Missouri University of Science and Technology celebrated faculty excellence at an awards luncheon held Dec. 3 in the Havener Center on the S&T campus.  

Dr. John Harris, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, presented the awards based on sustained faculty achievement and excellence.

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

• Dr. Ryan Hutcheson, teaching professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering 

• Dr. Rachel Schneider, associate teaching professor of English and technical communication 

• Dr. Katie Shannon, teaching professor of biological sciences. 

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

• Dr. Casey Canfield, associate professor of engineering management and systems engineering 

• Dr. Serhat Hosder, James A. Drallmeier Centennial Professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering 

• Dr. Jonathan Obrist-Farner, associate professor of earth sciences and engineering.  

The Faculty Research Award recognizes faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in research and scholarship over the past two years. Dr. David Borrok, dean of the College of Engineering and Computing, presented the awards to: 

• Dr. Marco Cavaglia, professor of physics 

• Dr. Jie Huang, Roy A. Wilkens Endowed Professor of electrical and computer engineering 

• Dr. Ulrich Jentschura, professor of physics 

• Dr. Monday Okoronkwo, associate professor of chemical and biochemical engineering 

• Dr. Shun Saito, associate professor of physics. 

The Faculty Service Award recognizes faculty who display exemplary, sustained service to the university and to their profession. Dr. James D. Sterling, dean of the Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development, presented the awards to: 

• Dr. Petra DeWitt, associate professor of history  

• Dr. Amber Henslee, associate professor of psychological science 

• Dr.  Nishant Kumar, teaching professor and associate chair for undergraduate affairs in mechanical and aerospace engineering 

• Dr. Jenny Liu, James A. Heidman Professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering 

• Dr. Matt Thimgan, associate professor of biological sciences 

• Dr. Agnes Vojta, teaching professor of physics. 

 The Faculty Teaching Award recognizes faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and teaching-related activities. Dr. Mehrzad Boroujerdi, dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education, presented the awards to:  

• Julia Alexander, associate teaching professor of education 

• Mathew Goldberg, associate teaching professor of English and technical communication 

• Dr. Katherine Grote, associate professor of earth sciences and engineering 

• Dr. Warner Meeks, associate teaching professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering 

• Dr. Kathryn Northcut, professor of English and technical communication 

• Dr. Michael Peterson, assistant professor of arts, languages and philosophy 

• Dr. Joshua Schlegel, associate professor and associate chair of nuclear engineering and radiation science 

• Dr. Katherine Sharp, assistant professor of education. 

Dr. Susan Murray, associate provost for teaching and curricular excellence, presented the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching to Dr. Andrew Behrendt, associate teaching professor of history and political science. The award is presented annually to one outstanding faculty member from each participating Missouri college or university based on effective teaching, innovative course design and delivery, effective advising, service to the university community and success in nurturing student achievement.  

About Missouri University of Science and Technology 

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.