The WSU College of Engineering and Architecture announced its outstanding faculty, staff and student members at the annual convocation ceremony last week. Award winners include:
* Diane Cook, the Anjan Bose Outstanding Researcher Award. Cook, who joined WSU in 2006, is the Huie-Rogers Chair professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
She is a leading scholar in the areas of artificial intelligence and data mining and conducts research in machine learning, smart environments, robotics and parallel algorithms.
* Andrew O’Fallon, the Reid Miller Outstanding Teaching Faculty Award. O’Fallon, an instructor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science since 2004, brings valuable knowledge to the classroom through his formal education and his professional experience, say his nominators.
He is known for providing a hands-on component in his classroom that lets students tackle real problems. At the end of their courses, students have gained valuable experience as well as a good knowledge of theory.
Staff Excellence Awards:
* Joy Robbins, finance/budget coordinator, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
* Ramen Singh, information systems coordinator, School of Architecture and Construction Management.
* Norm Martel, Employee of the Year Award. Martel runs and maintains the lower half of the CEA shops in the Thermal Fluids Research Building. This area supports heavy fabrication projects, welding, hydraulics, sheet metal and miscellaneous machine work.
He oversees CEA shops student access, maintains and repairs CEA shop vehicles, and solves electrical, vacuum and hydraulic problems in student and research labs. He has instructed and mentored hundreds of students in the proper and safe operation of shop equipment.
* Victor Valgenti, Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award: Valgenti is working towards a Ph.D. in computer science with the objective to advance both research and education in the field of computer security.