Missouri University of Science and Technology celebrated faculty excellence at an awards banquet Dec. 9 on campus. Honorees include:

Experiential and service learning awards

Dr. Kathryn Northcut, vice provost of academic support, recognized three faculty members for their roles in campus service and experiential learning.

The Experiential Learning Award recognizes faculty who require undergraduate students to go beyond mastering basic skills and knowledge in the application of that material to problem-solving challenges. These activities involve collaborative and reflective learning and allow students to learn environments that align with their aptitudes. Recipients are:

• Dr. Daniel Stutts, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering
• Dr. Robin Verble, associate professor of biological sciences.

The Service Learning Award recognizes faculty who involve or influence undergraduate students in academic service learning or community service activities outside the classroom. The recipient is:

• Dr. Michelle Schwartze, assistant teaching professor of teacher education and certification.

Excellence in teaching, research and service awards

Dr. Colin Potts, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, recognized 27 faculty members for excellence and achievement in teaching, research and service. Each of the 27 honorees receive a monetary award, provided by the Forsee Family Engineering Faculty Fund, the Faculty Excellence Fund – John Stafford Brown Endowment, the Robert Keiser Faculty Award for Teaching, Research and Service endowment, and the Finley Faculty Enhancement Endowment.

The Faculty Achievement Award recognizes non-tenure-track faculty who have demonstrated sustained excellence in at least one of the following areas: teaching, research or service. Recipients are:

• Dr. Ryan Hutcheson, teaching professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering
• Dr. Jossalyn Larson, associate teaching professor of English and technical communication
• Dr. Christi Luks, teaching professor in the Doshi Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
• Dr. Eric Showalter, teaching professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering
• Dr. Agnes Vojta, teaching professor of physics
• Dr. Kyle Wernke, assistant teaching professor of arts, languages and philosophy.

The Faculty Research Award recognizes faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in research and scholarship. Recipients are:

• Dr. Islam El-adaway, professor of civil, architectural, and environmental engineering
• Dr. Fateme Rezaei, associate professor in the Doshi Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
• Dr. Chulsoon Hwang, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering
• Dr. Catherine Johnson, associate professor of mining and explosives engineering
• Dr. Aditya Kumar, associate professor of materials science and engineering                                                                                                                        
• Dr. Xinhua Liang, Linda and Bipin Doshi Associate Professor in the Doshi Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
• Dr. Julia Medvedeva, professor of physics
• Dr. Chenglin Wu, assistant professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering.

The Faculty Service Award recognizes faculty who display exemplary, sustained service to the university and to their profession. Recipients are:

• Dr. Akim Adekpedjou, professor of mathematics and statistics
• Dr. Petra DeWitt, associate professor of history and political science
• Dr. Kyle Perry, associate professor of mining and explosives engineering
• Dr. Kathleen Sheppard, professor of history and political science.

The Faculty Teaching Award recognizes faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and teaching-related activities. Recipients are:

• Dr. Katherine Grote, associate professor of geosciences, geological and petroleum engineering
• Dr. Irina Ivliyeva, professor of Russian
• Dr. Michelle Schwartze, assistant teaching professor of teacher education and certification
• Dr. David Westenberg, professor of biological sciences.

The Faculty Excellence Award recognizes faculty members who have demonstrated sustained excellence in teaching, research and service. Recipients are:

• Dr. Baojun Bai, professor of geosciences, geological and petroleum engineering
• Dr. Daryl Beetner, professor of electrical and computer engineering
• Dr. Eric Bryan, associate professor of English and technical communication
• Dr. Steven Corns, associate professor of engineering management and systems engineering
• Dr. Grace Yan, associate professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering.

Outstanding Teaching Awards

Potts presented 41 faculty members with the Outstanding Teaching Award based on their end-of-course evaluation scores for academic year 2020-2021. Five faculty members received the Sustained Excellence in Outstanding Teaching Award, which recognizes faculty members who have received Outstanding Teaching Awards for at least nine out of the last 10 years.

Recipients of the 2020-2021 Sustained Excellence in Outstanding Teaching Award are:

• Dr. Petra DeWitt, associate professor of history and political science
• Dr. Gregory Hilmas, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of materials science and engineering
• Dr. Irina Ivliyeva, professor of Russian
• Dr. R. Joe Stanley, professor of electrical and computer engineering
• Dr. Greg Story, associate professor of physics.

Recipients of the 2020-2021 Outstanding Teaching Award are:

• Dr. Ayodeji Alajo, interim director of nuclear engineering
• Dr. Julia Alexander, assistant teaching professor of teacher education and certification
• Dr. Syed Bahauddin Alam, assistant professor of nuclear engineering and radiation science
• Dr. Michael Baird, lecturer in arts, languages and philosophy
• Dr. Denise Baker, assistant professor of psychological science
• Dr. Trent Brown, professor of English and technical communication
• Dr. Gerald Cohen, professor of arts, languages, and philosophy
• Dr. Carleigh Davis, assistant professor of English and technical communication
• Dr. Petra DeWitt, associate professor of history and political science
• Dr. Cassandra Elrod, associate professor of business and information technology
• Dr. Hanqing Fang, associate professor of business and information technology
• Dr. Jonathan Obrist-Farner, assistant professor of geosciences, geological and petroleum engineering
• Dr. Darin Finke, associate teaching professor of arts, languages, and philosophy
• Dr. Mary Gillis, assistant teaching professor of teacher education and certification
• Dr. Katherine Grote, associate professor of geosciences, geological and petroleum engineering
• Taylor Gruenloh, assistant teaching professor of arts, languages and philosophy
• Dr. Sarah Hercula, assistant professor of English and technical communication
• Dr. Gregory Hilmas, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of materials science and engineering
• Dr. Sheryl Hodges, associate teaching professor of engineering management and systems engineering
• Dr. Wayne Huebner, professor of materials science and engineering
• Dr. Irina Ivliyeva, professor of Russian
• John Ketcherside, lecturer in history and political science
• Dr. Kurt Kosbar, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering
• Dr. Merilee Krueger, teaching professor of psychological science
• Dr. Yu Liu, assistant professor of business and information technology
• Dr. Hongyan Ma, associate professor of civil, architectural, and environmental engineering
• Dr. John McManus, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of history
• Dr. Bruce McMillin, professor of computer science
• Dr. Audra Merfeld-Langston, chair and associate professor of arts, languages, and philosophy
• Dr. Scott Miller, teaching professor of materials science and engineering
• Dr. Jason Murphy, assistant professor of mathematics and statistics
• Dr. Gayla Olbricht, associate professor of mathematics and statistics
• Dr. Kyle Perry, associate professor of mining and explosives engineering
• Dr. Daniel Reardon, associate professor of English and technical communication
• Dr. Joshua Schlegel, associate professor of nuclear engineering and radiation science
• Dr. Jillian Schmidt, assistant teaching professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering
• Dr. Jeff Schramm, associate professor of history and political science
• Dr. Michelle Schwartze, assistant teaching professor of teacher education and certification
• Dr. R. Joe Stanley, professor of electrical and computer engineering
• Dr. Greg Story, associate professor of physics
• Dr. Courtney Webster, lecturer of arts, languages, and philosophy.

About Missouri University of Science and Technology

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,200 students and is part of the four-campus University of Missouri System. Located in Rolla, Missouri, Missouri S&T offers 101 different degree programs in 40 areas of study and is ranked by CollegeFactual as the best public university to study engineering. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.