Lohez 2014 Awards Ceremony Held at Stevens Institute’s Babbio Center, May 1

The Jérôme Lohez 9/11 Scholarship Foundation celebrated its 2013-2014 Scholars with dinner, drinks, awards and a round of speeches and recognition, during a festive evening on May 1, 2014.

The event was held this year in the Lounge and Conference Area of the Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management, located in the Lawrence T. Babbio Center on the Hoboken, N.J., campus of Stevens Institute of Technology.


The Babbio Center fourth-floor setting offered spectacular views of Manhattan, stretching from Midtown to the Downtown Financial District. The early part of the evening featured a magnificent Italian buffet dinner, provided by Stevens’ in-house caterers, Sodexo, who staffed the event with members of their outstanding food service team. French red and white wines were selected and delivered this year by Tranquility49 LLC, public relations advisers to the Foundation.

For a second year, the Master of Ceremonies role was filled by Professor Daniel Duchamp, Head of the Computer Science Department at Stevens, who introduced each of the scholars and their presenters in the Howe School Conference Room, backdropped prominently by the glittering Empire State Building.

Ms. Annabelle Libeau, France, who is receiving her Dual Degree from Sciences Po and Columbia University, was introduced by Mr. Stephane Bouniol (left), founding board member of the Foundation and Vice President at Credit Suisse in New York.

Ms. Elodie Nguyen (lower right), France, is receiving a Dual Degree from EPITA and Stevens Institute of Technology, Ms. Amy Wang (lower left), USA, who is receiving a Dual Degree from Sciences Po and Columbia Law School, was introduced by Ms. Dalia Shendi, a two-time Stevens alumna in Biomedical Engineering and a volunteer liaison for the Lohez Foundation.

All of the students spoke of having grown through their international exchange experiences, and described how these experiences are a fulfillment of the Lohez Foundation mission of building cultural bridges through a new generation of young global leaders.

Professor Duchamp mentioned the two scholars not able to attend: Mr. Jean-Sébastien Marre, France, receiving his Dual Degree from Sciences Po and Shanghai Fudan University; and Ms. Keli Wang, China, who is receiving her Dual Degree from Shanghai Fudan University and Sciences Po.

Also in attendance at the ceremony were the following guests:

Dr. Michael S. Bruno, Dean of the Schaefer School of Engineering & Science at Stevens.

Ms. Priscilla Barbier (bottom center photo, left), French Embassy University Partner Fund Program Coordinator, representing Dr. Camille Peretz, Attaché for University Cooperation for the French Embassy in the United States.

Ms. Dawn da Silva (bottom left photo, left), Assistant VP for Development at Stevens, who was accompanied by Mr. Ed Eichhorn, VP for Development at Stevens.

Professor Michael zur Muehlen (left, seated), Associate Dean of the Howe School of Technology Management.

Dr. Elizabeth Fassman-Beck, Department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering at Stevens.

Professor Anne Bynoe (bottom left photo, right), the Chair of the Economics Department at Pace University, and her assistant Mr. Peter Dachille (bottom center photo, right).

Ms. Sharen Glennon (bottom right photo), Associate Director at the Howe School.

Mr. Patrick A. Berzinski (bottom left photo, center), CEO, Tranquility49.

Professor Duchamp brought the formal part of ceremonies to a close with the following observations:

“The Lohez Foundation professes a vision focused on cultivating a class of young leaders with a truly global outlook,” he said. “The organization is looking to build its executive and advisory boards, its academic and corporate alliances, and to grow its modest endowment into a competitive resource for increased cultural exchange and mutual understanding.

“In coming days, the Foundation will debut its new online fund-raising home at CauseVox.com, as well as premiere one of several promotional videos that will be posted around the web, aimed at increasing awareness.“

Photos for the evening were captured by Mr. Te Wu, a former Visiting Professor at Stevens and a cousin of Foundation Chair Ms. Dening Wu Lohez.