PVAMU celebrates recipients of 2024 Faculty and Staff Awards

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (Aug. 29, 2024) - The theme of Prairie View A&M University's 2024 Faculty and Staff Conference was "A Journey to Eminence," with eminence being defined by Merriam-Webster as "a position of prominence or superiority."

PVAMU's faculty and staff embody this concept every day, and this year, a select group was recognized for their exceptional contributions as recipients of the 2024 Faculty and Staff Awards. This year's honorees were celebrated during a recognition luncheon.

"The accomplishments and contributions of those selected are highly meritorious and worthy of recognition. They have had an impact not only on PVAMU, but also on the broader community, the state of Texas, and/or on the national and international levels," read the program for the 2024 awards.

Each year, PVAMU employees, students and the campus community are encouraged to nominate deserving faculty and staff for one of the award categories listed below. Employees were also recognized during the event for their years of service to PVAMU. View the program here.

Presidential Awards

Presidential Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Faculty Member
· Harriette Howard-Lee Block, Associate Professor, Department of Biology

Presidential Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Researcher
· Ali Fares, Endowed Professor, College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

Presidential Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Staff Member
· Sandy Siegmund, Administrative Associate III, College of Juvenile Justice

Faculty Awards

Faculty Rising Star Award
· Noushin Ghaffari, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science

Outstanding Full-Time Teaching Award
· Xiangfang (Lindsey) Li, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Faculty Service Award
· Ahmed Ahmed, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science

Academic Advising Award
· Quincy Moore, Professor, Department of Biology & Director, The Honors Program

Global Engagement Faculty Award
· William Batson, Professor, School of Architecture

Faculty/Staff Research and Innovation Awards

Excellence in Sponsored Research Award
· Louis Ngamassi, Associate Professor, Department of Accounting, Finance, & MIS
· Jayant Lohakare, Research Professor, Cooperative Agriculture Research Center

Excellence in Scholarly Research Award
· Thiagarajan Ramakrishnan, Associate Professor, Department of Accounting, Finance, & MIS

Outstanding Early Researcher Award
· Md Jobair Bin Alam, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
· Noushin Ghaffari, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science

Excellence in Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship Award
· Shuza Binzaid, Research Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Staff Awards

Staff Rising Star Award
· Kimberly Gay, Librarian II, Head of Reference and Information Services, John B. Coleman Library

Initiative and Creativity Award
· Crysta Mendes, Program Manager, Research Innovation and Sponsored Programs

Personal Accomplishments Award
· Erdogan Memili, Executive Associate Director, Cooperative Agriculture Research Center

Team Accomplishments Award
· Ashley Fiest, Academic Advisor II, University College - Advisement, and Makenzie Banks, Academic Advisor I, Academic Advising Services

Customer Support Award
· Joshua Rieger, Software Applications Developer-AITC, College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

Cooperative Extension Program Extension Award
· Cynthia Pierfax, Extension Program Specialist III, 4-H Youth Development

-PVAMU-

*Photos by Nicholas Hunt, Office for Marketing and Communications