CoE Faculty Awards Recipients 2023-24

This award recognizes a faculty member who has made a deep and sustained commitment to outreach and diversity as an important part of the University’s educational mission, as demonstrated by academic and outreach programs that show intellectual excellence and diversity in service, teaching and scholarship.

Raymond J. and Monica E. Schultz Outreach and Diversity Award

Raymond J. Schultz earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the College in 1950. He served as a U.S. Army medic during WWII. After 40 years, he retired from General Motors as director of the Engineering Department of Saginaw Steering Gear. He was preceded in death by Monica, his wife of 55 years. A bequest gift from the Raymond J. Schultz Estate provided the endowment for this award.

Robin Fowler, Teaching Professor and Lecturer IV, Technical Communications

These awards are presented to faculty members who exhibit outstanding or unusual teaching skills. These include the introduction of new and vital courses in the faculty members’ fields of specialization, curriculum planning in the Department or College and dedication to students.

Jon R. and Beverly S. Holt Awards for Excellence in Teaching

Jon and Beverly Holt earned their bachelor’s degrees in 1968 from the University of Michigan. Mr. Holt majored in industrial engineering; Mrs. Holt is an LSA alumna. Mr. Holt is chairman and principal owner of Super Radiator Coils and Mead Metal Products. In 2002, he received Michigan Engineering’s Alumni Society Distinguished Service Award. Mrs. Holt had a 26-year career with the County of Anoka (MN) Department of Corrections. The Holts’ family history has inspired their outstanding University volunteerism and philanthropy. Mr. Holt’s grandfather, father, son, daughter and daughter-in-law all graduated from Michigan. Mrs. Holt comes from a family of educators. The Holts established this award in 2004 and expanded their gift in 2017.

Kimberly Diaz, Lecturer IV, EECS-Computer Science and Engineering Division

Leland Pierce, Associate Research Scientist; Lecturer I, EECS-Electrical and Computer Engineering Division

Thomas M. Sawyer, Jr. Teaching Award

Endowed in his memory in 2005 by Family and Friends of Thomas M. Sawyer, Jr., this award is named for an emeritus professor, whose specialty was technical communications. This distinguished educator taught in the College from 1945 until 1987. In addition, Professor Sawyer was an investigator for the Sloan Foundation Program in Engineering Research and Teaching for Minority Students, a Fulbright lecturer at the West Pakistan University of Engineering and Technology, and a visiting fellow at the University of Wales. Professor Sawyer earned his master’s degree in 1946 and doctoral degree in 1953, both in speech from the University of Michigan.

Elyse Vigiletti, Lecturer III, Technical Communications

These awards are presented to faculty members who exhibit outstanding or unusual teaching skills. Examples include the introduction of new and vital courses in the faculty members’ fields of specialization, curriculum planning in the Department or College, and dedication to students. Student support may consist of demonstrated excellence in graduate-student supervision.

John F. Ullrich Education Excellence Award

The endowment for the John F. Ullrich Education Excellence Award was established in 1996 by Susan B. Ullrich, wife of the late John F. Ullrich. Dr. Ullrich earned his bachelor’s degree from the College in engineering physics in 1962 and master’s and doctoral degrees in nuclear engineering from the College in 1963 and 1967. He was named Outstanding Graduate in Nuclear Engineering in 1967 and went on to hold senior-level positions with several companies, including Textron, Ford Motor Company and Masco Corporation. He was awarded the Alumni Society Merit Award from the Department of Nuclear Engineering in 1992.

Brian Kiedrowski, Associate Professor, Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences

Monroe-Brown Foundation Education Excellence Award

The Monroe-Brown Foundation, a Kalamazoo-based philanthropy, established the Monroe-Brown Foundation Education Excellence Award in 2002. The Foundation is committed to supporting quality higher education in the State of Michigan. It has generously endowed gifts across the U-M campus. Established in 1986, the Foundation is a memorial to Albertine Monroe Brown and Robert Judson Brown. The Browns dedicated their lives to the belief that no inquisitive mind should be wasted and that motivated students should be encouraged and assisted to reach their maximum potential.

Mark Guzdial, Professor, EECS-Computer Science and Engineering Division

Vulcans Education Excellence Award

The Vulcans Society is a senior honor society named after the Roman god of metalworking and dedicated to fellowship and service. During the Vulcans’ 90th anniversary celebration, many alumni shared their memories of engineering professors who played pivotal roles in their lives and careers. As a result, one member made a generous gift to endow an award that would recognize outstanding faculty and teaching excellence. The fund was established in 1996, and many Vulcans alumni have subsequently contributed.

