Please join Dean Sharon L. Walker, PhD, in congratulating the recipients of the
2024
College of Engineering Awards
. These individuals are being honored for their exemplary performance and
significant contributions to the college.
Faculty Awardees
- Outstanding Service Award
John
Walsh, PhD, professor in the Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering is being honored for his work to boost quality
graduate enrollment within the college through metric-based processes and
for additionally helping the University improve upon their approach. He is
a recipient of a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award.
-
Outstanding Teaching Award
Yury Gogotsi, PhD, Distinguished University and Charles T. and Ruth M. Bach
Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) and
Director of the A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute is being recognized for
his dedication to educating students through research advising and
mentorship. As an educator, Gogotsi served as PI on two NSF-funded IGERT
sites at Drexel (2002-2012) that provided a unique training framework
centered around interdisciplinary nanotechnology research projects for a
host of PhD students in MSE and related departments. He also launched and
led the FIRST Nano2 Drexel-NNFC Co-Op Center in collaboration with top
scientists and engineers in South Korea. Additionally, he worked to
establish Drexel as the only US institution that participates in the
Master’s in Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion (MESC) program
funded by the European Union. Gogotsi is the recipient of numerous awards
and is Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
(AAAS), American Ceramic Society (ACerS), Electrochemical Society (ECS),
European Academy of Sciences, International Society of Electrochemistry
(ISE), Materials Research Society (MRS), National Academy of Inventors
(NAI), Royal Society of Chemistry, and World Innovation Foundation.
-
Outstanding Early-Career Research Award
Joshua Lequieu, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, conducts research in the area of multi-scale
modeling of soft materials and biology with signature expertise in
leveraging field theoretic simulation for this purpose. Lequieu is a
recipient of a 2024 National Science Foundation CAREER Award.
-
Outstanding Mid-Career Research Award
Christopher Sales
, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Civil,
Architectural and Environmental Engineering, conducts research related to
environmental microbiology, environmental biotechnologies, and environmental
remediation technologies. He expertly pivoted when COVID-19 hit to adapt his
research and collaborations towards solutions. Sales serves as Director of
the Applied Plasma Biology and Chemistry Laboratory at the C&J Nyheim
Plasma Institute (NPI). He is a recipient of the 2022 College of
Engineering Inclusive Excellence Award.
-
Outstanding Career Research Award
Jason Baxter, PhD, professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological
Engineering, conducts research in the areas of materials, interfaces,
processing, and physical and chemical phenomena related to photovoltaics.
In particular, he has developed new approaches for determining recombination
rates and mechanisms in solar cells and a novel method of environmental
sustainability for emerging lead-halide perovskite solar cells. He is a recipient of an NSF CAREER Award and a College of
Engineering Outstanding Teaching Award.
-
Outstanding Innovation Award
Sorin Siegler, PhD, professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and
Mechanics, is being recognized for his translational scholarly work on the
design of a novel Total Ankle Replacement (TAR) and Swelling Bone Anchors.
His research focuses on understanding the mechanical properties of human
joints, characterization of the mechanical properties of biological
materials, studies of human movements, and the design and development of
artificial limbs. He holds 15 US patents.
-
Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award
Michelle Brown, adjunct faculty member in the Department of
Chemical and Biological Engineering, is being acknowledged for creating a
new and improved course around safety and engaging Drexel Engineering
students in this important topic. She has applied her knowledge as the FMC
Corporation’s Director of Environmental Health and Safety and Process
Safety to reinvigorate the content in CHE 466 Chemical Process Safety with
direct relevance from her industry experience. Brown holds a Certified
Safety Professional (CSP) Certification.
-
Inclusive Excellence Award for Faculty
Nagarajan Kandasamy, PhD, department head and professor in the Department of
Electrical and Computer Engineering, is being recognized for his commitment
to diversity and equity and his work to create a sense of belonging and a
more inclusive culture within the department and college through actions in
recruitment, retention, and outreach of faculty, staff, and students. He is
a recipient of an NSF CAREER Award.
