2023 College of Engineering Award Recipients Announced

Please join Dean Sharon L. Walker in congratulating the recipients of the 2023 College of Engineering Awards. These individuals are being honored for their exemplary performance and significant contributions to the college.

Faculty Awardees

Outstanding Service Award

 

Joseph Hughes, PhD, Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Co-Director of the Peace Engineering Program, and former Dean of the college, is a steadfast leader of committee work at the college and University levels and a champion of student success. At the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown, Hughes took on dozens of students who had lost their co-ops and provided them with meaningful projects to further their engineering learning. He is Fellow of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP).

Outstanding Teaching Award

E. Caglan Kumbur, PhD, professor and Associate Department Head for Graduate Affairs in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, has been a pioneer of curricular adaptation within the department. He quickly transitioned to virtual labs during the COVID shutdown, making modifications based on continuous student feedback and partnering extensively with his TA to provide a quality lab experience. He additionally has collaborated with other faculty to implement virtual reality modules within one of his lab classes. Kumbur is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and a College of Engineering Outstanding Early-Career Research Award.

Outstanding Early-Career Research Award

Ahmad R. Najafi, PhD, PC Chou Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, conducts research in design optimization, fracture/damage analysis, machine learning, and advanced manufacturing. He oversees the Multiscale Computational Mechanics and Biomechanics LAB (MCMBLAB), which focuses on the design of multifunctional/bioinspired materials/structures and the multiscale damage modeling of biological materials (e.g., diabetic bone and dentin) and multifunctional composites (e.g., self-healing cementitious composites). He has collaborations with the West Philadelphia Promise Neighborhood, additionally serving as a member of the Philadelphia STEM Equity Collective, part of the Philadelphia STEM Ecosystem. Najafi is a recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award.

Outstanding Mid-Career Research Award

Matthew Stamm, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, conducts research on signal processing, machine learning, and information security, with particular expertise in information forensics, developing techniques to detect multimedia forgeries such as falsified images and videos. His work is frequently recognized in the popular news media and, in 2021, he was recognized by Popular Science as one of their “Brilliant 10.” Stamm is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and a College of Engineering Outstanding Early-Career Research Award.

Outstanding Career Research Award

Jin Wen, PhD, professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering; associate dean, faculty advancement; and interim associate dean, research, is an internationally recognized leader in building performance simulation, assessment, and optimization, smart buildings systems, indoor environmental quality, and related occupant/user aspects. Her technologies have been licensed by two private companies and the Electric Power Research Institute. Wen was a 2021-2022 ELATES Fellow and 2019-2020 Fulbright Scholar at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden.

Outstanding Innovation Award

Amir Yaghoob Farnam, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, is an international expert and innovator in the area of advanced and sustainable infrastructure materials. His research has provided new insights into developing sustainable and innovative products such as lightweight aggregates from waste coal ash, self-healing concrete, and vascular thermal-responsive concrete. In addition to six patent applications, he has established a start-up company, SusMaX. Farnam is the recipient of the College of Engineering Outstanding Early-Career Research Award.

Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award

Alexander Stadel, PE, adjunct faculty member in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Architecture, Design & Urbanism in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, is a beloved teacher, mentor, and advisor. He has infused the architectural engineering curriculum with project-based learning and has fostered inter-departmental engagement between Architecture and Architectural Engineering. He is a Structural Engineering Project Manager at Keast & Hood Structural Engineers and was named an Engineering News Record MidAtlantic “20 Under 40” Top Young Professional in 2018.

Staff Awardees

Inclusive Excellence Award

Kimberly Spina, assistant director of outreach and development in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, is known for her welcoming nature and kindness. She organizes Eureka!, a STEM-based program for rising eighth grade girls that is a partnership with Girls, Inc., helping to increase access to historically underrepresented groups in STEM. She additionally develops, plans, executes, and evaluates all departmental special events and summer camps, both on and off campus, and manages recruitment and communications for the department. Spina is a recipient of the College of Engineering Outstanding Professional Staff Award.

Outstanding Professional Staff Award

Andrew Marx is director of computing services in the College of Engineering. He leads a team of three staff to support the IT needs of faculty, staff, academic computer labs, and research labs within the college. He has implemented efficiencies across the college to better serve all constituents. Prior to his role within the college, he served as systems administrator in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Along with the rest of the Computing and Technical Services staff, Marx was a recipient of the 2022 Drexel University President’s Award for Excellence for Professional Staff.

Outstanding Academic Advising Award

Thomas Hindman is academic advisor in the Undergraduate Advising Center (UAC), working with first- and second-year students in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He additionally co-directs the Engineering Learning Community (ELC) and teaches multiple sections of University 101: The Drexel Experience. He previously served as program manager in the UAC, managing commencement, the DELTA bridge program, and training peer mentors.

Student Awardees

Outstanding PhD Student Awards

Mark Anayee is a PhD student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the Nanomaterials Group. His doctoral research is focused on investigating the synthesis and chemistry of MXenes, studying the reaction kinetics and mechanisms relevant to MXene synthesis by developing new in situ spectro-microscopy techniques, and exploring new processing approaches to expand the family of MXenes to unexplored compositions and derivatives. He has published 16 research papers at Drexel, including two as first author, and has a recent publication in Nature Nanotechnology. He is active in outreach and has served as a research mentor to students, as well as a course instructor on MXene synthesis to an international audience. Anayee is an NSF-GRFP and Department of Education GAANN Fellow.

Reza Kheirollahi is a PhD student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering working under the guidance of Dr. Fei Lu. His research focuses on the medium voltage power conversion technology for green transportation, smart grid, and renewable energy applications. He has published 23 journal papers (11 as first author) and is a co-applicant on a patent. In addition to research, he has taught nine courses to undergraduate students.

Outstanding Master’s Student Award

Matias Frediani is an MS student in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Geotechnical Engineering. For his MS thesis research, he is analyzing field load tests on axially loaded drilled shafts installed in weak porous limestone using load transfer curves under the supervision of Dr. Miguel Pando. He additionally serves as TA for the undergraduate soil mechanics laboratory courses.

Outstanding BS/MS Student Award

Darrell Omo-Lamai is a BS/MS student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He is conducting research in the Materials Electrochemistry Group, studying the effect of chemical preintercalation and heterostructure formation on the electrochemistry of titanium and molybdenum oxides in aqueous energy storage systems. He views his work through a civic engagement lens, hoping to use material breakthroughs to advance the renewable energy infrastructure of less affluent countries. As a student leader, he serves as a departmental student ambassador and president and professional development chair of Material Advantage™, and previously held leadership positions with the Undergraduate Research and Enrichment Programs and Engineers Without Borders. Omo-Lamai has been a STAR Scholar, Drexel Aspire Scholar, and is the recipient of a Drexel Supernova Undergraduate Research Fellowship and Drexel Global Scholar Award.

Outstanding Undergraduate Student Awards

Aaron N. Loftman is a BS student in construction management in the Department of Engineering Leadership and Society with a minor in Business Administration. He helped to revitalize the Drexel University Construction Association in his capacity as president. He additionally served as the student lead for the development of a joint service-learning trip to Belize City between the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and the construction management program. Loftman is a member of the national Sigma Lambda Chi Honor Society.

Mali Halac is a BS student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He is conducting research towards an undergraduate thesis in the Ecological & Evolutionary Signal Processing & Informatics (EESI) Lab, exploring and developing a brain model for improved understanding of attention and memory. He works as a consultant for a start-up company where he is part of two provisional patents and served as TA for the Introductory Programming for Engineers course. Halac is President of IEEE Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) Honor Society.