17 SEAS faculty and staff recognized at UB's Celebration of Excellence

The event recognizes individuals whose long-term contributions have made a significant impact on the people and communities around them, whether through groundbreaking research or in ensuring the smooth operation of a department or office.

The occasion also provided an opportunity for UB to “celebrate who we are as a university,” Interim Provost A. Scott Weber told those attending the event in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall, North Campus.

“As a public research university, we are committed to delivering research and creative activity, education and engagement that addresses the world’s great challenges and positively impacts our local community,” Weber said.

“We are dedicated to bringing new knowledge, changing perspectives, developing new technologies, improving people’s lives and preparing our students to become tomorrow’s leaders.”

President Satish K. Tripathi, in welcoming remarks, called the celebration “a great UB tradition,” and congratulated the honorees, telling them that by excelling in their pursuit of excellence, they have “inspired our entire university community.”

“You are making a difference here at UB and in the communities we serve,” he said.

Tripathi noted that the honorees carry out their missions everyday by thinking critically and working collaboratively in classrooms, libraries, labs, studios, offices and beyond. “Their dedication benefits every aspect of our university,” he said.

“Your achievements and discoveries,” he told honorees, “are an inspiration to your colleagues,” and are “helping advance our mission as a public research university: namely, to serve the public good through our ideas, discoveries and innovations.

“By making your mark in your respective fields, you are helping UB make a profound impact on our world.”

Joining the ranks of SUNY Distinguished Professor, the highest rank in the SUNY system, is:

• Michel Bruneau, Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering

The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities recognizes outstanding academic and creative achievements across a broad spectrum of scholarly and artistic fields.

• Qiaoqiang Gan, Department of Electrical Engineering
• Shambhu Upadhyaya, Department of Computer Science and Engineering

The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes outstanding teaching ability through superb classroom performance.

• Bina Ramamurthy, Department of Computer Science and Engineering

The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service honors members of the professional staff whose extraordinary service has significantly enriched the university.

• Kerry Collins-Gross, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
• Christopher S. Connor, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
• Kimberly Kriz, Department of Electrical Engineering

The Chancellor’s Award for Classified Service honors employees in the classified services who have demonstrated exceptional achievement and superior performance of duties.

• Lori DuVall-Jackson, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

The Exceptional Scholar Award for Sustained Achievement honors outstanding professional achievement that has been focused on a particular body of work over a number of years. It recognizes an unprecedented accomplishment in a senior scholar’s career, distinguishing a body of work of enduring importance that has gone beyond the norm in a particular field of study.

• Paul E. DesJardin, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Josep M. Jornet, Department of Electrical Engineering
• Jun Zhuang, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering

The Exceptional Scholar Award for Young Investigators celebrates a recent superior achievement of a scholar in his/her field of study. Such an achievement will have distinguished the recipient as an up-and-coming scholar, as well as earned the individual acclaim for his/her work, which could be a published work or other scholastic or artistic endeavor.

• James Chen, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Shi Li, Department of Computer Science and Engineering

The UB President Emeritus and Mrs. Meyerson Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching and Mentoring, formerly the UB Faculty Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity, recognizes the outstanding faculty mentorship that currently exists at UB and seeks to encourage further faculty commitment to and participation in the undergraduate research and creative experience.

• Kwang W. Oh, Department of Electrical Engineering

The UB Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring Award recognizes exceptional excellence in faculty mentoring of graduate students at UB.

• Stelios Andreadis, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

The Distinguished Postdoc Mentor Award is awarded on an annual basis to faculty members who excel in the mentoring of postdoctoral scholars.

• David A. Kofke, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

The UB Teaching Innovation Award recognizes faculty members who have contributed significantly to engaging students with new methods and approaches to teaching that have enhanced student-learning outcomes.

• Jason N. Armstrong, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering