Five faculty and staff honored by university
Five College of Engineering faculty and staff received 2022 awards from The Ohio State University in recognition of their outstanding scholarship, teaching and achievements.
Distinguished University Professor
William S. Marras, an internationally acclaimed researcher of biomechanics in the prevention, evaluation and treatment of spine disorders, received Ohio State’s highest faculty honor—the title of Distinguished University Professor. Also the Honda Chair in the Department of Integrated Systems Engineering, he is one of only 70 awardees ever.
The Office of Academic Affairs awards the Distinguished University Professor title to full professors who have exceptional records in teaching, research, scholarly or creative work, and service. Distinguished University Professors automatically become members of the President’s and Provost’s Advisory Committee and are awarded a $30,000 grant to support their academic work.
“You really have played a pivotal role in bringing biomechanical and ergonomics education to Ohio State, culminating in the establishment of the world-class Spine Research Institute,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Melissa Gilliam during the virtual award presentation. “Professor Marras, you are the quintessential ground-breaking scholar, committed teacher, interdisciplinary collaborator and internationally renowned professor, and your work has had truly transformative effects on people’s lives.”
Marras’ research is centered on understanding multidimensional causal pathways for spine disorders through quantitative epidemiologic evaluations, laboratory biomechanical studies, personalized mathematical modeling, and clinical studies of the lumbar and cervical spine. He is also the director of the Spine Research Institute and has led more than 100 grant-funded research projects, collectively totaling over $52 million. Marras has published his findings in over 250 peer-reviewed journal articles, hundreds of refereed proceedings and numerous books.
“Professor Marras’ research enables collaborating spine surgeons to safely and reliably perform multiple virtual ‘operations’ in the computer, using an individual’s unique spine as the model,” wrote one nominator. “The technology that he and his team have created can [help a surgeon] determine if a spine operation will succeed or fail.”
Marras holds joint academic appointments in the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery, Neurosurgery and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. He is a board-certified ergonomist, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow in six professional societies, including the American Society for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Marras received the university’s Distinguished Scholar Award in 2017.
Distinguished Scholar Award
Bhavik Bakshi, Richard M. Morrow Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, earned a 2022 Distinguished Scholar Award in recognition of his decades of research leadership.
Vice President for Knowledge Enterprise Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska was first to praise Bakshi during a surprise award presentation, "Congratulations on this really extraordinary accomplishment that reflects what we all know—you are a rock star, who is not only an exceptionally gifted scientist, but also an innovator and visionary leader doing incredibly impactful research."
Bakshi's research focuses on developing scientifically rigorous methods for assessing and designing technologies and manufacturing systems to ensure their positive contributions to sustainable development. Such solutions enhance human well-being, are socially desirable and respect ecological limits. His work integrates multiple disciplines including process systems engineering, systems ecology, environmental economics, energy policy and applied statistics.
"I'm an evangelist for the kinds of things that you're doing," shared Professor David Tomasko, associate dean for undergraduate education and student services in the College of Engineering. "I think what you’ve done will change the face of process engineering as we move forward in this millennium.”
Bakshi has more than 230 publications and serves on the Faculty Advisory Board of Ohio State’s Sustainability Institute. His work has been recognized by the Education Leadership in LCA award from the American Council for Life Cycle Assessment, research excellence and education awards from the Sustainable Engineering Forum of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the Lawrence K. Cecil Award for environmental chemical engineering from the Environmental Division of AIChE, and the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award.
Early Career Scholar Distinguished Award
Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Asimina Kiourti received a 2022 Early Career Distinguished Scholar Award, which honors faculty who show promise of making significant contributions to Ohio State and their field for years to come.
Kiourti’s interdisciplinary research lies at the intersection of electromagnetics, sensors and medicine. Her work focuses on bio-electromagnetics, wearable and implantable antennas, sensors for body area applications and flexible e-textiles.
"I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this early career stage award," said College of Engineering Dean Ayanna Howard. "Not only is Asimina pushing boundaries in the emerging field of smart clothes and wearable technology, but she also coordinates creative programs to inspire the next generation of female engineers."
Wearable sensors have shown promise for medical, sports, defense, emergency and consumer applications; however, the technology is currently limited to obtrusive implementations.
“Much like cell phones that evolved from foot-long prototypes with 30 minutes of available talk time in 1983 to current smart devices, I envision wearables of the future to be seamlessly embedded in fabrics,” Kiourti said.
Kiourti’s publication record includes 69 journal papers, one book, 12 book chapters, five patents, and more than 130 conference papers. Her work has also been recognized with 40-plus scholarly local, national and international awards, including the NSF CAREER Award and "40 Under 40" recognition by Columbus Business First in 2021.
Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Associate Professor Manoj Srinivasan received a 2022 Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching.
Students have praised Srinivasan’s teaching throughout his career at Ohio State, from very large undergraduate dynamics classes with over 150 students to smaller graduate-level classes in biomechanics and machine learning.
“I always find the ability to excel at teaching—at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and in both large and small classes—to be a hallmark of teaching excellence,” wrote one colleague.
Students rave about Srinivasan’s passion and skill as an instructor, his ability to create a positive environment conducive to learning, and his demonstrated care for students’ success and well-being.
“Professor Srinivasan is easily the most exceptional teacher as well as research mentor I have had. Despite having graduated from Ohio State three years ago, I still remember, use and even refer back to the things I learned in his classes,” one alumna wrote. “After taking a class with him, in addition to learning the subject matter deeply, many students come away with an increased love for the subject they learned, a sense of having truly understood the topics, and a project-centric, hands-on experience of the computational approaches.”
A member of the Ohio State faculty since 2009, Srinivasan also received the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering’s Michael J. Moran Excellence in Teaching Award and a National Science Foundation CAREER Award. The dedicated mentor also serves as faculty advisor to the student chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Theme Park Engineering Group.
Distinguished Staff Award
Barry Tolchin, manager of academic advising for the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, received a 2022 Distinguished Staff Award, the university’s highest staff recognition. The award honors individuals for greatly contributing to the university’s mission and demonstrating Ohio State values.
Described as an extraordinary advisor to approximately 800 students, Tolchin has made significant contributions in the department, college and university. With a consistent willingness to foster a sense of belonging, he has implemented programs that have improved student retention rates and reduced student stress.
In addition, Tolchin has tremendously grown the department’s Industry Mentorship Program, as well as worked to create a more holistic major admission process to significantly improve the ability to admit underrepresented students.
Tolchin is also a certified REACH Suicide Prevention Program instructor, is engaged in the College of Engineering’s Inclusive Excellence Program and has served as an officer in Ohio State’s Academic Advising Association.
