GW alum Bill Westenhofer was honored with an Academy Award this evening in the category of “Achievement in Visual Effects” for the film “The Golden Compass.”

Westenhofer graduated with a Master’s degree from GW’s School of Engineering and Applied Science in ’95 and currently serves as visual effects supervisor for the Rhythm & Hues film studio. He spoke at GW to a group of students about his experiences as a visual effects supervisor in April 2007 as part of the “How do I Become a…” lecture series.

Westenhofer was part of a four-person visual effects team also including Michael Fink, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood. He was previously nominated for the same award in 2005 for his work on the film “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe”, but did not win. He has also worked on such films as “Elf,” “The Rundown,” “Men in Black II” and both “Stuart Little” films, according to the Rhythm & Hues Web site.