University President Surprises Professor with Award

Also on hand for the March presentation were the university’s Vice President for Research Caroline Whitacre and Associate Vice President for Research Jan Weisenberger, College of Engineering Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and AdministrationStuart Zweben, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Chair K. Cheena Srinivasan and other department faculty members. 

The University Distinguished Scholar Award annually recognizes six faculty members who demonstrate scholarly activity, research or other creative works that represent exceptional achievements in their fields. Recipients of the award receive a $20,000 research grant and a $3,000 honorarium to pursue their scholarly activity.

Samimy’s research has focused on fundamental physical understanding of fluid flows in engineering applications using experimental and analytical tools. He has made significant contributions in several areas including compressible turbulence, flow/acoustic control, and laser based flow diagnostics.

Samimy, who has been a member of the department since 1985, is the Howard D. Winbigler Professor in Engineering. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, American Physical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science and American Society of Mechanical Engineers.