UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Engineering Alumni Society (PSEAS) held its annual awards ceremony on June 20 at the State Theatre, building on its 53-year tradition of honoring excellence among engineering faculty, staff and alumni through the PSEAS awards. The award recipients were recognized in the categories of teaching, research, advising and service.
“These awards recognize extraordinary service, leadership and innovation,” said Eric Donnell, senior associate dean for the College of Engineering. “I am grateful for the ways in which these awardees have contributed to the success of the college and lifted up those around them through their collaboration and example. Their professionalism and commitment embody what it means to be a Penn Stater and a Penn State engineer.”
The 2025 PSEAS award winners are listed below.
Dean’s Circle of Excellence Award: recognizes staff members who have a proven track record of performing at the highest levels of administrative excellence.
- Kevin Waltz, assistant financial officer, engineering finance office
Distinguished Service Award: recognizes and honors alumni, friends or current or former faculty who have donated their time, expertise and/or energies to a department within the college.
- Leland Engel, Penn State Mechanical Engineering Society board member and alumnus, bachelor of science in mechanical engineering, 1982
Outstanding Advising Award: recognizes and rewards outstanding advisers of engineering undergraduate and graduate students.
- Elzbieta Sikora, teaching professor and graduate programs coordinator, engineering science and mechanics
- Thomas Skibinski, associate teaching professor, civil and environmental engineering and Larson Transportation Institute
Outstanding Research Award: recognizes and rewards outstanding engineering researchers for accomplishments in advancing the frontiers of knowledge.
- Amrita Basak, Shuman Early Career Professor, mechanical engineering
- Amir Sheikhi, associate professor, chemical engineering, and Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Biomaterials and Regenerative Engineering
- Mehrdad Mahdavi, associate professor, computer science and engineering
- Minghui Zhu, professor, electrical engineering
- Puneet Singla, Harry and Arlene Schell Professor of Engineering, aerospace engineering
Outstanding Staff Award: recognizes outstanding performance of a staff member.
- Jessica Wilson, department head assistant, civil and environmental engineering
- Kelly Kirkner, education program specialist, industrial and manufacturing engineering
- Shelby Barron, undergraduate program assistant, engineering science and mechanics
Outstanding Teaching Award: recognizes and rewards outstanding engineering educators for excellence in teaching and for contributions to the art of teaching.
- Jared Bulter, assistant professor and student engagement coordinator, School of Engineering Design and Innovation, mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering
- Nathan Brown, assistant professor, architectural engineering
- Parisa Shokouhi, professor, engineering science and mechanics, acoustics, civil and environmental engineering and Larson Transportation Institute
Rising Star Award: recognizes an individual who shows great promise in their position and has demonstrated exceptional job performance.
- Tristan Hamlin, graduate program coordinator, industrial and manufacturing engineering
Spirit Award: honors a staff member who displays a positive and enthusiastic attitude and who has promoted a spirit of cooperation and collegiality in their work unit and the college.
- Megan Peters, graduate program coordinator, mechanical engineering
Staff Innovation Award: recognizes a staff member who has used creativity appropriately to develop new and/or improved processes, methods, systems, products or services and encouraged others to do the same.
- J. Mundinger, research technologist and practitioner instructor, architectural engineering
Staff Leadership Award: recognizes a staff member who has shown outstanding levels of leadership and teamwork in the workplace.
- Steven White, lab coordinator, the Learning Factory
Premier Research Award: recognizes and rewards an individual whose contributions to scientific knowledge through research are exemplary and internationally acclaimed.
- Daniel Kifer, professor, computer science and engineering and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
Premier Teaching Award: recognizes and rewards individuals whose contributions to engineering education or the art of teaching are of exceptional quality.
- Reuben Kraft, professor, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, and the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences
World-Class Engineering Faculty Award: recognizes a faculty member who embodies the seven characteristics of the world-class engineer — grounded in fundamentals; broad in understanding other disciplines; globally engaged; ethical; innovative; collaborative; and a leader in their profession — in all of their activities including teaching, research and service.
- Wangda Zuo, associate director for research of the Global Building Network and professor, architectural engineering, mechanical engineering, and the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences
Lawrence J. Perez Memorial Student Advocate Award: recognizes a faculty member who contributes to the welfare of students and enriches the college by their willingness to devote significant time and effort to assist students with academic and/or personal problems.
- Brian Naberezny, assistant teaching professor, civil and environmental engineering
The PSEAS works to promote and improve engineering programs in multiple ways and hosts multiple events, including the College of Engineering Alumni Tailgate, which will be held on Friday, Sept. 12, on the West Campus quad. For more information and to register to attend, visit the event webpage. To get involved with PSEAS, email [email protected].