College honors distinguished teaching, innovation and service for 23rd annual awards

Each year, The College of Engineering honors excellence in teaching, research and service. Faculty, staff and partners are recognized for distinguished contributions in several areas.

“Thanks to the exemplary accomplishments of our faculty, researchers and partners, we continue to excel in our mission of providing a quality education to more than 10,000 students, as well as engineering impactful solutions to problems near and far,” said College of Engineering Dean David Williams, Monte Ahuja Endowed Dean’s Chair. “I am proud to recognize the incredible talents and achievements of these distinguished awardees.”

Traditionally held each spring, this year’s awards event was postponed until normal campus activity resumes.

The 2020 Distinguished Faculty Awards recipients are:

Harrison Faculty Award for Excellence in Engineering Education

Gil Bohrer, professor, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering — For his outstanding contributions to advance mechanistic understanding of interactions between the atmosphere and biosphere pertaining to water exchange, greenhouse gas budgets and animal movement.

Established in 1983 with a gift from Doris and Stanley Harrison (’58, electrical engineering), this award honors an early to mid-career faculty member’s excellence in teaching and qualitative aspects of teaching, exceptional research, or contributions to engineering or architecture concepts. 
 

The Clara M. and Peter L. Scott Faculty Award for Excellence in Engineering Education 

Kevin Passino, professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering — For research contributions to intelligent and distributed control, and teaching innovations in humanitarian engineering and engineering ethics.

In honor of Peter Scott, a 1949 Ohio State graduate in electrical engineering who received an honorary doctoral degree in 1995, this award recognizes a senior faculty member who has achieved both national and international status as a leading educator and researcher. 

Dean’s Meritorious Service to Students Award 

William Murdock ’99 MCRP, executive director, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission — For his dedication to combining student mentoring and employment to shape and serve Ohio’s cities and towns, creating vibrant and equitable communities.

This award recognizes an individual or group from outside the Ohio State community for exemplary service to students of the College of Engineering or Knowlton School of Architecture. 

Dean’s Award for Outstanding Teaching by a Lecturer

Jennifer Herman, senior lecturer, Department of Engineering Education — For teaching her students the value of effective communication in engineering to promote both academic and professional success.

Benjamin Wilke, senior lecturer, Knowlton School of Architecture — In recognition of his exemplary and influential teaching in the Architecture Section of the Knowlton School.

Established in 2015, this award honors an individual lecturer, senior lecturer or other auxiliary faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in their teaching within the college.

 

David C. McCarthy Engineering Teaching Award 

Tarunjit Butalia, research associate professor, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering — For being an innovative, inspirational, compassionate and ethical teacher who has helped engineering students from many majors prepare for lifelong learning.

This award recognizes the contributions of the College of Engineering junior faculty and staff to create more innovative and effective teaching and learning. 

 

Ralph L. Boyer Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Engineering Innovation 

Alan Luo, professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering — For his innovative and comprehensive teaching accomplishments in multi-dimensional and integrated learning in materials processing.

Named for the late Ralph L. Boyer (’24, mechanical engineering), the award is presented to a faculty team or to an individual faculty member who has made outstanding contributions to the improvement of undergraduate engineering education. 

Faculty Mentoring Award

Keith Gooch, professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering — For his tireless efforts to support his junior colleagues in successfully navigating faculty life in all areas, including scholarship, teaching and service.

This award recognizes an individual faculty member in the college for demonstrating excellence in the mentoring of one or more early-career faculty members within the college.
 

The BEWEL Leadership in Innovation Award

Karen Dannemiller, assistant professor, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering — For the development of novel measurement techniques to characterize public health risks posed by biological and chemical exposures through air quality in the built environment.

The Buckeye Engineering Women in Executive Leadership (BEWEL) award was created in 2019 and is presented to a junior or mid-career female faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in research, innovation and/or scholarship.
 

Dean’s Award for Distinguished Outreach Achievements

Tarunjit Butalia, research associate professor, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering — For initiating, implementing and sustaining The Ohio State University Coal Combustion Product Program, a 20-year public-private partnership to advance sustainable waste management in Ohio.

Established in 2015, this award recognizes an individual faculty member who has demonstrated significant and longstanding achievement of positive community impact through outreach activities or programs within the college.
 

Faculty Safety Award

Samir Ghadiali, professor and chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering — For his leadership and commitment to safety, proven by his research lab’s longstanding history of perfect EHS Safety Inspections.

This newly established award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated a longstanding commitment and contribution to safety.
 

Faculty Diversity Excellence Award 

Maryam Ghazisaeidi, associate professor, and Wolfgang Windl, professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering — For pioneering a comprehensive engineering graduate admissions process that resulted in a 19% increase in women and a 57% increase in diversity in the materials science and engineering graduate population.

This award recognizes an individual or team demonstrating excellence and success in the development and implementation of models, strategies, practices and programs that foster and enhance diversity in the college. 

Innovators Award 

Emre Koksal, professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering — For the creation and commercialization of DAtAnchor, an easy to use and unique data security solution that provides seamless, strong encryption, automated data governance and dynamic access control.

This award recognizes the achievements of an individual or team whose innovation has successfully translated the research emanating from our laboratories into new products and/or technologies that can be used by the public at large.

Honda-Ohio State Partnership Award 

Nate Ames, executive director, Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence — For embodying the best example of collaborative innovation and greatly advancing the Honda-Ohio State Partnership with his leadership.

The Honda-Ohio State Partnership Award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to promoting and strengthening this historic partnership. 

Charles E. MacQuigg Award for Outstanding Teaching 

Li-Chiang Lin, assistant professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; and Aimee Ulstad, associate professor-clinical, Department of Integrated Systems Engineering

Named for the late Dean of the College of Engineering, this award is presented annually to faculty members who have demonstrated, in a superior manner, their interest in and willingness to help students and outstanding teaching ability. 
 

Lumley Interdisciplinary Research Awards  

Carlos Castro, associate professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; and Michael Poirier, professor, Department of Physics, College of Arts and Sciences

Andrea Serrani, professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; and Marcello Canova, associate professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Tunc Aldemir, professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Richard Denning, retired professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Jieun Hur, assistant professor of practice, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering; and Halil Sezen, professor, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering

Named for John H. Lumley (’27, ceramic engineering), this team award recognizes interdisciplinary research accomplishments of the college’s faculty and research staff. 

Lumley Research Awards 

The Lumley Engineering Research Awards are presented to a select group of outstanding researchers in the College of Engineering who have shown exceptional activity and success in pursuing new knowledge of a fundamental or applied nature.