Seven Ph.D. students at Missouri S&T received dean’s honors on Thursday, May 28, from the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) in recognition of their scholarly contributions and teaching excellence in their field. The honorees represent five departments within the college.

“It’s a thrill each year to recognize the outstanding contributions made by our graduate students at Missouri S&T,” says Dr. Richard Wlezien, vice provost and CEC dean. “These awards reflect the students’ dedication and commitment to excellence as well as the mentorship and inspiration provided by their advisors.”

Professors in each department nominated students, and a committee comprising representatives from five CEC departments selected the winners.

“I am grateful to the selection committee for going through a thorough vetting process to select these seven recipients from an impressive pool of nominees,” says Dr. Francisca Oboh-Ikuenobe, CEC’s interim associate dean for academic affairs. “The awardees’ credentials indicate a bright future for Missouri S&T’s legacy.”

The honorees are traditionally recognized with an on-campus reception. This year, the celebration moved online because of restrictions surrounding the coronavirus. The honorees and their faculty advisors are as follows:

Dean’s Graduate Educator:

Edward Duarte Martinez, geosciences and geological and petroleum engineering; Dr. Jonathan Obrist-Farner, advisor.

Ph.D. Scholars:

Mohanad Abdulazeez, civil, architectural and environmental engineering; Dr. Mohamed ElGawady, advisor.

Rayan Assaad, civil, architectural and environmental engineering; Dr. Islam El-adaway, advisor.

Yan Gao, chemical and biochemical engineering; Dr. Xinhua Liang, advisor.

Seyed Ali Mirala, electrical and computer engineering; Dr. Kristen Donnell, advisor.

Yiyang Zhuang, electrical and computer engineering; Dr. Jie Huang, advisor.

Maalavan Arivu, materials science and engineering; Dr. Haimeng Wen, advisor.