College of Engineering Celebrates Outstanding Faculty

Alan Mantooth, Jin-Woo Kim, Dale Thompson and Kartik Balachandran were honored at the College of Engineering Faculty Awards event.
Photo Submitted

Alan Mantooth, Jin-Woo Kim, Dale Thompson and Kartik Balachandran were honored at the College of Engineering Faculty Awards event.

On Wednesday, April 28, the College of Engineering held its annual faculty awards reception at University House. Five awards were given at the event.

"The purpose of this event was to celebrate the hard work and great achievements of our faculty," said engineering dean John English. "These individuals have really gone above and beyond in their dedication to students and to research, and it felt good to let them know they're appreciated."

At the reception, English announced the Dean's Excellence Awards. These awards include the Rising Star Award, the Senior Faculty award and the Most Engaging Research Faculty Award.

The Rising Star Award recognizes tenure track faculty who are progressing towards tenure in an accelerated fashion. It can be given to a faculty member who is tenure track, up through their first year of tenure. Kartik Balachandran, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, received the Rising Star award.

Balachandran joined the U of A faculty in 2012. His research focuses on understanding the multi-scale relationship between structure, architecture and mechanics related to the biological behavior of cells and tissues in disease processes. His research could lead to new treatments for heart valve disease.

Alan Mantooth, Distinguished Professor of electrical engineering and holder of the Twenty-First Century Research Leadership Chair, received the Senior Faculty award, which recognizes tenured faculty who have excelled in their scholastic activities.

Mantooth has published over 200 refereed articles on modeling and IC design. He serves as director for the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission, Grid-Connected Advanced Power Electronics Systems and the Cybersecurity Center for Secure Evolvable Energy Delivery Systems. He is deputy director of the Power Optimization for Electro-Thermal Systems Center, which is a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center.

The Most Engaging Research Faculty Award, which celebrates a faculty member who excels in collaborative and interdisciplinary research, went to Jin-Woo Kim, professor of biological and agricultural engineering.

Kim's expertise spans interdisciplinary fields of biological and biomedical engineering, biology, chemistry, and nanotechnology. In the past three years, Kim has collaborated as a co-PI with 11 departments and national and international institutions in 65 grant applications totaling about $25 million.

John White, chancellor emeritus and Distinguished Professor of industrial engineering, announced the winners of the John Imhoff award. The Imhoff awards were established in 2004 by John Imhoff, former head and founder of the industrial engineering department, to recognize faculty members who have excelled in research and teaching in the College of Engineering. Mantooth received the Imhoff award for research.

Dale Thompson, associate professor of computer science and computer engineering, received the Imhoff award for teaching. Thompson's teaching evaluations are significantly higher than the department average. He serves on the department's undergraduate curriculum committee and on the College of Engineering Distance Education Committee for the MSE program. Thompson also serves as the ABET Coordinator for the department.

 

Contacts

Camilla Shumaker, director of communications
College of Engineering
479-575-5697, camillas@uark.edu

Headlines

Four Students Named Goldwater Scholars; Two Earn Udall Honorable Mentions

Four U of A students have received the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship, an award for top students in mathematics, science, and engineering.

Cross-Campus Collaboration Culminates in New Outdoor Geological Installation

Grand opening event to celebrate the new GeoLab installation at the U of A’s Gearhart Hall courtyard is set for May 3. The installation will be open to the public year-round.

First Students to Use Online Degree to Hone Nursing Leadership, Elevate Patient Care

Hanna Baxendale and Wendi Kimbrell will begin coursework in the Doctor of Nursing Practice-Executive Master of Business Administration program offered by the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing and Walton College.

Join the Office for Sustainability on a Final Cruise to Campus

Cruise to Campus Wednesdays have fostered a gathering space for individuals interested in biking to campus. Drop by the Old Main Lawn from 7:30-10 a.m. Wednesday for coffee, something to eat and conversation.

Fay Jones School Student Ambassador Program Gives Voice to Design Students

The student ambassador program at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design is built to connect top design students with their school, its alumni, its future students and others inside and outside the school.

News Daily