics-statistics honors) with a minor in physics. He was a recipient of the G.A. Ross award.
About the Department of Computer Science at Purdue University
Founded in 1962, the Department of Computer Science was created to be an innovative base of knowledge in the emerging field of computing as the first degree-awarding program in the United States. The department continues to advance the computer science industry through research. US News & Reports ranks Purdue CS #20 and #16 overall in graduate and undergraduate programs respectively, seventh in cybersecurity, 10th in software engineering, 13th in programming languages, data analytics, and computer systems, and 19th in artificial intelligence. Graduates of the program are able to solve complex and challenging problems in many fields. Our consistent success in an ever-changing landscape is reflected in the record undergraduate enrollment, increased faculty hiring, innovative research projects, and the creation of new academic programs. The increasing centrality of computer science in academic disciplines and society, and new research activities - centered around data science, artificial intelligence, programming languages, theoretical computer science, machine learning, and cybersecurity - are the future focus of the department. cs.purdue.edu