Faculty, students recognized for innovation, creative entrepreneurial spirit

Innovation is the engine that drives all of humanity’s greatest achievements – from the creation of the first wheel to electricity to heart transplants. And it is the entrepreneurial spirit that puts these advances into the hands of the people who can use it the most.

Engineering faculty, staff and students recognized

The UH Cullen College of Engineering celebrated excellence in the ranks at its recent faculty and staff meeting. Joseph W. Tedesco, Elizabeth D. Rockwell Dean of the College, handed out numerous awards recognizing faculty, staff and students for their outstanding contributions in teaching, research and service.

Ghasemi and Vekilov in the Spotlight

Two Cullen College of Engineering faculty won the University of Houston’s Awards for Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity for the 2018-19 academic year. Hadi Ghasemi was recognized in the “Assistant Professor” category and Peter Vekilov was honored in the “Professor” category.

American Chemical Society awards grant to mechanical engineer to study gas hydrates

World-renowned for their anti-icing materials and research, UH engineer Hadi Ghasemi and his research group are applying their expertise to a new subject – gas hydrates.

As many times as Hadi Ghasemi thought about wood frogs, a cold, hard fact seemed to hop out at him: They can tolerate freezing of more than half their body’s fluids and still survive, even in the winter. So the Bill D.

Of the almost 5,000 species of frogs around the world, one of them hops immediately to Hadi Ghasemi’s attention. You might wonder why the Bill D. Cook Assistant Professor of mechanical engineering has amphibians on his mind when he is so clearly a man versed in mechanics.

The University of Houston-Materials Research Society Chapter (UH-MRS) hosted its first student symposium in the main lobby of engineering building 1. At the symposium students presented their work to an esteemed crowd of professional members across various engineering and science disciplines at UH. The 40 presenters came from different departments including chemistry, physics; and chemical, mechanical, materials and electrical engineering.

UH-MRS winners are:

In 1989, an Air Ontario flight, with ice and snow covering its wings during takeoff, fails to attain the proper altitude. Unable to get above the trees, it crashes into them, killing 25 passengers. In 1994, an American Eagle plane flies into treacherous icing conditions and the pilots lose control of the plane. It crashes, killing all 68 souls onboard. From 1990 to 2000, 12 percent of all weather-related air disasters were due to icing.

Joseph W. Tedesco, Elizabeth D. Rockwell dean of the Cullen College, recognized faculty, staff and students for their outstanding performance in teaching, research and service at the spring faculty and staff meeting held on May 3.