Olivia J. McMahonPenn Engineering is pleased to announce the faculty recipients of the 2023 Student Choice Awards (formerly the Teaching and Advising Awards). Each year, the Penn Engineering undergraduate student body thoughtfully selects the recipients of these awards for their dedication in teaching, mentorship and student advocacy. This year also features two new awards, the Student Advocacy Award and the Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award.
This year’s winners are Brit Shields, Deep Jariwala, Peter K. Davies, Arvind Bhusnurmath and Mahadevan Khantha.
Brit Shields, Senior Lecturer in Bioengineering, is the inaugural recipient of the Student Advocacy Award. This award is presented to a member of the Penn Engineering faculty by the Underrepresented Student Advisory Board in Engineering in recognition of their outstanding commitment to women and underrepresented student advocacy, equity and inclusion.
Shields completed a Ph.D. at Penn in 2015 in History and Sociology of Science, with a dissertation on scientific diplomacy through the example of Richard Courant and New York University, where Shields completed an M.A. in Humanities and Social Thought: Science Studies.
Deep Jariwala, Assistant Professor in Electrical and Systems Engineering, is the first member of the faculty to be awarded the Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award. This award is given to a member of the faculty by the undergraduate student body and the Engineering Alumni Society in recognition of outstanding research mentorship of undergraduate students in the School.
Jariwala received his undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in 2010 and went on to receive a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University in 2015.
Peter K. Davies, Class of 1942 Term Professor in Materials Science and Engineering, has been awarded the S. Reid Warren, Jr. Award. Presented in conjunction with the Engineering Alumni Society, this award recognizes outstanding service in stimulating and guiding the intellectual and professional development of undergraduate students at the School.
Davies earned a B.A. in Chemistry in 1975 and an M.A. in Natural Sciences in 1978, both from Oxford University. He then went on to earn a Ph.D. in Solid State Chemistry from Arizona State University in 1981.
Arvind Bhusnurmath, Senior Lecturer in Computer and Information Science, is this year’s recipient of the Ford Motor Company Award for Faculty Advising, which recognizes dedication to helping students realize their educational, career and personal goals.
Bhusnurmath received an Integrated five-year M.Tech in Mathematics and Computing from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Delhi, India, and then went on to earn a Ph.D. in Computer and Information Science from the University of Pennsylvania.
Mahadevan Khantha, Senior Lecturer in Materials Science and Engineering, has been awarded the Hatfield Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Lecturer and Practice Professor Track. Presented to a full-time lecturer, senior lecturer or practice professor in Penn Engineering, the award recognizes outstanding teaching ability, dedication to innovative undergraduate instruction, and exemplary service to the School in consistently inspiring students in the engineering and scientific profession.
Khantha earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Physics in 1979 and 1981 from the University of Madras. She then went on to earn a Ph.D. in Physics in 1985 from the Indian Institute of Technology.