OCEC Awards Faculty, Students, Projects
March 19, 2018 - The Orange County Engineering Council recognized several UC Irvine professors, students and projects for excellence during its National Engineers Week Awards Banquet, held last month in Santa Ana, Calif.
OCEC, established in 1973, seeks to enhance the public image of engineers and scientists and promote the interaction of professional societies and engineering/scientific corporations in the county.
The President’s Award, the organization’s most prestigious, went to Ayman S. Mosallam, Samueli School professor of civil and environmental engineering, and materials and manufacturing engineering technology. This honor, conferred by the current OCEC president, is awarded for special abilities, service to the engineering profession, contributions to society and other extraordinary qualities. Mosallam's research focuses on structural and earthquake engineering with a specialization in advanced composites and hybrid systems for infrastructure applications. In addition, he has been involved in several major research projects dealing with the development and verification of innovative seismic repair and rehabilitation systems for reinforced concrete, masonry, wood and steel structures.
Mosallam expressed appreciation at being honored for his accomplishments in teaching, research and support for undergraduate and graduate students. “This is only more proof of UCI’s leadership in engineering,” he added.
Kuo-lin Hsu, professor of civil and environmental engineering won the Distinguished Educator Award, which recognizes significant commitment to professional engineering/scientific activities beyond the normal scope of the teaching profession, including involvement with students’ extracurricular activities and/or scientific achievements in industry.
“I would like to thank Orange County Engineering Council for this honor,” Hsu said, adding, “My best reward is to see my students enjoy their learning experience and advance to achieve their goals.”
Other UCI affiliates awarded at the ceremony include:
Outstanding Engineering Student Award: Negin Hayatbini and Mohammad Faridzad
Hayatbini is working toward her doctorate in remote sensing applications in hydrology and water resources, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in hydrometeorological forecasting. Faridzad, also a doctoral candidate, studies extreme rainfall characteristics for flood frequency analysis using precipitation datasets at UCI’s Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing.
Outstanding Young Engineer Award: UCI alumnae Elizabeth Ruedas ‘14
A project engineer at CNC Engineering, Ruedas has assisted in the design and review of a number of improvement projects within Southern California.
Outstanding Student Project Award: The Oak View Advanced Energy Community in Huntington Beach, Calif.
A partnership between UCI’s Advanced Power and Energy Program and Southern California Edison, the Advanced Energy Community is a replicable energy model that optimizes solar, wind and renewable natural gas in an underserved neighborhood.
Project Achievement Award: Production of High Purity Radioactive Ingredients for Nuclear Medicine
Led by chemical engineering doctoral student Leila Safavi, who serves as CEO of startup company Purist, the project develops and distributes radioactive supplies used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Project Achievement Award: Closed Loop Plastics
A plastic recycling process for consumer 3-D printing, the company was started by UCI engineering students as an undergraduate design project. Current and former students involved in the startup include Will Amos, environmental engineering; Aldrin Lupisan, environmental engineering; Sharon To, computer engineering; and Tucker Moody, art.
Outstanding Service Award: UC Irvine Sustainability Program
Wendell C. Brase, Associate Chancellor for Sustainability
Project Achievement Award: UCI Medical Science C retrofit
Wendell C. Brase, Associate Chancellor for Sustainability
- Anna Lynn Spitzer
