Faculty Excellence Awards
CHARLES B. MURPHY OUTSTANDING UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING AWARD
Jeffrey Rhoads
Jeff Rhoads is a professor of Mechanical Engineering, focusing on dynamics and electromechanical systems. As director of Herrick Labs, he oversees world class research in compressors, acoustics and vibration, high-performance buildings, and diesel engines. He also has pioneered unique educational initiatives, such as his Roller Coaster Dynamics class; and Freeform, a project to fundamentally reform how mechanical engineering is taught.
DEAN A.A. POTTER UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING AWARD
Carl Wassgren
Carl Wassgren is a professor of Mechanical Engineering, with a courtesy appointment in Industrial and Physical Pharmacy. His focus is particulate systems -- powders, particles, and compacts, found in the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and agricultural industries. He also teaches fluid mechanics, and often involves undergraduates in his research.
GRADUATE STUDENT MENTORSHIP AWARD
Arezoo Ardekani
Arezoo Ardekani is an associate professor of mechanical engineering, researching complex fluid mechanics at the microscale. She was nominated by her grad student Adib Ahmadzadegan, who worked with her to discover why microbes are drawn to oil spills like Deepwater Horizon when surfactant is applied.
Arezoo was also due to receive the Mid-Career Research Award from Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society.
ONLINE EDUCATION AWARD
James D. Jones
Jim Jones is Associate Head for Undergraduate Studies, and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering. For 30 years, he has guided undergraduate education at Purdue ME, with a distinct focus on increasing under-represented minorities in the school. As students transition from First-Year Engineering to Mechanical Engineering, Jim shares his Pyramid of Success to empower them through their academic career.
EARLY CAREER RESEARCH AWARD
Chi Hwan Lee
Chi Hwan Lee is Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering. He is a prolific designer of wearable biomedical devices, including a wearable patch to assist swallowing disorders, a smart contact lens with built-in sensors, and an electronic glove that adds sensing capabilities to prosthetic hands.
EARLY CAREER RESEARCH AWARD
Partha Mukherjee
Partha Mukherjee is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, focusing on energy storage and conversion. He has published numerous papers on lithium-ion batteries at the micro- and nano- level.
IMPACT ON INDUSTRY AWARD
Farshid Sadeghi
Farshid Sadeghi is the Cummins Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and has served at Purdue since 1986. He leads one of the most prominent tribology labs in the world, focusing on lubrication, friction and wear of rolling and sliding surfaces, rolling contact fatigue, and other surface science. His commercialization work also led him to be added to the Innovators Hall of Fame by Purdue's Office of Technology Commercialization.