Neda Masoud, Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

These honors recognize faculty members who have made significant service contributions at the College and/or University levels, including improving the quality of student life by developing new extracurricular programs; advising student groups and societies; taking a leadership role in the functioning of the College by service on major committees; and working with the Ann Arbor, state, national and international communities.

Herbert Kopf Service Excellence Award

Arriving from Maywood, Illinois, Herbert Prebble Kopf earned two degrees from the University of Michigan: a bachelor’s degree in geodesy and surveying in 1927 and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1928. He and his wife Constance generously supported the aims of the College. This award was funded by Herbert Kopf.

Xiaogan Liang, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Monroe-Brown Foundation Service Excellence Award

The Monroe-Brown Foundation, a Kalamazoo-based philanthropy, established the Monroe-Brown Foundation Service Excellence Award in 2002. The Foundation is committed to supporting quality higher education in the State of Michigan. It has generously endowed gifts across the U-M campus. Established in 1986, the Foundation is a memorial to Albertine Monroe Brown and Robert Judson Brown. The Browns dedicated their lives to the belief that no inquisitive mind should be wasted and that motivated students should be encouraged and assisted to reach their maximum potential.

Mack Kira, Professor, EECS-Electrical and Computer Engineering Division

Trudy Huebner Service Excellence Award

Trudy Huebner established the Trudy Huebner Service Excellence Award in 1996. Mrs. Huebner earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in journalism from U-M in 1936. She enjoyed a colorful 35-year career as a national advertising agency copywriter for major accounts such as Ford, General Electric and H.J. Heinz. From 1967-1974, Mrs. Huebner served as a Regent of the University. She was the widow of George J. Huebner, Jr., former president of the Chrysler Institute of Engineering who earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the College in 1932.

Satish Narayanasamy, Professor, EECS-Computer Science and Engineering Division

This award recognizes a faculty member who has made significant national or international impact on the field of engineering through leadership or service external to the College of Engineering.

H. Scott Fogler Award for Professional Leadership and Service

In 2017, the College of Engineering established this award to recognize Professor Fogler’s decades of service to the field of chemical engineering. The Vennema Professor of Chemical Engineering and an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, he has served as president of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, has chaired the Chemical Engineering Division of the American Society of Engineering Education and has authored the dominant textbook in chemical-reaction engineering.

Alex Halderman, Bredt Family Professor of Engineering; Professor, EECS-Computer Science and Engineering Division

This award recognizes an emeritus or emerita faculty member who has continued to provide valuable service, which may include teaching and research, to the College of Engineering after retirement.

Edward Law Emeritus Outstanding Service Award

In 2006, Edward Law, Jr. and Helen E. Law of San Diego created an agreement that established following their deaths the Edward Law Emeritus Faculty Award. A World War II veteran, Mr. Law earned his bachelor’s degree in both industrial and mechanical engineering in 1948. After more than forty years in the paper industry, he retired to dedicate himself to serving organizations committed to helping others, including AbleNet, Grameen de la Frontera, and First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego.

Fawwaz Ulaby, Emmett Leith Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Arthur F Thurnau Professor Emeritus; Professor Emeritus, EECS-Electrical and Computer Engineering Division

This award recognizes faculty members who have developed a breakthrough technology or made significant innovation and demonstrated its transformational potential in engineering practice, the marketplace or advancing societal good.

Rexford E. Hall Innovation Excellence Award

Rexford “Rex” E. Hall was the grandson of Charles C. Hall, co-founder of Kalamazoo’s New Era Manufacturing Company (precursor to Durametallic Corp.) in 1917, and son of Richard D. Hall (BSE ChE ‘28). After working at Durametallic, which became a well-known supplier of machinery packing and sealant material, he served on the faculty of Western Michigan University.

Zetian Mi, Professor, EECS-Electrical and Computer Engineering Division

This award recognizes tenure-track and research-track faculty members from any academic units of the University of Michigan for outstanding research and scholarship related to engineering at the meso-scale, micron-scale, nano-scale and beyond.

Wise-Najafi Prize for Engineering Excellence in the Miniature World

An anonymous alumnus of the MEMS/ECE program and his spouse (who also attended U-M) endowed the Wise-Najafi Prize for Engineering Excellence in the Miniature World.

Awarded for the first time in 2019, it honors two Michigan Engineering professors for many decades of pioneering work in the field of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and exceptional teaching of a generation of engineering scholars. Professor Kensall D. Wise is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He is the William Gould Dow Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, retiring in 2011 after more than 35 years of service to the College, where he built a world-class program in MEMS and microsystems. Professor Khalil Najafi, his former student and eventual colleague, is the Schlumberger Professor of Engineering. He has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the IEEE Daniel E. Noble Award for Emerging Technologies. For a decade beginning in 2008, he led the Electrical and Computer Engineering division, serving as Peter and Evelyn Fuss Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Jianping Fu, Professor, Mechanical Engineering

These awards recognize those whose research has had a profound impact in their fields. Their impact is manifested through the seminal character of their work and through its major influence on the development of their fields.

