Award Winners

The School of Engineering is proud to announce the 2018-19 School of Engineering Faculty Award recipients: Hisham Said, Teacher of the Year; Yuhong Liu, Researcher of the Year; Ramin Moazzeni, Adjunct Lecturer of the Year; and Magda Metwally receives the Gerald E. Markle Award for Teaching Excellence in Applied Mathematics and Engineering.

Award for Teaching Excellence – Hisham Said
Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering; Power Systems and Sustainable Energy

Associate Professor Hisham Said teaches construction engineering and management. Known for his rigorous classes, students value his dedication to teaching the practical skills and engineering concepts that lead to career success. Outside of the classroom, Dr. Said is an enthusiastic mentor. For the past several years, he has given generously of his time coaching SCU students vying for honors in the Associated Schools of Construction Student Construction Competitions. Additionally, in the lab, he guides student researchers through the fundamentals of conducting a research project and beyond. One student, who was moved to pursue a career in academia based on his experience learning from Dr. Said, reported, “I am inspired to develop other young professionals to have the confidence, passion, and motivation as they dive into their respective engineering industries.”

Researcher of the Year – Yuhong Liu
Computer Engineering

Since joining SCU in 2015, Dr. Liu has established a strong research program that has advanced the state-of-the-art in cyber security and trust. She has published 11 journal papers, 16 peer-reviewed conference papers, and two book chapters. Her work has been published in highly rated journals in her fields and appears in numerous top computer science conferences. Well recognized in her field, Dr. Liu has served as an associate editor, guest editor, and reviewer for a number of high reputation journals and conferences, and as a member of the technical program and organizing committees for more than 10 major conferences in her fields. Her research has fostered broad collaboration at SCU, at numerous other universities in the U.S., and she has hosted five international visiting scholars, publishing joint research work and providing invited talks at 8 major universities in China.

Adjunct Lecturer of the Year – Ramin Moazzeni
Computer Engineering

Deep dedication to student learning makes Ramin Moazzeni a standout. Through challenging assignments and class projects, he helps students gain valuable and useful knowledge. Students praise his interesting and rich classes, in which they can “feel his commitment and dedication” as he varies his teaching style to best suit the topics he is covering. They also cite his ability to create an environment in which students are encouraged to raise even the simplest questions. He often stays after class to ensure all questions are answered and responds quickly and thoroughly to emailed queries. Coming to campus to meet with students for extra study sessions on Sundays before midterms or finals, Professor Moazzeni further advances learning and promotes student success.

Gerald E. Markle Award – Magda Metwally
Applied Mathematics

We are happy to present the Markle Award for Teaching Excellence in Applied Mathematics and Engineering this year to Dr. Magda Metwally. During the last year, she has taught differential equations at the undergraduate level, but she has also taught at the graduate level on many occasions. Her students praise her clear explanations and her willingness to answer questions outside of class. She has been teaching applied mathematics at Santa Clara since 1986, having earned her doctorate at SCU in electrical engineering in 1982 under the supervision of Professor Drago Šiljak. The Department of Applied Mathematics is pleased to honor Dr. Metwally this year for her dedicated service to Santa Clara engineering students.