Annual Spring Awards Celebration

Ohio University Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ College of Engineering and Technology Annual Spring Awards Celebration

Friday, April 18, 2025
Ohio University | Nelson Commons

6-6:30 p.m. Cocktails

6:30-7:15 p.m. Buffet Dinner

7:15-8:30 p.m. Awards Program

Welcome and Introductions

Dr. Patrick Fox
Dean, Russ College of Engineering and Technology

Outstanding Employee Awards

This is the 23rd awarding of the Russ College’s Outstanding Administrative, Technical and Classified Employee Awards. The awards recognize employees who are nominated by Russ College colleagues for outstanding, results-based performance.

• Classified: Valerie Pettit
• Technical: Kody Wolfe
• Administrative: Paula Linscott

Faculty Awards

Marvin E. and Ann D. White Awards

• Departmental Research Awards
  ChBE: John Staser
  Civil: Issam Khoury
  EE & Computer Science: Jundong Liu
  ETM: Mustafa Shraim
  ISE: Felipe Aros-Vera
  ME: Jay Wilhelm
• Departmental Teaching Awards
  Aviation: George Armann
  ChBE: Darin Ridgway
  Civil: Deb McAvoy
  EE & Computer Science: Dan Allwine
  ETM: Daniel Sheets
  ISE: Zhaohui Geng
  ME: Brian Wisner

Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Awards

• Russ Outstanding Research Paper Award: Kenneth Walsh
• Russ Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award: Daniel Che
• Russ Outstanding Undergraduate Instructional Faculty Teaching Award: Sam Malakoutikhah

Russ College Distinguished Graduate

Debbie Burke: Debbie Burke, a 1985 alumnus of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has served on the Russ College Board of Visitors for more than 20 years, where she previously served as chair. As a student, Debbie was actively engaged in the Society of Women Engineers and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. After graduation, Debbie was the first woman promoted to engineering manager for NiSource/Columbia Gas of Ohio and Columbia Gas of Kentucky. She has also agreed to serve as the inaugural President of the new Russ College Alumni Society.

About the Awards

Outstanding Employee Awards

This is the 22nd awarding of the Russ College’s Outstanding Administrative, Technical and Classified Employee Awards. The awards recognize employees who are nominated by Russ College colleagues for outstanding, results-based performance.

Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Awards

In 1981, Fritz Russ, BSEE ’42, HON ’75, and his wife, Dolores, generously established an endowment that has since then supported two awards, for research and teaching, to be presented annually by the Russ College of Engineering and Technology. Since that time, a new instructional faculty award has been created as well.

Russ Outstanding Research Paper Award

The Russ Outstanding Research Paper Award recognizes excellence in research and scholarship exhibited by the faculty of Russ College. Papers published in refereed journals are submitted for review. An ad hoc committee consisting of previous award recipients reviews and ranks the papers. In the case of co-authors, only Russ College faculty and staff authors are listed.

Russ Outstanding Undergraduate Tenure-Track Faculty Teaching Award

The Russ Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award recognizes the efforts of the faculty to provide Russ College students with out standing teaching and advising. Nominees are selected based on student teaching evaluations, and the recipient of the award is selected by members of the Engineering Ambassadors based on interviews.

Russ Outstanding Undergraduate Instructional Faculty Teaching Award

The Instructional Faculty Russ Teaching Award recognizes a faculty member whose position is to teach up to four courses per semester, as well as to advise student groups. These positions differ from the tenured/tenure-track faculty role, and therefore should be recognized separately for their service to teaching and student group advising.