2022 College of Engineering Faculty Awards

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING OUTSTANDING TEACHING ASSISTANT

LONGYIN CUI
Department of Computer Science

Longyin Cui has served as a teaching assistant in the Department of Computer Science since 2017. Students of his frequently comment on his ability to effectively teach difficult subject matter in a way that is easy to understand both online and in-person. He also volunteers to teach summer and winter session courses. Mr. Cui is regarded as one of the best and most professional teaching assistants that the Department of Computer Science has ever had.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING OUTSTANDING MASTER’S STUDENT

JOHN SCHMIDT
Department of Mechanical Engineering

John Schmidt’s research in aerospace gas surface interaction has resulted in five AIAA conference articles, one SAE conference article, one published journal paper and one in review. He also gave one of the featured talks at the 2021 International Planetary Probe Workshop. Under his leadership, the University of Kentucky became the first university to successfully re-enter an atmospheric entry capsule, fly a hypersonic vehicle, fly a 3-D printed heat shield. Additionally, Mr. Schmidt tutors math students at West Kentucky Community and Technical College.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING OUTSTANDING PH.D. STUDENT

SHAFIKA MONI
Department of Computer Science

Shafika Moni has made several outstanding contributions to research concerning security and privacy preservation. Specifically, she has developed scalable architecture and efficient protocols for efficient privacy-preserving authenticated message dissemination in vehicular networks. Ms. Moni has published three journal articles and presented her research at two IEEE International conferences. She has given a talk about her research at the Departments of Computer Science at Kent State University and Montclair State University, as well as at the ACM-W Graduate Cohort Workshop.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH AWARD

DIBAKAR “D.B.” BHATTACHARYYA
UK Alumni Professor; Director, University of Kentucky Center of Membrane Sciences
Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering

Dr. Dibakar Bhattacharyya is an internationally recognized expert in nanomaterials, separations, membranes and water filtration. He also serves as the director of the University of Kentucky Center of Membrane Sciences. Dr. Bhattacharyya has led the CMS to receive extensive international recognition. Dr. Bhattacharyya has received continuous research funding for the last 50 years, receiving substantial research funding from federal agencies and industries. He is a Fellow of both the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the North American Membrane Society. Dr. Bhattacharyya has received numerous accolades over his 55-year career, including the Epstein Service Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 2010, the Gerhold Award in 2009, the UOP Honeywell Distinguished Lecturer award in 2017, the 2018 Sturgill Award for Graduate Education and Research, the AIChE Separation Division Founders Award in 2020 and, most recently, the 2021 SEC Faculty Achievement award. Since 2017, Dr. Bhattacharyya has received over $5 million in research funding, graduated six Ph.D. students and published 31 peer-reviewed research publications. In the last two years, he has received two federal grants for the evaluation of functionalized masks and filters to inactivate airborne viral particles, resulting in two new patents. This is Dr. Bhattacharyya’s second time winning this award.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH AWARD

GABE DADI
Associate Professor; W.L. Raymond & R.E. Shaver Chair of Construction Engineering & Management
Department of Civil Engineering

Dr. Gabriel Dadi joined the UK College of Engineering faculty in 2012. His research focuses on construction safety and he is an internationally recognized expert in occupational safety for Departments of Transportation field personnel. He has developed eight unique implementation guidebooks that are in use at the state and national level. Dr. Dadi has been invited to speak at 25 different industry events to present his research. He currently serves as the program manager for the research area of Construction Engineering and Project Management at the Kentucky Transportation Center. In the last five years, he has been involved in $3.71 million of research with $2.33 million under his direct control through a diverse set of funding agencies. During this time, he has published 38 peer-reviewed papers, nine research reports and two book chapters, with three additional book chapters in press. He has graduated one postdoctoral research, five Ph.D. students and five MSCE-thesis students as their major professor. In 2019, Dr. Dadi’s safety research was highlighted as a “Sweet 16” High Value Research Project by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. In 2021, the Federal Highway Administration appointed him an international subject matter expert for electronic tracking of bulk construction materials. There are only two U.S. faculty members with that designation.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH AWARD

