Although UCF had to cancel its annual Founder’s Day Honors Convocation, it still recognized the outstanding academic achievements of students and faculty through the Excellence Awards and the student awards. This year’s winners from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering are:
• Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching for CECS — Lecturer Sudeshna Pal
• Excellence in Research for CECS — Assistant Professor Kareem Ahmed
• Reach for the Stars Award — Assistant Professor Kareem Ahmed
• Honors in the Major — Daniel Rosato, Aerospace Engineering
Faculty were also recognized for their years of service to the university. The MAE faculty who were recognized include:
• 20 Years of Service — Professor Suryanarayana Challapalli and Professor Quanfang Chen
• 30 Years of Service — Professor Kuo-Chi Lin
Lin, who retired in December 2019, was recognized as a recent retiree and has also been granted the title of associate professor emeritus.
About Founder's Day
The annual Founder’s Day Honors Convocation recognizes faculty members for outstanding teaching, advising, mentoring, research, professional service, librarianship and instruction. This includes recognition of UCF Reach for the Stars Award recipients for their highly successful early-career research and creative activity, and Pegasus Professor Award recipients for receiving UCF’s highest honor of excellence.
Faculty who have completed 20, 30, and 40 years of service are recognized for their dedication. Also, faculty members who have served on the Faculty Senate for at least 10 years are honored as well as those awarded the distinction of emeritus or emerita.
In addition, UCF celebrates and recognizes a selection of undergraduate students who have demonstrated exceptional ability in their area of study along with remarkable graduate students who have written outstanding theses and dissertations.
- Written by Marisa Ramiccio