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NEWS
| april 13, 2004
Faculty
Scholarly professors to be recognized
Three engineering professors are
among 10 to be inducted into a distinguished academy.
By Tameeka
Vation
Contributor to The Shorthorn
Three engineering professors will be among the first to be inducted
into the university’s Academy of Distinguished Scholars during
a ceremony April 20.
Professors Abdolhossein Haji-Sheikh, Frank L. Lewis and Diane Cook
are among 10 faculty members being honored. Provost Dana Dunn said
the other seven faculty have not yet been notified of their induction.
According to an April 6 press release, these inductees exemplify
the university’s commitment to research and creativity.
Dr. Haji-Sheikh has received the American Society of Mechanical
Engineering Journal of Heat Transfer’s Exemplary Service Award.
He is also associate technical editor for the journal. The mechanical
engineering professor is originally from Dizful, Iran and has been
at UTA since 1966.
He said what he likes most about his job is working with young people
on research and projects.
“I have always been fascinated by finding something new, but
it’s more challenging as you get older,” he said.
Haji-Sheikh said he is honored to be a charter member of the academy
and that the award is a pleasant surprise.
Dr. Lewis began his career at UTA in 1990. Lewis is a professor
of electrical engineering and is also a consulting professor for
South China University. He recently returned to the university after
spending a month in Hong Kong on a research assignment.
Lewis said he usually works with graduate students on campus.
“A lot of my success is because those guys are so wonderful,”
he said.
He said he is excited that UTA has created the academy and that
he was chosen as one of the first inductees.
“That was a real unexpected honor,” he said.
Dr. Cook is a professor of computer science and engineering and
has been on campus since 1992. Cook is the recipient of the 2002
UTA Outstanding Research Achievement Award and the Computer Science
and Engineering Outstanding Teacher Award.
She is currently working on research projects including “WISE:
A Wireless Intelligent Simulation Environment.”
Dunn said the honorees were chosen based on résumés,
deans’ nominations and previous awards received by faculty
members.
“Choosing only 10 was a very difficult decision,” Dr.
Dunn said. “All [candidates] are outstanding.”
President James Spaniolo along with Dunn and Ronald Elsenbaumer,
vice president for research, created the Academy of Distinguished
Scholars in February, according to engineering publications representative
Roger Tuttle.
Tuttle said the academy was modeled after the Academy of Distinguished
Teachers, which was created in 1996 to reward professors for outstanding
teaching and student awareness.
“[The academy] has been on our minds for a long time,”
Dunn said. “It was only appropriate to do something for our
research faculty.”
The charter group of scholars will receive a permanent salary increase
of $2,500 and a special medallion presented during the induction
ceremony, Dunn said. She also said that they will be responsible
for developing guidelines and procedures for the election of future
members.
CORRECTION
In this story a statement misquoted Dana Dunn,
provost and vice president for academic affairs. The article should
have said that Dr. Dunn said inductees of the university’s
Academy of Distinguished Scholars Award were contacted by letter.
Dunn said she will publicly announce the recipients at the faculty
awards ceremony April 20.
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