College of Engineering celebrates faculty and staff

As part of National Engineers Week, the College of Engineering celebrated the accomplishments of faculty and staff at the Third Annual Faculty and Staff Awards Banquet. Ten awards of $1,000 each are funded through the generous support of donors. Nominations are made by faculty and staff throughout the college and awardees are selected by a committee of peers representing all college units.

Back Row (L-R) Liang Sun, Barbara Gamillo, Kenny Stevens, Abdessattar Abdelkefi, Samah Ben Ayed, Ken Ruble. Front Row (L-R) Carol Dyer, Donato Lozano, Nirmala Khandan.

“The College of Engineering is fortunate to have many faculty and staff members whose dedication and hard work contribute so greatly to the success of our students. We are equally blessed to have alumni who recognize their value in building and maintaining a vital college and generously offer their support to those who stand out among their peers,” said Lakshmi N. Reddi, dean of the College of Engineering.

New this year is the Mentorship Award, which recognizes the efforts of a senior faculty member who mentors a junior faculty member. Civil Engineering Professor Nagamany Nirmalakhandan, received this award for his mentoring of Associate Professor Pei Xu, who is now starting her own mentorship of new faculty members.

Five Synergy Awards recognized faculty and staff members whose work is inclusive and involves colleagues and students across the college.

Teaching-Research-Service: Abdessattar Abdelkefi, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

• Faculty Leadership: Bárbara Gamillo, Engineering Technology and Surveying Engineering
• One-College Faculty: Kenny Stevens, Engineering Technology and Surveying Engineering
• Staff Leadership: Gabriela Louise Cisneros, Office of Engineering Research
• One-College Staff: Donato Lozano, Dean’s Office

The Foreman Excellence Awards are given in honor of the positive spirit exemplified by NMSU alums and generous college supporters Ed and Harold “Chub” Foreman.

Faculty Excellence: Dr. Liang Sun, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

• Staff Excellence: Carol Erika Dyer, Chemical and Materials Engineering

Outstanding staff and teaching excellence are recognized with the Frank Bromilow Awards, which honor the former civil engineering professor and department head, and later dean of the college of Engineering.

• Teaching Excellence: Dr. Samah Ben Ayed, Engineering Technology and Surveying
  Engineering
• Outstanding Staff Service: Kenneth Wayne Ruble, Aggie Innovation Space

Additionally, recipients of professorship and chair appointments were recognized:

• International Foundation for Telemetering Professorship, Dr. Deva Borah, Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• George W. Lucky Professorship; Dr. Antonio García, Dean’s Office
• Myers Endowed Professorship, Dr. J.I. Frankel, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Ward Family Endowed Interdisciplinary Chair in Environmental and Water Sciences, Dr. Pei Xu, Civil Engineering

Faculty members receiving NMSU accolades during the past year included:

• 2019 Patricia Christmore Faculty Teaching Award, Dr. Hyeongjun Park, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• 2020 Research Council Award for Exceptional Achievements in Creative
  Scholarly Activity, Early Career Award, Dr. Abdessattar Abdelkefi, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• 2020 Donald C. Roush Award, Dr. Terry W. Armstrong, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• 2020 Excellence in Assessment Award, Bárbara Gamillo, Engineering Technology and Surveying Engineering

Faculty receiving new grants of more than $200 thousand during 2019 were also recognized:

• Reza Foudazi, Chemical and Materials Engineering, National Science Foundation, “Stimuli-Responsive Membranes from Mesophase Templating”
• Phillip King and Dr. Pei Xu, Civil Engineering, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, “Assessment and Implementation Framework for Transboundary Brackish Ground Water Desalination in South-Central New Mexico”
• Patricia Sullivan, Engineering College, U.S. Department of Commerce/Economic Development Administration, “Innovation and Commercialization for a Regional Energy Workforce”
• Pei Xu, Civil Engineering, University of North Texas, “INFEWS/T2: Improving Crop Yield and Soil Salinity by Cost-Effective Integration of Microbial, Community, Hydrology, Desalination and Renewable Power”