Five faculty receive College of Engineering Awards
Five chemical engineering faculty were recognized by The Ohio State University College of Engineering in the college's annual awards program, which encompasses 16 different faculty awards.
Richard M.. Morrow Professor Bhavik Bakshi received the Clara M. and Peter L. Scott Award for Excellence in Engineering Education. This award, the highest recognition given to a senior faculty member in the College of Engineering. was established in 1987 by Clara M. and Peter L. Scott (B.S. Electrical Engineering '49 DRH '95). The award is designated for a faculty member who has distinguished himself or herself nationally or internationally and is based on excellence in teaching and the qualitative aspects of teaching with emphasis on effective innovation, and for outstanding fundamental or applied research contributions (in scope and/or originality) in one or more areas of endeavor.
Bakshi is an internationally-recognized expert on sustainability engineering. His research focuses on sustainability science and engineering, and process systems engineering.
Professors Jeff Chalmers and Andre Palmer won the Lumley Interdisciplinary Research Award. The purpose of this award is to recognize the interdisciplinary research contributions of faculty and research staff, with awardees being selected on the basis of their interdisciplinary research accomplishments at The Ohio State University during the five-year period from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020.
Led by Jeff Chalmers, who studies the intrinsic magnetization of cells with implications to separation cancer detection, and bioengineering, the "Magnetic Cell Team" had its genesis over 25 years ago with a productive collaboration between Jeff Chalmers and Maciej Zborowski of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Out of this collaboration, clinical applications emerged and this led to medical doctors/researchers joining the team, including Mark Yazer, M.D., Professor of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, and 10 years ago, Maryam Lustberg, M.D. and Associate Professor, Department of Medical Oncology, Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University.
During this time period, Ohio Eminent Scholar Professor Palmer, an expert on human red blood cell physiology and hemoglobin biochemistry, also joined the team.
Within the last five years, both the applications of "magnetic cells" and team members have increased, including Monica Venere, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, College of Medicine/Wexner Medical Center Department of Radiation Oncology, Payal Desai, MD, Associate Professor, Director of the Ohio State Adult Sickle Cell Program, Division of Hematology, the Wexner Medical Center, and two human red cell biologist/sickle cell disease researchers, David Irwin, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Colorado Denver, and Paul Buehler, PharmD, Ph.D. Center for Blood Oxygen Transport and Hemostasis, University of Maryland.
College of Engineering Distinguished Professor and Department Chair Umit Ozkan received the Faculty Mentoring Award. The award recognizes demonstrated excellence in the mentoring of one or more early-career faculty members within the College.
Professor Ozkan is a trail blazer and leader in heterogeneous catalysis and its applications to energy and environmental protection. Faculty cited her success as a researcher, dedication as a teacher and administrator, and warm personal style as factors that make her an outstanding mentor for many of the young faculty in the department. Ozkan also serves as an important role model for women in chemical engineering, having begun her career when there were only a handful of women faculty in chemical engineering nationwide.
Assistant Professor Eduardo Reátegui earned the Lumley Research Award. Awardees are selected on the basis of their research accomplishments and productivity made during the five-year period prior to the nomination (2016-2020, inclusive).
Professor Reátegui bridges engineering disciplines with biology to exploit complex cellular interactions and mechanisms towards the goal of solving unmet needs in life sciences and medicine. The Reátegui research group focuses on the development of translational microtechnologies combining microfluidics, biomaterials, and molecular imaging techniques to help better diagnose, study, and treat cancer and infectious diseases.
All award recipients will be honored at the annual College of Engineering Faculty Awards Banquet.