Staff Awardees
-
Inclusive Excellence Award for Staff
Terrance Harris, inaugural Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), has
engaged in transformative work to create a more inclusive environment and a
sense of personal belonging for each member of the college community since
joining the college in May 2022. He oversees all DEI initiatives within the
college and is an important connector to other units throughout the
University in the college’s work to build a collaborative community. Prior
to Drexel, Harris served as Director of the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural
Center at Oregon State University.
-
Outstanding Professional Staff Award
Christina Giessen
is associate director, business affairs in the Department of
Chemical and Biological Engineering. Giessen is being recognized for her
professionalism, persistence in problem solving, and dedication to the
department and college. She has served in multiple roles at Drexel
University, including as Research Manager in the Department of Mechanical
Engineering and Mechanics and in HRIS.
-
Outstanding Academic Advising Award
Andrea Falcone
serves as director, undergraduate affairs in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. Falcone is being honored for her
ongoing dedication to the students and her work to create an inclusive and
welcoming environment in which they can thrive, as well as her
collaborative nature as an exceptional advising colleague. Falcone holds an
MS in Library and Information Science from Drexel University.
Student Awardees
-
Outstanding PhD Student Awards
Danzhen Zhang is a PhD student in the Department of Materials
Science and Engineering in the
Nanomaterials Group. His doctoral research focuses on investigating the
optical properties of MXenes. He had two first/co-first author papers
published in the top Nature family of journals within a year and
has already reached an h-index of 9. Zhang has established several
international collaborations to expand the scope of his research work. He
has been active as a research mentor and in outreach and has given a
lecture on Thin Film Processing during the twice-yearly Drexel
Nanomaterials Institute MXene Course. He is a recipient of a 2023 Joseph and
Shirley Carleone Endowed Fellowship.
Shuyan Zhao is a PhD student in the Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering working under the auspices of Dr. Fei Lu. His doctoral
research focuses on the medium voltage power conversion technology for
green transportation, smart grid, and renewable energy applications. He has
published 28 journal papers, with nine as first author. He has also served
as a capable teaching assistant, teaching several courses in a variety of
topic areas. He is the recipient of three IEEE conference-related student
awards.
-
Outstanding Master’s Student Award
Solmaz Arezoomandan is an MS student in the Department of
Electrical and Computer Engineering. Her research, under the guidance of
Dr. David Han, focuses on developing machine learning algorithms for the
detection of small aerial objects. She is being honored for creative
problem solving and research motivation.
-
Outstanding BS/MS Student Award
Marley Downes is a BS/MS student in the Department of Materials
Science and Engineering. She conducts research in the
Nanomaterials Group
focused on the synthesis and characterization of MXenes. She is the first
author on two papers in prestigious journals. Downes has been active in
outreach activities and serves as President of Material Advantage, as well
as a mentor in the Engineering Leadership Scholars (ELS) program. She is a
recipient of a Goldwater Scholarship.
Feben Wolde-Semayat is a BS/MS student in the Departments of
Chemical and Biological Engineering (BS) and Materials Science and
Engineering (MS). She is completing her research work under the tutelage of
Dr. Maureen Tang, working on the effect of electric field and surface
additives on electrochemical hydrogen kinetics. Wolde-Semayat is active in
outreach and as a leader in both the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and
AIChE, currently serving as Vice President of Outreach for Drexel SWE.
-
Outstanding Undergraduate Student Awards
Cosmo Randazzo is a BS student in the Department of Chemical and
Biological Engineering. They are working in Dr. Jason Baxter’s lab on a
project to help them develop skills in modeling with Python as applied to
end-of-life options for retired wind turbine blades. Randazzo was
previously a STAR Scholar working in Dr. Maureen Tang’s lab. They are
active in outreach and extracurricular activities including the Drexel
University Writers Room, Drexel Outdoors Club – Weekend Warriors, and Ronald
McDonald House.