Congratulations to the following recipients of the 2019 Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering (HWCOE) Faculty, Student and Staff Excellence Awards:

Sarah Albury, research administrator, received the HWCOE Staff Award for Innovation. The Staff Innovation Excellence Award recognizes and rewards an HWCOE staff member who has best demonstrated extraordinary innovation and creativity in their jobs duties, and best exemplifies innovation as defined by introducing new processes or outcomes that can have a significant impact on the advancement of their office.

Mingzhou Ding, Ph.D., distinguished professor and J. Crayton Pruitt Family Professor, received the HWCOE Doctoral Dissertation Advisor/Mentoring Award. The Doctoral Dissertation Advisor/Mentoring Award recognizes excellence, innovation and effectiveness in doctoral student advising and mentoring.

Aysegul Gunduz, Ph.D., associate professor and J. Crayton Pruitt Family Term Fellow, received the UF Research Foundation Professor for 2019-2022. The University of Florida Research Foundation (UFRF) Professorships are awarded to tenured faculty members with a “distinguished current record of research,” in recognition of “recent contributions and to provide incentives for continued excellence in research.”

Parisa Rashidi, Ph.D., assistant professor, received the HWCOE Excellence Award for Assistant Professors. This award is given to faculty who bring distinction to the university through their outstanding commitment to teaching, scholarship, service, research and creative activity. The awards are focused on junior faculty and recognize excellence in research.

Cherie Stabler, Ph.D., professor & associate chair for graduate students, received the HWCOE Teacher/Scholar Award. This award is given to a faculty member who demonstrates distinguished achievement in both teaching and scholarly activity (manifested by academic research, creative writing, original works of art, etc.) and visibility within and beyond the university.

HWCOE Attributes of a Gator Engineer Award:

Rani Mahmoudi, BME undergrad student, and Enrico Opri, Ph.D. candidate, received the HWCOE Attributes of a Gator Engineer Awards for Creativity.

Creativity: imagination, versatility, artistry, ingenuity, curiosity, resourcefulness

Angela Jimenez, BME undergrad student, and Margaret Fettis, Ph.D. candidate, received the HWCOE Attributes of a Gator Engineer Awards for Leadership.

Leadership: entrepreneurial, engaging, effective, professional, visionary, inspiring

Olivia Liseth, BME undergrad student, received the HWCOE Attributes of a Gator Engineer Award for Professional Excellence.

Professional Excellence: technical competence, area expertise, insight, resolve