Three professors from the Department of Mechanical Engineering received 2018 university awards.
Ted Heindel, Bergles Professor of Thermal Science, received the Regents Award for Faculty Excellence. This award is presented by the Iowa Board of Regents and recognizes “tenured faculty members [who] are outstanding university citizens and who have rendered significant service to the university or the state of Iowa.” In addition to his responsibilities in ME, Heindel also has a courtesy appointment in chemical and biological engineering.
Valery Levitas, Vance D. Coffman Faculty Chair and professor of aerospace engineering with a secondary appointment in ME, was named Anson Marston Distinguished Professor of Engineering. The title of Distinguished Professor, which was first awarded in 1956, is the highest academic honor the university bestows. Levitas also and serves as a faculty scientist at Ames Laboratory.
Xinwei Wang, professor of ME, received the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research. This award “recognizes a tenured faculty member who has a national or international reputation for contributions in research and has influenced the research activities of students.” Wang’s research interests include thermal transport in micro/nanoscale materials (thin films, coatings, nanowires, and nanotubes): novel technique development for thermal conductivity measurement, the effect of material structure on its thermophysical properties; Raman-based energy transport and interface energy coupling investigation; material structure exploration based on the thermal reffusivity theory and 0K limit residual thermal reffusivity; and building energy efficiency and diagnostics.
“I am very proud of our faculty. They put their hearts and souls into their work, their students and Iowa State,” said Caroline Hayes, chair of mechanical engineering and Lynn Gleason Professor of Interdisciplinary Engineering.
Heindel, Levitas and Wang will be recognized during the university’s annual awards ceremony on September 14. For the full list of 2018 award winners, click here.