Undergraduate BESTie on the  tensegrity team was awarded the 2015-2016 Alexander and Ethel Levens Design Award (upper division). It is awarded with a one-time stipend of $1,600.

Alexander Levens was a member of UC Berkeley’s ME Faculty for 26 years. From 1961 to 1962 he also served as Assistant Dean of Students. He is known for making the subject of engineering graphics exciting for his students. He used models and visual aids widely and was one of the first faculty members to use television in class, and his ingenuity and creativity showed in his constant revision and upgrading of course materials. He was active in the American Society of Engineering Education and he received the Society’s Western Electric Award for his outstanding contributions to engineering education. In the spring of 1986, after the death of his beloved wife Ethel, Professor Levens established this award for students who excelled in his research fields.  We believe your work in our design courses exemplified the spirit of this prize.