May 8, 2012
Baltimore - Several organizations have announced awards for ABET volunteers to recognize leadership and service to the technical professions, to higher education in the technical fields, or to specific institutions in recent weeks.
ABET President-Elect Karan Watson, Ph.D., P.E., was one of five alumni that the Texas Tech University Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering honored with the 2012 Distinguished Engineer Award. Award recipients must be distinguished in their profession, be an inspiration to their peers, and have demonstrated a continuing interest in areas outside the field of engineering. Currently, Watson is Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Texas A&M University.
Also, the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) has announced the recipients of its annual awards. The following ABET volunteers are among those recognized:
- Kenneth Rennels, P.E., Representative Director from SAE International on the ABET Board of Directors, will receive the Frederick J. Berger Award. The honor recognizes Rennels for significant impact on an engineering technology school or program. Rennels was instrumental in developing the online master's degree in technology in the facility management program at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis.
- ABET Program Evaluator Mohammad Noori, Ph.D., will receive the Isadore T. Davis Award for Excellence in Collaboration of Engineering Education and Industry. A professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at California Polytechnic State University, Noori has collaborated with industry in developing innovative curricula and promoting industry-university collaborations on a national level.
- Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) Member Bopaya Bidanda, Ph.D., will receive the John L. Imhoff Global Excellence Award for Industrial Engineering Education. As the Ernest Roth Professor and Chair in the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, Bidanda has implemented a doctorate program for teaching faculty in South America, initiated the engineering/business program of the Semester at Sea, and made his IE program the first in the United States to mandate that all graduates complete an international experience as part of their academic requirements.
- Former Technology Accreditation Commission (TAC) Vice-Chair Ashok K. Agrawal, P.E., will receive the James H. McGraw Award to recognize his outstanding service in engineering technology education. Among his achievements are establishing the Emerson Center for Engineering and Manufacturing and, as a Program Officer of the National Science Foundation, expanding the Advanced Technological Education program. Agrawal is Vice President for Academic Affairs at St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley.
- Col. Bobby Grant Crawford, P.E., Associate Professor and Director of the Mechanical Engineering Program at the U.S. Military Academy and an ABET Program Evaluator, will receive the National Outstanding Teaching Award.
In addition, six ABET volunteers will be inducted as ASEE Fellows. The fellow grade of membership recognizes active ASEE members of at least 10 years who have made outstanding contributions to engineering or engineering technology education.
- ABET Program Evaluator Jane M. Fraser, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of the Engineering Department, Colorado State University-Pueblo
- ABET Program Evaluator Jeffrey E. Froyd, Ph.D., TEES Research Professor at the Texas A&M Experiment Station, Texas A&M University
- TAC Member Thomas M. Hall, Jr., Ed.D., Professor Emeritus in the Engineering Technology Department, Northwestern State University in Louisiana
- ABET Program Evaluator Robert J. Herrick, Robert A. Hoffer Distinguished Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology Department, Purdue University
- ABET Program Evaluator Matthew W. Ohland, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Engineering Education Department, Purdue University
- EAC Member Diane T. Rover, Ph.D., Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Iowa State University
Also, Ohland will share the William Elgin Wickenden Award with six individuals in recognition of their article "Race, Gender, and Measures of Success in Engineering Education," published in the April 2011 issue of the Journal of Engineering Education.
"It is no accident these individuals are being recognized for service to their professions and to higher education," ABET Executive Director Michael K.J. Milligan, Ph.D., P.E., said. "We have been privileged to benefit from their leadership at ABET and join in congratulating each of them for these well-deserved honors."
The ASEE awards ceremony will occur during the group's Annual Conference & Exposition, June 10-13 in San Antonio.
About ABET
ABET, the recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology, is a federation of 31 professional and technical societies representing these fields. Among the most respected accreditation organizations in the U.S., ABET has provided leadership and quality assurance in higher education for more than 75 years.
ABET currently accredits over 3,100 programs at more than 600 colleges and universities worldwide. More than 2,000 dedicated volunteers participate annually in ABET activities. ABET also provides leadership internationally through workshops, memoranda of understanding, and mutual recognition agreements, such as the Washington Accord. ABET is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.