David E. Liddle Research Excellence Award

David E. Liddle earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the College in 1967. He is recognized as a visionary in the field of information technology and has spent his career communicating his vision for client/server architectures and user interfaces through research, development, management and entrepreneurship. A pioneer at Xerox and IBM, in 1992, he founded Interval Research Corporation with Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft Corporation. He is a venture partner at U.S. Venture Partners. The endowment he established in 1994 makes it possible to reward researchers whose work has profoundly influenced their field of inquiry.

Anish Tuteja, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering; Macromolecular Science and Engineering; Chemical Engineering

George J. Huebner, Jr. Research Excellence Award

George J. Huebner, Jr. is known as the “father of the automotive gas turbine engine.” He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the College in 1932. He joined the Chrysler Corporation in 1931 and held various positions with the company until his retirement in 1975. He also served as president of the Chrysler Institute of Engineering for 15 years. He held more than 40 patents in the automotive gas turbine field. The endowment for the George J. Huebner, Jr. Research Excellence Award was established by his wife, Trudy Huebner, in 1996 to memorialize her husband’s legacy of dedication and service to his profession.

Dimitra Panagou, Associate Professor, Robotics; Aerospace Engineering

Monroe-Brown Foundation Research Excellence Award

The Monroe-Brown Foundation, a Kalamazoo-based philanthropy, established the Monroe-Brown Foundation Research Excellence Award in 2002. The Foundation is committed to supporting quality higher education in the State of Michigan. It has generously endowed gifts across the U-M campus. Established in 1986, the Foundation is a memorial to Albertine Monroe Brown and Robert Judson Brown. The Browns dedicated their lives to the belief that no inquisitive mind should be wasted and that motivated students should be encouraged and assisted to reach their maximum potential.

Shasha Zou, Professor, Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering

These awards honor research scientists whose work has received broad and sustained recognition. Recipients are distinguished by demonstrated excellence in research and associated scholarly activities over an extended period of their careers.

Kenneth M. Reese Outstanding Research Scientist Awards

Kenneth M. Reese earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the College in 1947. He served as a U.S. Navy aviator and patrol plane commander during WWII and as a reservist thereafter. In 1967, he retired as managing editor of Chemical and Engineering News, then served as a contributing editor and author of its weekly “Newscripts” column until 2004. His bequest gift provided the endowment for these two awards and scholarship support.

    Jonathan Sukovich, Associate Research Scientist, Biomedical Engineering

The endowment for the Ted Kennedy Family Faculty Team Excellence Award was established by Ted and Emily Kennedy of Ann Arbor. The award recognizes team collaboration on an extraordinary piece of work. Mr. Kennedy was president of the Engineering Class of 1942 and went on to work as an aeronautical engineer at Pratt & Whitney. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he and his father founded the Trenton Corporation, which was known for its innovations in anticorrosion materials and processes for gas pipeline and distribution systems.

Edgar Meyhofer, Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Pramod Reddy, Professor, Mechanical Engineering; Materials Science and Engineering

This honor is presented to a younger member of the faculty to recognize an outstanding teacher in both elementary and advanced courses; an understanding counselor of students who seek guidance in their choice of career; a contributor to the educational growth of his or her College; and a teacher whose scholarly integrity pervades his or her service to the University and the profession of engineering.

1938E Award

The Class of 1938E has long been active in the life of the College. In 1960, it established the Class of 1938 Engineers’ Fund to endow an annual award to an outstanding young faculty member. The 1938E Award honors teachers who distinguish themselves for their ability to motivate students, serve as mentors and contribute to the academic growth of the College and profession.

Andrew Owens, Assistant Professor, EECS-Electrical and Computer Engineering Division

1938E Award Past Recipients

This award recognizes a faculty member whose career is distinguished by devoted service, outstanding leadership and exceptional professional achievement. The Stephen S. Attwood Award is one of the highest honors bestowed by the College.

Stephen S. Attwood Award

The Stephen S. Attwood Memorial Fund was established by members of the Class of 1918E, classmates of the late Dean Attwood, to honor his lifelong dedication to the College and his concern for students. Dean Attwood possessed a quiet grace and unfailing good humor as well as inner strength and courage that made his responsibilities as dean appear to be carried out effortlessly.

H. V. Jagadish, Edgar F. Codd Distinguished University Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Bernard A. Galler Collegiate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Professor, EECS-Computer Science and Engineering Division

Stephen S. Attwood Award Past Recipients