Virginia Tech has named Chris Grill, of Reston, Va., as the Outstanding Graduating Senior in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies for the 2009-10 academic year.

Grill will receive a Bachelor's of Science degree in industrial design from the College of Architecture and Urban Studies in May 2010. He will be graduating Summa Cum Laude in the top fifth percentile of the 2010 graduating senior class.

During his time at Virginia Tech, Grill has received numerous awards based on academic excellence. In 2009, he was awarded the Roanoke College Innovation Challenge Team Award, the Eastman Innovation Lab Industrial Design Scholarship, and was named to the Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges Award list.

Grill has also participated as a member of the Industrial Design Society of America Virginia Tech Chapter since 2007, as well as serving as vice president in 2009. Grill was inducted in to the National Society of Collegiate Scholars in 2007 and has made dean’s list since then. Additionally, he has also been a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Fraternity since 2008.

Grill is the son of Stephen and Theresa Grill of Reston, Va.

The Outstanding Senior Awards are presented at the Student Honors Day Banquet each spring. These awards are co-sponsored by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association and the senior class.

The purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding student performance in each college of the university. Students are selected on the basis of their grade point average (3.4 or higher on a 4.0 scale) and outstanding performance in several or all of the following areas: academic achievement, extracurricular activities, leadership positions, and contributions of service to the university and/or community.

Virginia Tech's College of Architecture and Urban Studies is composed of four schools: the School of Architecture + Design, including architecture, industrial design, interior design and landscape architecture; the School of Public and International Affairs, including urban affairs and planning, public administration and policy and government and international affairs; the Myers-Lawson School of Construction, which includes building construction in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and construction engineering management in the College of Engineering; and the School of the Visual Arts, including programs in studio art, visual communication and art history.

Written by Morgan Zavertnik. Zavertnik, of Akron, Ohio, is a sophomore double majoring in communication and Spanish in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

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