DSU Announces 2016 Faculty Excellence Award Recipients

Delaware State University recently honored three faculty members as its 2016 Faculty Excellence Award recipients. Honored were:

Faculty Excellence Award for Teaching – Dr. Andrew D. Lloyd, associate professor of biological sciences.

Dr. Lloyd has been heavily involved in curriculum development through his work as chair of the Department of Biology Curriculum Committee and as a member (and most recently chair) of the General Education Committee.  He has provided leadership for a comprehensive review of the biology undergraduate curriculum, which included developing two new courses for first-year biology students that emphasize active learning and multidisciplinary coordination. This has been implemented through a three-course learning community that weaves quantitative reasoning and language arts throughout the first-year coursework. In General Education, Dr. Lloyd has taken a leading role in instituting and expanding a comprehensive system of assessment of the program’s student learning objectives.

In addition, since 2009, Dr. Lloyd been the principal investigator of federal grants totaling nearly $1 million as well as the co-PI on another $2.5 million in federal grants, all to support undergraduate education initiatives. He has demonstrated a strong commitment to student advisement, particularly in his role as a health professions advisor.

Faculty Excellence Award for Research – Dr. Mukti Rana, associate professor and chair of the Department of Physics and Engineering.

As a PI and co-PI between 2010 and 2015, Dr. Rana has obtained more than $12 million in grants for his laboratory and the DSU Optical Science Center for Applied Research, which has sustained his research program and supported his undergraduate and graduate students. He has served as advisor and mentor to one doctoral candidate, three graduate and 15 undergraduate students as well as three high school students. Dr. Rana has also established a student branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers at DSU.

In addition, Dr. Rana has published seven refereed journal papers, seven refereed conference presentations, book chapters in three different books and provided support for student involvement in 12 poster and oral presentations. He has also served as an expert resource for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research.

Faculty Excellence Award for Service – Dr. Mazen Shahin, professor of mathematics and director of the Alliance for Minority Participation at DSU.

Under Dr. Shahin’s direction, more than $12.5 million in external funding has been obtained for the successful implementation of the following: the Bridge to the Doctorate program; Changing the Equation for Science and Mathematics Learning initiative; the Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enrichment; The Philadelphia Alliance for Minority Participation (AMP) program, Phases V and IV; the Science and Technology Academy for Residence Scholars summer program for high school students; as well as international research experiences for AMP students in China.