Professor Norman Wereley in the Department of Aerospace Engineering is the recipient of the 2010 Faculty Service Award. He is director of the Aerospace Undergraduate Honors Program and associate chair of the department in addition to leading the Composites Research Laboratory. He puts tremendous effort into reviewing the work of the department's honors students and securing spots for them at annual conferences. This effort has paid off – in the past three years, students under his mentorship have won 37 awards including 13 first-place prizes at various conferences. In 2009, his advisees won first place at every conference they attended. He also mentors junior faculty and high school students. Wereley serves as faculty advisor for the student chapters of the American Helicopter Society and Society for Advancement of Materials Processes and Engineering. In addition, he is the aerospace engineering department's facilities coordinator and chairs numerous tenure and promotion committees. He is the principle investigator for several large research grants and serves as an editor or conference organizer for several societies. He is described as one of the department's most productive and prolific scholars.

Ms. Sharon Hodgson, director of administrative services in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering, is the recipient of the Clarl School's Dr. Marilyn Berman Pollans 2010 Outstanding Service Award for Staff. As director of administrative services, Ms. Hodgson ensures that all fiscal, staff, facilities, alumni, communications and development activities in her department run smoothly. She is noted for being able to juggle all of these duties, in addition to a constant stream of conflicting and compelling deadlines, with graciousness and kindness. Staff members point to the times she calls sick staff members at home to make sure they are okay. Students laud her for getting to know them individually and responding quickly to their questions and concerns. Faculty note her willingness to help them meet crucial deadlines for grants and other programs. Ms. Hodgson is described as selfless with her time and is known for disappearing behind stacks of paperwork until the job is done or her department chair intervenes.

Michael Pecht

Professor Michael Pecht, mechanical engineering, is the recipient of the 2009 Clark School Faculty Outstanding Research Award.

Dr. Pecht is recognized for his pioneering work in the prediction of the health and reliability of electronic systems.

Allen Davis

Professor Allen Davis, civil and environmental engineering, is the recipient of the 2010 Clark School Faculty Outstanding Research Award. Dr. Davis is recognized for his work on bioretention. He did the first fundamental research on nature-based bioretention in the late 1990s and has become the international expert on bioretention and related natural stormwater management technologies.

M. Sherif Aggour, P.E., Clark School professor of civil and environmental engineering and fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, was selected in recognition of both his long dedication to teaching and advising Clark School students and his exceptional commitment to educational outreach. He has won four major departmental and university teaching awards in the last 11 years. At the same time he has developed and implemented an innovative program for training high and middle school math and science teachers to present engineering concepts to their students, and he has taught the professional engineering review course for practicing engineers.

Mikhail Anisimov, Clark School professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is the recipient of this year’s Poole & Kent Outstanding Teaching Award for Senior Faculty. Anisimov was selected for his passion and enthusiasm in the classroom and his commitment and dedication to teaching. He is an expert in the area of thermodynamics, pioneering research in the mesoscopic and nanoscale fields of this discipline and developing popular courses in these areas. Colleagues in chemical and biomolecular engineering remark that he has mastered the art of transforming new engineering students into successful learners. He has achieved high student evaluation scores in all of the classes he teaches, from the freshman introductory engineering course to his graduate-level electives. He is also well known for his helpfulness, serving as a “pinch-hitter” on occasions when a class needs a teacher.

Sandra Greer, Clark School professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering with a joint appointment in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is the recipient of this year's Poole & Kent Outstanding Teaching Award for Senior Faculty. Greer was selected because of her advocacy for, and teaching of, research ethics and professional ethics; for her teaching of chemistry to engineers; for her mentoring of undergraduates in research; and for her commitment to improving the climate for female students. Greer practically invented the first ethics course on the campus—a course that has been regularly taught ever since and always has a waiting list. She has been a frequent guest lecturer on the same topic in other courses. In addition, Greer has taught a large, entry-level chemistry class each fall, and constantly involves undergraduates in her research group. Greer also has played a major role in attracting and retaining female students, starting twenty years ago in her work for the President's Committee on Undergraduate Women's Education—work that has an influence on the campus to this day. Students have noted Greer's drive and enthusiasm in her teaching. Alumni have written to thank her for her ethics course, as they take what they have learned into the field.

Peter Sandborn has developed two courses—an undergraduate elective on electronic system design and a University Honors course titled "Selling Technology – The Success and Failure of Technological Things." Colleagues note his success in pioneering professional short courses on the topic of technology obsolescence. He is also singled out for his contributions to a departmental capstone course and for serving as an advisor to QUEST project teams. In addition, he mentored a national prize-winning student science project at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Md. Colleagues note the energy he brings to teaching and his ability to "revolutionize" a curriculum. Clark School students point to his patience and availability to help them understand difficult concepts. Students from the corporate world applauded his expertise and willingness to tailor short courses to their needs. Prof. Kenneth Kiger also was a recipient of the 2009 Poole and Kent Teaching Award for Senior Faculty.

One colleague says Kenneth Kiger's most important attribute is his contagious enthusiasm for the subject matter he teaches, earning him the nickname, "Kiger the Tiger." Kiger is a Keystone Professor, teaching ENES100—one of the first engineering courses all Clark School students must take. One colleague notes that Kiger was instrumental in developing the hovercraft competition that is now the highlight of that course. He also helped to revamp two other courses many engineering students encounter later in their academic careers. Kiger has served on the mechanical engineering undergraduate curriculum committee, on a committee to incorporate mathematics instruction into engineering courses and the Clark School Strategic Planning Subcommittee for Undergraduate Education. Outside of the classroom, Kiger has become a project advisor for an Engineers Without Borders group travelling to Ecuador. Prof. Peter Sandborn also was a recipient of the 2009 Poole and Kent Teaching Award for Senior Faculty.

Al Santos works in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department as the Assistant Director of Student Services. He started in the department as an Office Assistant in 1996 shortly after graduating from the University of Maryland. Al's job duties include the day-to-day coordination of the department's Graduate Admissions program and assistance with student recruitment, both undergraduate and graduate. He has also served as "Sherpa" and backcountry guide during the department's Snow Hydrology and Avalanche course in Colorado. And from time to time, he can also be seen painting and prepping offices for incoming faculty members. In addition, Al serves on the President's Committee on Ethnic Minority Issues and The Banneker/Key Scholarship Selection Committee.