Robert Barnes, associate professor of civil engineering, won the 2016 National Arthur N.L. Chiu Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award from the Chi Epsilon National Civil Engineering Honor Society.

Bryan Beckingham, assistant professor of chemical engineering, Jeffrey LaMondia, associate professor of civil engineering, and Jin Wang, Walt and Virginia Woltosz professor of chemical engineering, were three of only 48 faculty in the nation selected to participate in the prestigious Frontiers of Engineering Education symposium sponsored by the National Academy of Engineering.

Prabhakar Clement, Harold Vince Groome Jr. professor of civil engineering, won the 2016 John Hem Award for Excellence in Science and Engineering from the National Ground Water Association. The award is given for significant scientific or engineering contributions to the understanding of groundwater.

Robert Dean, McWane associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, was awarded funding from Auburn University’s LAUNCH Innovation Grants Program to commercialize moisture sensors developed for agricultural purposes.

Butch Foster, professor emeritus of aerospace engineering, won the prestigious Hermann Oberth Award. This highly competitive recognition is reserved for an individual who has contributed outstanding achievements in the field of astronautics while promoting the advancement of aeronautical sciences.

Michael Hamilton, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, has been named director of the Alabama Micro/Nano Science and Technology Center at Auburn University.

Gregory Harris, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering, has been named director of the Southern Alliance for Advanced Vehicle Manufacturing at Auburn University.

Joel Hayworth, associate professor of civil engineering, has been appointed to the Solid Waste Management task force by Gov. Robert Bentley.

Wei-Shinn (Jeff) Ku, associate professor of computer science and software engineering, was awarded two National Science Foundation grants to study cloud computing and geospatial location research. Co-principal investigators on the $640,440 cloud computing grant study include Shiwen Mao, Samuel Ginn professor of electrical and computer engineering; Anthony (Tony) Skjellum, Charles D. McCrary eminent scholar of computer science and software engineering and director of the Charles D. McCrary Institute and the Auburn Cyber Research Center; and Ming-Kuo Lee, Robert B. Cook professor of geosciences. Co-principal investigator on the $499,995 geospatial location grant study is Xiao Qin, professor of computer science and software engineering.

Pradeep Lall, John and Anne MacFarlane professor of mechanical engineering, received the 2016 Alexander Schwarzkopf Prize for Technological Innovation from the National Science Foundation’s Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers program. The award honored his work as director of Auburn University’s Center for Advanced Vehicle and Extreme Environment Electronics.

Daniela Marghitu, professor of computer science and software engineering, participated in the White House Summit on Computer Science for All, an initiative by President Barack Obama to increase access to computer science education. Marghitu was invited by Ruthe Farmer, White House senior policy advisor for tech inclusion.

Alice Smith, Joe W. Forehand/Accenture distinguished professor of industrial and systems engineering, won the 2016 Wellington Award from the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers for her outstanding contributions to the field of engineering economy.

Bruce Tatarchuk, Charles E. Gavin III professor of chemical engineering, has been given the Advancement of Research and Scholarship Achievement Award by the Auburn University Research Advisory Board. The award recognizes high quality, competitive research and scholarly activity that exemplifies and advances Auburn’s research and scholarship mission.

Rod Turochy, associate professor of civil engineering and director of the Alabama Technology Transfer Center at Auburn University, received the 2016 Innovation in Education award from the Institute of Transportation Engineering’s Transportation Education Council. This national award recognizes the efforts of faculty members who improve the quality of transportation engineering education.

Wesley Zech, Brasfield & Gorrie professor of construction engineering and management, won the 2016 James M. Robbins Excellence in Teaching Award from the Chi Epsilon National Civil Engineering Honor Society.

Eldon Triggs, lecturer in aerospace engineering, received the Konrad Dannenberg Educator of the Year award. This honor is extended to an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics member who has demonstrated exceptional service to education and the promotion of math and science within the local community.

Appointments

William Ashurst has been named the Uthlaut Family associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering.

James Davidson has been selected as the Gottlieb professor in the Department of Civil Engineering.

Virginia Davis has been selected as an alumni professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering.

Xing Fang has been named the Feagin Chair in the Department of Civil Engineering.

Elizabeth Lipke has been named the Sanders associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering.

Andrzej Nowak has been named the Huff Eminent Chair and professor in the Department of Civil Engineering.

Anton Schindler has been named the Mountain Spirit Foundation professor and director in the Department of Civil Engineering.

Jin Wang has been selected as the Walt and Virginia Woltosz professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering.