Awards recognize CEE’s top scientists, researchers, teachers and staff members

The School of Civil and Environmental Engineering recognized excellence in research, teaching and staff support at the School’s annual awards ceremony Nov. 14.

Karen and John Huff School Chair Reginald DesRoches handed out 17 awards to students, faculty and staff along with Ted Russell, chair of the School’s awards committee. The committee decided whom to honor based on the nominations of their colleagues or faculty advisers.

The committee will forward many of the School-level honorees for consideration in the Georgia Tech awards programs this spring.

This year’s winners:

Lisa Rosenstein receives her award from School Chair Reginald DesRoches. (Photo: Jess Hunt-Ralston)Lisa Rosenstein
CEE Appreciation Award

Recognized for her many contributions to the School, including creating and running the acclaimed CEE communications program and consistently being one of the School’s most highly rated instructors.

Kostas Konstantinidis receives his award from School Chair Reginald DesRoches. (Photo: Jess Hunt-Ralston)Kostas Konstantinidis
Interdisciplinary Research Award

Recognized for his international work in environmental microbiology that involves biologists, engineers, atmospheric scientists, and agricultural scientists.
   

David Frost receives his award from School Chair Reginald DesRoches. (Photo: Jess Hunt-Ralston)David Frost
Research Innovation Award

Recognized for his work in bio-mediated and bio-inspired geotechnics, a relatively new area of science.

Barry Goodno receives his award from School Chair Reginald DesRoches. (Photo: Jess Hunt-Ralston)Barry Goodno
Senior Faculty Teaching Award

Recognized for his textbook Mechanics of Materials, which is used widely throughout the world.
   

Iris Tien receives her award from School Chair Reginald DesRoches. (Photo: Jess Hunt-Ralston)Iris Tien
Bill Schutz Junior Faculty Teaching Award

Recognized for her excellence in classroom teaching, evidenced by high scores from students on end-of-course surveys and recommendations from numerous colleagues.

Joshua Stewart receives his award from School Chair Reginald DesRoches. (Photo: Jess Hunt-Ralston)Joshua Stewart
Outstanding Staff Leadership Award

Recognized for dynamism in sharing the School’s story, the consistent quality of his work, and the variety of means and methods he has employed to support the School’s communications efforts.
   

Denise Rhodes receives his award from School Chair Reginald DesRoches. (Photo: Jess Hunt-Ralston)Denise Rhodes
Administrative Support Excellence Award

Recognized for exemplary honesty, integrity and professionalism in supporting the School’s faculty, staff and students and inspiring the admiration of her colleagues.

Jess Hunt-Ralston receives her award from School Chair Reginald DesRoches. (Photo: Joshua Stewart)Jess Hunt-Ralston
Professional Support Excellence Award

Recognized for her crucial role in successfully building the School’s brand as an innovative and forward-looking organization and supporting that brand with world-class visual design across print and digital products.
   

Longde Jin receives his award from School Chair Reginald DesRoches. (Photo: Jess Hunt-Ralston)Longde Jin
Bill Schutz Graduate Teaching Assistant Award

Recognized for his service as a teaching assistant in the Geotechnical Engineering Lab, working with large numbers of students and receiving very high scores on end-of-course student surveys.

Xiaoyang Meng receives his award from School Chair Reginald DesRoches. (Photo: Jess Hunt-Ralston)Xiaoyang Meng
Jean-Lou Chameau Research Excellence Award

Recognized for his work on improving electrochemical oxidation, including developing a novel electrode and improving the mass transfer rate, resulting in a patent disclosure and a related journal publication.
   

Despina Tsementzi receives his award from School Chair Reginald DesRoches. (Photo: Jess Hunt-Ralston)Despina Tsementzi
Best Ph.D. Thesis Award
“From Single Cells to Microbial Populations: Disentangling Microbial Interactions and Functions Through Integrated Omics Techniques”

Recognized for her research, which has already led to 14 publications, including as first author of a paper in the journal Nature.

Lauren Gardner receives his award from School Chair Reginald DesRoches. (Photo: Jess Hunt-Ralston)Lauren Gardner
Best Undergraduate Research Award

Recognized for her work on intelligent and sustainable infrastructure system management.
   

Brian Emrich receives his award from School Chair Reginald DesRoches. (Photo: Jess Hunt-Ralston)
Brian Emrich
Best Undergraduate Research Award

Recognized for conducting numerical analysis of non-Newtonian fluid flow in rock joints.
   

Other award winners who could not attend the ceremony:

Glaucio Paulino's award (Photo: Jess Hunt-Ralston)Glaucio Paulino
Sustained Research Award

Recognized for his long record of international accomplishments, including most recently the Cozzarelli Prize from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Joe Brown's award (Photo: Jess Hunt-Ralston)Joe Brown
Excellence in Research Program Development

Recognized for his thriving early career research program, including more than 40 publications and $4 million in research funding as well as a very popular undergraduate course with a research abroad component.
   

Haiying Huang's award (Photo: Jess Hunt-Ralston)Haiying Huang
Leadership in the Use of Technology Award

Recognized for her leading role in the adoption of the WileyPlus online system in Statics; her use of the Piazza social forum for class-related questions and answers; and her integration of Mathematica, WolframAlpha, and Matlab in her classes.

Seongyu John Jung's award (Photo: Jess Hunt-Ralston)Seongyu John Jung
Best M.S. Thesis Award
“Implementation of Internal Wave Apparatus for Copepod Behavior Assays”

Recognized for his multidisciplinary approach in his thesis, blending theory, physical experiments and biological trials to provide a better understanding of the behavior of zooplankton in response to physical cues of internal waves.
   

All awards photos, except her own, by Jess Hunt-Ralston. Her award photo by Joshua Stewart.