James L. and Katherine S. Melsa Dean of Engineering W. Samuel Easterling celebrated Cyclone Engineering 2020 faculty and staff award honorees, named faculty positions and patent recipients at the College of Engineering’s fall convocation.
This year’s interactive event was offered live online, including videos from each of the faculty and staff college award winners. Watch a replay here.
Faculty and staff college award winners
College of Engineering faculty and staff award winners are honored for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the college:
Early Achievement in Research – Ming-Chen Hsu, associate professor of mechanical engineering
Mid-Career Achievement in Research – Aditya Ramamoorthy, professor of electrical and computer engineering
Early Achievement in Teaching – Tenure – Benjamin Ahn, assistant professor of aerospace engineering, and Kaoru Ikuma, assistant professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering
Early Achievement in Teaching – Term – Mohamed Selim, assistant teaching professor of electrical and computer engineering
Outstanding Achievement in Teaching – Laura Jarboe, professor of chemical and biological engineering
Excellence in Foundational Course Teaching – Julie Rursch, associate teaching professor of electrical and computer engineering
Early Achievement in Advising – Aliza MacKenzie, academic advisor, mechanical engineering
Outstanding Achievement in Advising – Lindsay Frueh, academic advisor, agricultural and biosystems engineering
Excellence in Extension and/or Outreach Staff – Anne Kimber, program manager, Electric Power Research Center
Inclusive Excellence – Faculty – James Wright, associate teaching professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering
Inclusive Excellence – Staff – Kristin Clague, communications specialist, college communications
Outstanding New Staff – Carolyn Riedel, teaching laboratory coordinator, aerospace engineering
Staff Excellence – Krista Briley, administrative specialist, industrial and manufacturing systems engineering
Named faculty positions
Established with private support, these positions enable the college to attract and enable world-class professors and researchers:
Walter W. Wilson Faculty Fellow in Engineering – Soumik Sarkar, associate professor of mechanical engineering
John B. Slater Professorship in Sustainable Design and Manufacturing – Matthew Frank, professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, and Kyung Min, associate professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering
Michael and Denise Mack 2050 Challenge Scholar – Luke Roling, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering
W. A. Klinger Teaching Professorship for Construction Engineering – Jennifer Shane, associate professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering
Vance and Arlene Coffman Department Chair in Aerospace Engineering – Alric Rothmayer, professor and chair of aerospace engineering
Charles Schafer (Battelle) Chair in Engineering – Cary Pint, associate professor of mechanical engineering
Jack R. and Carol A. Johnson Faculty Fellowship in Chemical and Biological Engineering – Nigel Reuel, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering
Black & Veatch Building a World of Difference Faculty Fellowship in Engineering – Ashley Buss, assistant professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, and Kristin Rozier, assistant professor of aerospace engineering
Patent recipients
Cyclone Engineers received more than 30 patents during the last year, representing valued scholarly contributions and a prestigious form of recognition of innovation:
Iver Anderson, adjunct professor of materials science and engineering, Passivation and alloying element retention in gas atomized powders and Rapidly solidifying lead-free Sn-Ag-Cu-Al or Sn-Cu-Al solder
Iver Anderson, adjunct professor of materials science and engineering, and Adam Boesenberg, program manager, CIRAS, PB-free Sn-Ag-Cu-Al or Sn-Cu-Al solder
Iver Anderson, adjunct professor of materials science and engineering, and David Byrd, assistant scientist, Ames Laboratory, Stability of gas atomized reactive powders through multiple step in-situ passivation
Daniel Attinger, associate professor of mechanical engineering; Liang Dong, professor of electrical and computer engineering; and Yuncong Chen, graduate student in electrical and computer engineering, Miniaturized continuous-flow fermenting apparatus
Stuart Birrell, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, Agricultural harvester configured to control a biomass harvesting rate based upon soil effects
Thomas Chiou, associate scientist, Center for Nondestructive Evaluation, Soil nitrate sensing system for precision management of nitrogen fertilizer applications
