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Every year on the first Wednesday of April, UCF honors the outstanding accomplishments and contributions of our people on Founders’ Day, our annual celebration of the employees, faculty, and students who keep reaching for the stars.

The entire UCF community was invited to join us at these special events, held in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union, to recognize fellow Knights for their pursuit of excellence and impact. Below are the award recipients from the College of Engineering and Computer Science:

Faculty Awards

Pegasus Professor
Roger Azevedo, School of Modeling, Simulation and Training
Yan Solihin, Department of Computer Science

Medal of Societal Impact
Mohamed Abdel-Aty, Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering

Reach for the Stars
Leland Nordin, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Yogesh Rawat, Department of Computer Science

Champion of Student Success and Well-Being
Manoj Chopra

Excellence in Advising: University Winner
Chen Chen, Department of Computer Science

Excellence in Mentoring Doctoral Students: University Winner
David Mohaisen, Department of Computer Science

Excellence in Mentoring Post-Doctoral Scholars: University Winner
Ghaith Rabadi, School of Modeling, Simulation and Training

Excellence in Graduate Teaching: College Winner
Tuhin Das, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Excellence in Research: College Winner
Naveen Eluru, Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering

Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching: College Winner
Kelly Kibler, Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering

20 Years of Service
Ni-Bin Chang, Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering
Xun Gong, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Ali Gordon, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Cliff Zou, Department of Computer Science

25 Years of Service
Luis Rabelo, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
Kirk Scammon, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Yongho Sohn, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Raj Vaidynathan, Department of Materials Science and Engineering

30 Years of Service
Mohamed Abdel-Aty, Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering
Tim Kotnour, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems

35 Years of Service
Kien Hua, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Zhihua Qu, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

40 Years of Service
Gene Lee, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems

45 Years of Service
Charles Hughes, Department of Computer Science

Emeritus Professors
Charles Hughes, Department of Computer Science
Gary Leavens, Department of Computer Science

Retired
Kevin Coffey, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Azza Fahim, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Student Awards        

Order of Pegasus
Frances Aguayo, Industrial Engineering
Liana Laura Alvarez Garcia, Industrial Engineering
Julia Going, Environmental Engineering
Aneesha Nayak, Computer Science
Nicole Parker, Electrical Engineering
Justin Phelps, Electrical Engineering
Chloe Pinkston, Aerospace Engineering

College Founders’ Award
Mariana Sorroza Aguilar, Mechanical Engineering

Outstanding Dissertation
Furkan Luleci, Civil Engineering

Outstanding Master’s Thesis
Aaditya Bhatia, Computer Science

Staff Awards

Staff Excellence Award Nominees
Andy Marin
Diana Perez
Christin Saro

Five Years of Service
Ivan Colon-Torre
Cherry Place
Christin Saro
Paul Sepulveda
Tavera Martinez

10 Years of Service
Ashley Duprat
Silpa Limbachia
Jenny Shen
Jillian Stafford

20 Years of Service
Cortright Francis
Heather Houser
Leith Tussing

25 Years of Service
Ravi Melaram

30 Years of Service
Diana Claudio
Charlese Hilton-Brown

35 Years of Service
Don Harper

45 Years of Service
David Douglas

By Marisa Ramiccio