For the Fall 2022 semester, four graduate students in the Department of Aerospace Engineering have been honored with Teaching Excellence (TEX) and Research Excellence (REX) Awards from Iowa State University’s graduate college. The awards are presented to graduate students who demonstrate excellence in their scientific research or their teaching performance.
Sarasija Sudharsan and Anvesh Dhulipalla are recipients of the TEX Award. Sudharsan was nominated by Dr. Nataliya Altukhova and Dr. Anupam Sharma. Dhulipalla was nominated by Dr. Vinay Dayal.
Sudharsan has served as a teaching assistant for Iowa State’s aerospace engineering department over the last five years. Her contribution to AERE 411 (Aerospace Propulsion) is specifically acknowledged for the TEX Award nomination. “Sarasija has wonderfully leveraged her prior work experience with General Electric (GE) Aviation to make significant contributions to this course that far exceed the TA norms,” said Dr. Sharma.
Sudharsan delivered guest lectures, developed, solved and presented review problems, held student hours to accommodate all students and graded/provided feedback on assignments. “She is a hard worker who is willing to take new challenges to provide effective instructions and create a positive classroom environment. She has a pleasant personality and excellent communication skills,” said Dr. Altukhova, adding “even during a challenging semester brought on by Covid-19, Sarasija was extraordinarily helpful, and I enjoyed working with her.”
Dhulipalla has been a teaching assistant for Dr. Dayal in three courses. In AERE 421- he assisted in lab by helping and guiding students. In AERE 426, he also assists with lab and is prompt in helping students complete the difficult coursework, according to Dayal. In AERE 423, he has performed grading for all assignments and assists students with homework assignments. “Most students are able to get proper guidance from him and they feel wanted and regarded. Students get proper respect from Anvesh, which enhances their experience of the class,” said Dr. Dayal.
Jincheng Wang and Thanh Phan are recipients of the REX Award and were nominated by Dr. Ping He- and Dr. Liming Xiong. These professors acknowledge the graduate students’ outstanding research accomplishments through their theses and dissertations.
Wang joined the aerospace engineering department in Fall of 2021. He graduated as a top M.S. student with a GPA of 3.94/4.0 from Dalian University of Technology in China and holds a 4.0 after his first year at Iowa State University. Wang has impressed with four journal publications and a conference paper as the first author. Jincheng has been involved in and contributed to multiple research projects, including machine learning, aircraft/wind turbine icing, and particle image velocimetry. “I am very impressed by Jincheng’s ability to learn diverse topics in a short time,” said Dr. He.
Phan has been a part of Dr. Xiong’s research group since fall of 2016. With an overall GPA of 3.9/4.0, Phan has taken a number of courses and demonstrated all qualities of being a talented research scientist, according to Xiong. He has authored/coauthored 11 journal publications and 11 international conference presentations. Phan is a mentor to students in and outside – the university. “Thanh has demonstrated strong leadership and communication skills, as well as a five- and even ten-year vision on how to utilize the knowledge/skills gained at ISU to support the advancement of the general area at large,” said. Dr. Xiong