MARTHA GRADY
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Martha Grady’s research focuses on thin film adhesion with biofilm-forming bacteria. Her work has advanced the field in understanding the strength needed to remove biofilms, measuring the forces required and understanding the factors that influence adhesion strength. In the six years that she has been a faculty member, she has received a total funding of $2.7 million for her lab. Dr. Grady is a co-PI on a National Institutes of Health COBRE grant with the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences with over $1.4 million of support to her laboratory. She is also the PI on a $290,000 National Institutes of Health grant where she leads a team that includes faculty from molecular and cellular biochemistry and oral medicine. Dr. Grady was awarded the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2021 to extend her experimental capabilities for studying biofilm mechanical properties on implant surfaces to reduce the occurrence of infection. She has expanded UK’s centralized capabilities by leading a successful proposal as PI for an inverted confocal microscope with combined atomic force microscopy that has been integrated within the Light Microscopy Core facilities. Dr. Grady currently advises three Ph.D. students and has graduated one Ph.D. and two M.S. students.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE AWARD

LINDELL ORMSBEE
Raymond-Blythe Professor; Director, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute
Department of Civil Engineering

Dr. Lindell Ormsbee has devoted his career to helping both the university and the state of Kentucky. He has worked to increase the university’s infrastructure in support of water resources, the environment and sustainability. His work has led to the creation of the Kentucky River Watershed Management Program, the Tracy Farmer Center for the Environment, the Kentucky Research Consortium for Energy and Environment, and the Kentucky Center for Excellence for Watershed Management. In addition to serving as the associate director of the University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center until 2020, Dr. Ormsbee created the College of Engineering Environmental Certificate Program and served as advisor to six student organizations. Over the last 25 years, he has worked to make the Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute one of the best institutes in the nation. The U.S. Geological Survey recently ranked the KWRRI as on of only 12 institutes out of 54 to be designated as outstanding. In his career, he has served as a member or chair of 19 university, two college and seven department-level committees, boards, panels and task forces. Dr. Ormsbee has also served as editor or reviewer for 13 journals, foundations and institutes, as well as four federal committees.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE AWARD

SCOTT YOST
Associate Professor; Director of Undergraduate Studies
Department of Civil Engineering

Dr. Scott Yost has steadfastly dedicated himself to serving his engineering department, the College of Engineering, the University of Kentucky, his community and his profession. He is consistently there for students, in celebration and in hardship. In the Department of Civil Engineering, he has served as the Director of Undergraduate Studies since July 2009. Dr. Yost is an ABET international program evaluator and has assisted in the last three college reviews. He also coordinates and gathers volunteers for the biannual Order of the Engineer ceremony event. He serves on the College Recruitment Committee and attends and coordinates many recruitment events. Recognizing the importance of stepping up and speaking up on challenging matters, Dr. Yost is a long-serving member of the UK Faculty Senate. He is a member and former chair of the Senate Admissions and Academic Standards Committee. He also keeps UK College of Engineering faculty well-informed on Senate and administrative actions, enabling everyone to enjoy the benefits of shared governance. Throughout the university, Dr. Yost’s advice is sought out by other department directors of undergraduate studies and College Academic Affairs staff. For the state of Kentucky, Dr. Yost helps coordinate and present the Appalachian Community Technical Assistance and Training partnership.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING HENRY MASON LUTES AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION

CHRISTINE GOBLE
Senior Lecturer; Lewis Honors Faculty
Department of Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Christine Goble has been a leader in developing online courses and helping other faculty adapt to online modalities. She is a well-known resource for faculty to learn best practices for integrating their class into Canvas, combining synchronous and asynchronous course elements to improve student learning, and for developing online courses that go well beyond simple online delivery. Because of her devotion to mastering online instruction, Dr. Goble has worked with Wiley Publishing to develop over 25 video tutorials and other online teaching materials used at other universities. She has been recognized by students and faculty through eight teaching awards, including the Provost’s Outstanding Teaching Award in 2018. She has received four of the student-elected Mechanical Engineering department teaching awards, which can only be won once every three years. Students remark on Dr. Goble’s ability to make them feel respected and cared for in their classes with her. Alumni frequently reach out years after graduating to comment on Dr. Goble’s influence in their careers as engineers. In addition to her teaching, Dr. Goble chairs the Department of Mechanical Engineering Distance Learning committee, which has worked to develop online summer courses in key areas where pre- requisites can lead to delays in student progress. Dr. Goble is also the adviser for student organization Phi Sigma Rho.