Spotlight on Innovation: Engineering Faculty Achievements (July – October 2024)
We are excited to highlight the exceptional achievements of our COE faculty between July and October 2024, showcasing the awards and milestones that reflect their hard work and dedication.
Awards
Named President of the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB)
Awardee: Katherine Saul, Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Awarded by: American Society of Biomechanics
ASB encourages and fosters the exchange of information and ideas among biomechanists working in different disciplines and facilitates the development of biomechanics as a basic and applied science.
Appointment to Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards
Awardee: Scott Palmtag, Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering
Awarded by: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Advises on safety issues related to nuclear power licensing and operation.
Bal-Raj Sehgal Memorial Award
Awardee: Igor Bolotnov, Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering
Awarded by: American Nuclear Society
Recognizes early-career researchers with exceptional creativity and provides substantial funding for innovative projects.
Bette E. Barnes Early Career Scientist Award
Awardee: Amanda Mills, Ph.D. in Textile Engineering
Awarded by: Graduate Women in Science
Recognizing outstanding women in science is at the heart of the organization. The Honorary Membership Award is the highest honor that GWIS bestows. Honorary Members are role models for the organization’s younger members.
Cell and Molecular Bioengineering Young Innovator’s Award
Awardee: William Polacheck, Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering
Awarded by: Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)
Awarded for pioneering research on how cells respond to blood flow.
Charles C. Shepard Science Award
Awardee: Rahima Benhabbour, Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering
Awarded by: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Recognizes significant scientific publications. The Benhabbour laboratory was honored for their outstanding laboratory methods.
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Director’s Fellowship
Awardee: Tim Horn, Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Awarded by: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Highly selective fellowship honoring outstanding research contributions.
Department of Energy (DOE) Early Career Award
Awardee: Amanda Lietz, Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering
Awarded by: U.S. Department of Energy
A prestigious early-career award, Lietz is one of only two awardees from North Carolina.
Director’s New Innovator Award
Awardee: Amol Yadav, Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering
Awarded by: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Recognizes early-career researchers with exceptional creativity and provides substantial funding for innovative projects.
Distinguished University Professor
Awardee: Gregg Rothermel, Ph.D. in Computer Science
Awarded by: North Carolina State University
This award honors NC State’s most exceptional scholars, as described by the NSF, supporting early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and lead advancements in the mission of their department or organization.
ELATES Leadership Program
Awardee: Julie Swann, Ph.D., Industrial & Systems Engineering and Cheryl Xu, Ph.D., Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Awarded by: Executive Leadership in Academic Technology, Engineering, and Science (ELATES) Leadership Program at Drexel
This program supports mid-career women faculty and allies of all genders in taking on leadership roles in STEM fields.
National Science Foundation CAREER Award
Awardee: John-Paul Ore, Ph.D., in Computer Science
Awarded by: National Science Foundation
Supports early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.
Oxide Electronics Prize for Excellence in Research 2024
Awardee: Ruijuan Xu, Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering
Awarded by: International Workshop on Oxide Electronics
Recognizing outstanding progress in creating and controlling dielectric and ferroelectric properties in complex oxide thin films and freestanding membranes.
2023 Outstanding Technical Achievement Award
Awardee: George Rouskas, Ph.D. in Computer Science
Awarded by: Optical Networking Technical Committee of the IEEE Communications Society
Prestigious annual award for lifetime contributions to optical networking.
University of North Carolina (UNC) Creativity Hub Award
Awardees: Rahima Benhabbour, Ph.D, Paul Dayton, Ph.D., Michael Daniele, Ph.D., Oleg Favorov, Ph.D., and Gianmarco Pinton, Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering
Awarded by: UNC Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research
This award supports interdisciplinary collaboration and funding teams to address complex challenges over the next two years. Our faculty members are tackling innovative projects that promise to make a lasting impact on healthcare and technology.
Invitation to Share Additional Achievements for Future Recognition
NC State College of Engineering Faculty Development and Success is proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our engineering faculty members from July to October 2024. This edition highlights the groundbreaking research, innovative projects, and prestigious awards received by our colleagues. Congratulations to all those recognized—your hard work and dedication continue to push the boundaries of engineering and inspire excellence within our community.
We encourage anyone who has made significant strides in research, teaching, or innovation to contact us at engineeringfds@ncsu.edu so we can ensure your achievements are included in future editions of Spotlight on Innovation.
Thank you for your continued contributions, and once again, congratulations to all those featured in this issue for your exceptional work!
