Faculty, staff, students, alumni recognized with Engineering Awards

March 18, 2024

Mizzou Engineering on Friday recognized outstanding faculty, staff and students for their dedication and service as part of the College’s annual awards banquet.

“These awards are a reminder of the collaborative and innovative spirit that defines the College of Engineering,” Interim Dean Praveen Edara said. “Ours is a community that thrives on shared goals and the pursuit of knowledge. And alumni, faculty, students and staff all play a critical role in that mission.”

The following faculty and staff received 2024 awards:

About the Awardees
Two people
Mahmoud Almasri with Edara

Mahmoud Almasri

Almasri received the Senior Faculty Research Award for his work around sensors. In the past five years, he has secured over $8 million as principal investigator and co-PI from the National Science Foundation, Army Research Lab, Black & Veatch and more. During that time, he has also published 19 papers and 19 conference proceedings. Additionally, he has six patents with one pending.

Two people
Binbin Wang with Edara

Binbin Wang

Wang’s received the Junior Faculty Research Award for work around water resources and environmental technology. Over the past 5 years, Wang has served as Principal Investigator or Co-PI on nearly $3 million in awards from the National Science Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences, the Office of Naval Research and the U.S. Geological Survey, He has published 46 journal articles, 26 of which have been published in the last five years.

Two people
Reginald Rogers Jr. with Edara

Reginald Rogers Jr.

Rogers, who is also director of graduate studies for his department, received the Senior Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award. Rogers is known for engaging students in creative ways to help them understand complex material. Among his many accomplishments, Rogers was the inaugural recipient of the Excellence in Chemical Teaching Practice Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Two people
Kristofferson Culmer with Edara

Kristofferson Culmer

Culmer received the Junior Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award. He is known for fostering dynamic and inclusive learning environments and for being a tireless advocate of student success. He has trained dozens of students to work with Spot, the autonomous robot from Boston Dynamics, incorporating the robot into undergraduate research and industry partnerships.

Three people
Chris Strehl with Edara and President Choi

Chris Strehl

Strehl received an Outstanding Staff Award for his work as a senior research specialist on the front lines when it comes to management and troubleshooting of instrumentation and equipment used for teaching labs, experimental testing and data collection. Faculty and students agree he goes above and beyond to support their work.

Three people
Jennifer Townsend with President Choi

Jennifer Townsend

Townsend received an Outstanding Staff Award for her work as a senior post-award analyst for the Engineering Research Administration Team. She’s known for working closely with faculty to understand their needs to provide the best guidance.

Outstanding Student Awards

Each year, Mizzou Engineering faculty select exceptional undergraduate and graduate students to be recognized for academic accomplishments.

Biological Engineering:

  • Junior: Jonathan Austin
  • Senior: Sally Chen
  • PhD: Yuriy Snyder

Biomedical Engineering

  • Junior: Matthew Crawford
  • Senior: Isabella Parks

Chemical Engineering

  • Junior: Robert McKnight
  • Senior: Elly Smith

Civil Engineering

  • Junior: Roman Becerra
  • Senior: Wayne Carter
  • Ph.D. Rogelio Muneton Lopez
  • PhD. Baris Elmas


Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

  • Junior: Justin Bowers

Electrical Engineering

  • Senior: Jazmin Renteria Gonzalez

Electrical and Computer Engineering

  • Junior: Graham Mattox
  • Senior: Hayden Higgins
  • Ph.D. Ayesha Siddique
  • Ph.D. Ripan Kuma Kundu
  • Ph.D. Twisha Titirsha

Computer Science

  • Junior: Miles Farmer
  • Senior: Logan Deal
  • Senior: Ahhyun Lee
  • Master’s Reyva Babtista
  • Master’s: Enrico De Sousa Visconti
  • Master’s: Prashanth Reddy Kotha
  • Ph.D.: Jian Liu
  • Ph.D.: Ashwin Dhakal
  • Ph.D.: Raj Roy


Information Technology

  • Junior: Albert Zhou
  • Senior: Kelly Sun

Industrial Engineering

  • Junior: Kyle Timm
  • Senior: Justin Cypress
  • Master’s: Ray Wood
  • Ph.D.: Jenny Gutierrez

Mechanical Engineering

  • Junior: Jordyn Lodes
  • Senior: Graham Bond
  • Master’s: Brady Bateman
  • Ph.D.: Richard Byfield

Alumni Awards

Three alumni and one strategic partner were also honored at the banquet for their leadership and service to the College.