Eric Cochran, professor of chemical and biological engineering; R. Chris Williams, professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering; and Nacu Hernandez, scientist, chemical and biological engineering, Thermoplastic elastomers via atom transfer radical polymerization of plant oil
Eric Cochran, professor of chemical and biological engineering; R. Chris Williams, professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering; Nacu Hernandez, scientist, chemical and biological engineering; and Michael Forrester, assistant scientist, chemical and biological engineering, Poly(acrylated polyol) and method for making and using thereof as asphalt rubber modifiers, adhesive, fracking additives, or fracking fluids
Degang Chen, professor of electrical and computer engineering, Voltage reference generator with linear and non-linear temperature dependency elimination
Liang Dong, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Ratnesh Kumar, professor of electrical and computer engineering
David Grewell, affiliate professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, Closed loop 3D printing
Mark Hanna, scientist, agricultural and biosystems engineering, and Matt Schramm, postdoctoral research associate, agricultural and biosystems engineering, System and method for predicting wind direction and speed to better control drift
Sri Kalluru, scientist, chemical and biological engineering; Eric Cochran, professor of chemical and biological engineering; and Nacu Hernandez, scientist, chemical and biological engineering, Reagent purification systems, methods and apparatus
Chris Williams, professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering; Joseph Podolsky, associate scientist, civil, construction and environmental engineering; and Eric Cochran, professor of chemical and biological engineering, Asphalt products and materials and methods of producing them
Chris Williams, professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering; Joseph Podolsky, associate scientist, civil, construction and environmental engineering; Nacu Hernandez, scientist, chemical and biological engineering; Austin Hohmann, engineer, chemical and biological engineering; Eric Cochran, professor of chemical and biological engineering; and Mohamed Elkashef, affiliate professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, Asphalt products and methods of producing them for rejuvenation and softening of asphalt
Eric Lang, engineer, agricultural and biosystems engineering, and Jeffrey Askey, engineer, agricultural and biosystems engineering, Baler mass flow sensing assembly and method, Baler with mass flow sensing assembly and method of initiating stuffer trip, and Baler information system and method
Liang Dong, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Huawei Jiang, postdoctoral research associate, electrical and computer engineering, High-throughput large-scale plant phenotyping instrumentation
Wenzhen Li, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering, and Yang Qui, postdoctoral research associate, chemical and biological engineering, Fuel-cell system and method of generating energy from crude fuel
Marjorie Rover, associate scientist, Bioeconomy Institute, and Robert C. Brown, director, Bioeconomy Institute and Distinguished Professor of mechanical engineering, Low-temperature, low-pressure upgrading and stabilization of bio-oil or bio-oil fractions
Robert C. Brown, director, Bioeconomy Institute and Distinguished Professor of mechanical engineering; Marjorie Rover, associate scientist, Bioeconomy Institute; and Andrew Friend, program manager, CIRAS, Methods of producing solid fuel using low ash, low sulfur coal replacement from fast pyrolysis of biomass
Matthew Darr, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, Yield measurement and base cutter height control systems for a harvester
Ikenna Nlebedim, adjunct assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and associate scientist, Ames Laboratory, Neodymium-iron-boron magnet with selective surface modification and method of producing same
Ikenna Nlebedim, adjunct assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and associate scientist, Ames Laboratory; and Denis Prodius, assistant scientist, Ames Laboratory, Dissolution and separation of rare earth metals
Santosh Pandey, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, Droplet actuator and methods of droplet manipulation
Jean-Philippe Tessonnier, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering; Nacu Hernandez, scientist, chemical and biological engineering; and Eric W. Cochran, professor of chemical and biological engineering, Electrocatalytic hydrogenation of muconic acid
Jean-Philippe Tessonnier, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering, and Brent Shanks, Distinguished Professor of chemical and biological engineering and director, Center for Biorenewable Chemicals, Electrochemical isomerization of muconic acid
Martin Thuo, associate professor of materials science and engineering, Method of preparing metal surfaces