DMSE faculty, students, and staff have been recognized for their work, service, and professionalism this spring. Here is a roundup of their achievements:
Graduate student Tunahan Aytas won the Mens et Manus award, an MIT RISE award (Recognizing Individuals Supporting Equity). Mens et Manus is given to a graduating master’s or doctoral candidate who has shown a passion for diversity and inclusion work and has made a lasting impact on MIT. Aytas collaborated with DMSE to develop the DMSE Admission Assistance Program, or DAAP, which supports underrepresented graduate student applicants through a mentoring program. Aytas received the award at a ceremony on April 25.
Assistant Professor Iwnetim Abate was named one of Chemical & Engineering News magazine’s “Talented Twelve,” early-career researchers recognized for pursuing solutions to societal problems. Abate studies materials that facilitate electrochemical reactions in batteries or offer improvements in sensors and computing. He studies the role and impact of charged atoms, or ions, in electrodes with the aim of harnessing their potential to modify material properties, an emerging area in energy research. Abate was also recognized for his efforts to give African youths the tools to solve local problems in health and energy.
Associate Professor Rafael Gómez-Bombarelli won the Common Ground Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award, established this year, is given to faculty or lecturers who have had a positive impact on students by offering a subject in the Common Ground for Computing Education. The program brings together educators from diverse disciplines to develop and deliver coursework with substantial computing content. Gómez-Bombarelli’s course is Machine Learning for Molecular Engineering, which teaches students to apply machine learning to problems in biological, chemical, and materials engineering.
Human resources coordinator André Obin and lecturer Jessica Sandland were chosen as recipients of the 2023 Infinite Mile Award. The award recognizes people who have made extraordinary contributions in their organizations to help MIT carry out its educational mission. An awards ceremony celebrating their achievements will take place June 20.
Professor Christine Ortiz and lecturer Ellan Spero won a 2023 Teaching with Digital Technology Award, a student-nominated award for instructors who have effectively used digital technology to improve teaching and learning at MIT. The winners were celebrated at a luncheon on May 30.
Suhas Eswarappa Prameela, a postdoc in DMSE and the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, won University of California, Irvine’s Early Career Distinguished Scholar Award, for young scholars who have demonstrated research excellence and participated in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
Graduate students Kate Reidy and Katherine Stoll were named Graduate Women of Excellence. A reception was held for them and other honorees on May 8.
Kevin Rogers, facilities manager at DMSE, and Rhea Vedro, technical instructor and artist in residence, each won a School of Engineering Staff Spotlight Award. This staff-nominated award was launched in 2022 to recognize exemplary staff members for their contributions and dedication to the school.
Professor Bilge Yildiz was elected a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences for her contributions in electrochemical energy conversion and energy-efficient computing devices. The ceremony took place on May 11 in Vienna.