Two UA Engineering faculty who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, research and mentoring were honored at the March 22 Awards of Distinction ceremony.

The annual awards are presented by the Office of the Provost, the Honors College, the Graduate College, and the GIFT Center at the University of Arizona Foundation.

“The Awards of Distinction ceremony is our opportunity to recognize excellence and celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of faculty at the University of Arizona,” said Gail Burd, senior vice provost for academic affairs. “These awards will acknowledge outstanding achievements in teaching and research.”

Kasi Kiehlbaugh, lecturer in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, won the Undergraduate STEM Education Teaching Excellence Award: Spring 2017

Kiehlbaugh, who started as an adjunct instructor for Introduction to Engineering, uses evidence-based teaching and learning strategies in her classrooms. She collaborated with Paul Blowers, Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, to teach the Elements of Chemical Engineering II course in a collaborative learning space. Together they were able to benefit the students by coming up with course plans and teaching strategies based on each other’s strengths.

“Kasi continues her growth as an instructor by actively participating in faculty learning communities that focus on philosophical discussions about teaching, peer observations and practical implementation of new strategies,” Blowers wrote in a nomination letter of Kiehlbaugh.

Edward Kerschen, professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, was awarded a Graduate and Professional Education Teaching and Mentoring Award, which honor faculty who excel in their teaching and mentoring of graduate students.

Kerschen joined the UA faculty in 1981 after teaching at the University of Cambridge in England. At the UA, he teaches 12 different courses, including those related to aerodynamics and mechanical engineering design.

Kerschen was nominated by Cho Lik Chan, professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. In his nomination letter, he noted Kerschen’s support of him when he was a junior faculty member. In a nomination letter, graduate student Kevin Ferguson wrote that Kerschen’s research and professional activities help graduate students in their classrooms, laboratories and professional lives.