Teaching, advising, research and staff awards announced at WVU’s Statler College

Winners of the Statler College's 2022-2023 outstanding teaching, advising, research and staff awards. 

Pedro Mago, Glen H. Hiner Dean of the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University, announced the winners of the College’s outstanding teaching, advising, research and staff awards for the 2022-2023 academic year on March 31, 2023. 

Story by Brittany Furbee, Communications Specialist
Photos by Paige Nesbit, Director of Marketing

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Margaret Bennewitz, associate professor of chemical and biomedical engineering, has been named the College’s Outstanding Educator of the Year. Also recognized as Educators of the Year were Andrew Rhodes, teaching assistant professor from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Katerina Goseva-Popstojanova and Tom Devine, professor and teaching assistant professor, respectively, from the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering and Bennewitz.  

Jeremy Dawson, associate professor from the Lane Department of Computer Science was named Outstanding Mentor of the Year.  

Debangsu Bhattacharyya, GE plastics professor of chemical and biomedical engineering, has been named the College’s Researcher of the Year. Also recognized as Outstanding Researchers at the senior level were Bhattacharyya, Kevin Bandura and Gianfranco Doretto, associate professors in the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. Piyush Mehta, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering has been recognized as Outstanding Researcher of the Year at the junior level.   

Recipients of the Outstanding Staff Awards were Michelle Moirai, assistant director of marketing technology, and LaDawn Weaver, program assistant.   

This year, the Statler College debuted three new Dean’s Fellows Awards. Kostas Sierros associate professor and associate chair for research for mechanical and aerospace engineering, received the 2022 Glen H. Hiner Dean Pedro Mago Award for Dean’s Fellow for Research. Leslie Hopkinson, associate professor from the Wadsworth Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, received the 2022 Glen H. Hiner Dean Pedro Mago Award for Dean’s Fellow for Academics. QingQing Huang, assistant professor of mining engineering, received the 2022 Glen H. Hiner Dean Pedro Mago Award for Dean’s Fellow for Engagement. 

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