Dr. Abdeldjelil "DJ" Belarbi, professor of civil engineering at the University of Missouri-Rolla, is the recipient of the 2003 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Gov. Bob Holden and members of the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education recognized Belarbi and other award recipients during the Governor’s Conference on Higher Education held Dec. 4 in Springfield, Mo.

The awards, which are not monetary, are based on effective teaching, effective advising, service to the university community, commitment to high standards of excellence and success in nurturing student achievement.

Belarbi represents Missouri’s 8th Congressional District on the 11-member Missouri Commission on Human Rights. His primary research efforts include the modeling of reinforced and pre-stressed concrete structures, developing and evaluating fiber-reinforced-polymer composite for use in concrete structures, and monitoring of civil engineering structures and the use of smart sensors.

His memberships include Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, the American Concrete Institute, the Precast and Prestressed Concrete Institute, the American Society for Engineering Education, the Masonry Society and the Transportation Research Board.

Belarbi received a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Oran, Algeria, in 1983. He earned his master of science and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering from the University of Houston in 1986 and 1991, respectively. He joined the UMR faculty in 1991.

Belarbi has been invited on several occasions to deliver keynote presentation on his research and expertise at national and international conferences and meetings. He has received over 30 honors and awards as a recognition for his excellence in teaching, research and service to profession and community.

In addition, Belarbi is active on several national and international technical and educational committees within the American Concrete Institute. He is a fellow of the institute and served as the president of its Missouri Chapter. This year, Belarbi was one of the few U.S. Department of State Distinguished Fulbright Scholars to pursue teaching and research in an international university.