The MIT School of Engineering recently honored outstanding faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students with its 2021 awards.
The Bose Award for Excellence in Teaching, given to a faculty member whose contributions have been characterized by dedication, care, and creativity, was presented to Elsa Olivetti, the Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Associate Professor in Materials Science and Engineering.
The Junior Bose Award, for an outstanding contributor to education from among the junior faculty of the School of Engineering, went to Ellen Roche, the W.M. Keck Career Development Professor in Biomedical Engineering.
Ruth and Joel Spira Awards for Excellence in Teaching are awarded annually to one faculty member each in three departments — Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Nuclear Science and Engineering — to acknowledge “the tradition of high-quality engineering education at MIT.” A fourth award rotates among the School of Engineering’s five other academic departments. This year's recipients were:
- Polina Golland, the Henry Ellis Warren (1894) Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
- Mingda Li, the Norman C Rasmussen Assistant Professor
- Warren Seering, the Weber-Shaughness Professor of Mechanical Engineering
- Greg Wornell, the Sumitomo Electric Industries Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, given to students who exhibit an outstanding potential and intend to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering disciplines that contribute significantly to technological advances in the United States, was awarded to engineering students Spencer Compton and Tara Venkatadri.
The Henry Ford II Award, presented to a senior engineering student who has maintained a cumulative average of 5.0 at the end of their seventh term and who has exceptional potential for leadership in the profession of engineering and in society, was presented to Jarek Kwiecinski '21, who majored in civil and environmental engineering.
The Capers and Marion McDonald Award for Excellence in Mentoring and Advising, awarded to a faculty member who has demonstrated a lasting commitment to personal and professional development, was presented to George Verghese, the Henry Ellis Warren (1894) Professor of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering.
The Graduate Student Extraordinary Teaching and Mentoring Award, given to a graduate student in the School of Engineering who has demonstrated extraordinary teaching and mentoring as a teaching or research assistant, was presented to Brian Chang and Michael Braun.
The newly launched School of Engineering Distinguished Educator Award recognizing outstanding contributions to undergraduate and/or graduate education by members of its faculty and teaching staff (lecturer or instructor), was awarded to Katrina LaCurts and Simona Socrate.
