Contact: Bob Ratliff
Ten College of Engineering faculty members are new Hearin Professors at Mississippi State University.
The Robert M. Hearin Foundation of Jackson sponsors the annual recognition of professional excellence in teaching and research. Each recipient receives $1,000 and an engraved plaque.
This year's group includes Ioana Banicescu, Joel D. Bumgardner, Steven R. Daniewicz, Keith Hodge, Michael S. Mazzola, Masoud Rais-Rohani, Rebecca K. Toghiani, John M. Usher, Rayford B. Vaughn, and Mark E. Zappi.
"The support of the Hearin Foundation allows us to recognize these professors for their outstanding research and teaching," said Dean Wayne Bennett. "They are representative of the expertise and dedication found throughout the college."
Banicescu is an assistant professor of computer science with research interests in parallel algorithms, scientific computing, scheduling theory and computational biology. Her research primarily is in the area of parallel algorithms for irregular problems.
Bumgardner, an associate professor of biomedical engineering, teaches courses and conducts research on the interactions between the human body and orthopedic and dental implants. He has received a Whitaker Foundation grant for his orthopedic and dental implant research at MSU.
Associate professor of mechanical engineering Steve Daniewicz is a specialist in stress analysis, with emphasis on metal fatigue in aircraft. He has conducted research projects for NASA and the United States Air Force. His previous awards include the American Society for Testing and Materials' 1999 Keith J. Miller Young Investigator Award.
Hodge, a mechanical engineer, holds the university's highest faculty honor as a William L. Giles Distinguished Professor. Also named a John Grisham Master Teacher, he is internationally recognized for his studies on the effects of surface roughness on turbulent flow and heat transfer.
Mazzola is an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering whose teaching and research interests involve high voltage engineering and power electronics. He is among scientists staffing the new MSU-based Mississippi Center for Advanced Semiconductor Prototyping, which assists industry in applications for university-based silicon carbide semiconductor research.
Rais-Rohani is an associate professor of aerospace engineering who teaches courses in structural mechanics and aircraft structures. His research, which includes work in the area of aircraft structures, is supported in part by NASA's Langley Research Center.
Toghiani is an associate professor of chemical engineering previously named a Grisham Master Teacher and Outstanding MSU Engineering Educator. Her research focuses on the complex chemistry present in the storage tanks at the Department of Energy's Hanford waste storage site in Richland, Wash.
Usher is a professor of industrial engineering who conducts research on the applications of artificial intelligence to manufacturing. He is involved in exploring the design of virtual environments to enhance human performance in such applications as complex task training and telerobotics.
Vaughn is an associate professor of computer science, with teaching and research responsibilities in the areas of software engineering and computer security. He often involves students in real-world applications of what they have learned, including one recent project that earned class members certificates of appreciation from the Naval Oceanographic Office at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County.
Zappi is a professor of chemical engineering whose specialty includes treatment of contaminated soils and waters. He coordinates the Environmental Technology Research and Applications Laboratory, which supports government and industry through the development and application of cost-effective pollution treatment and abatement techniques, while giving chemical engineering students hands-on environmental engineering experience.