NC State recognized 28 faculty members for their dedication to teaching, learning, research and service during the 2017 Celebration of Faculty Excellence on May 2.

The annual event honors faculty who have won prestigious state, national and international awards and created new knowledge and advancements in their respective disciplines.

Chancellor Randy Woodson presented three faculty members with the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal for Excellence, NC State’s highest award in recognition of faculty achievement.

This year’s honorees were:

• Harold S. Freeman, Ciba-Geigy Professor of Dyestuff Chemistry, Department of Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science
• Lee-Ann Jaykus, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor, Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences
• Michael B. Steer, Lampe Distinguished Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Five NC State Board of Trustees members — Jimmy Clark, Jackie Gonzalez, Ann Goodnight, Stan Kelly and Susan Ward — assisted in the presentation. The Board of Trustees established the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal in 1992, in recognition of the contributions of Alexander Q. Holladay, the university’s first president and professor of history. Each honoree has made outstanding and sustained contributions to NC State through achievements in research, teaching, or extension and engagement.

Maria T. Oliver-Hoyo, Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor in the Department of Chemistry, received the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award is the most prestigious award given to faculty for teaching excellence. Efforts directly related to Oliver-Hoyo’s passion for chemistry education have produced robust instructional resources and numerous publications paving her way into national and international leadership positions.Oliver-Hoyo will be honored at NC State’s spring commencement on May 13.

Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Warwick A. Arden presented Oliver-Hoyo with her award, and recognized the following honored faculty:

• John Blondin, Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor, Department of Physics; associate dean for research, College of Sciences: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow
• Anastasios A. Tsiatis, Gertrude M. Cox Distinguished Professor, Department of Statistics: AAAS Fellow
• Carla Fröhlich, associate professor, Department of Physics: Cottrell Scholar Collaborative Award
• Robert C. Kochersberger, associate professor, Department of English: Fulbright Scholar
• B. Jayant “Jay” Baliga, Distinguished University Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Global Energy Prize, National Academy of Inventors (NAI), National Inventors Hall of Fame
• Steve McKeand, professor, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources; director, Tree Improvement Cooperative Program: Governor James B. Holshouser Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service
• Ronald Sederoff, Edwin F. Conger Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources: Marcus Wallenberg Prize
• Jagdish (Jay) Narayan, John C.C. Fan Family Distinguished Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering: National Academy of Engineering (NAE)
• Paul J. Turinsky, professor, Department of Nuclear Engineering: NAE
• Ruben G. Carbonell, Frank Hawkins Kenan Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: NAI
• Frances Ligler, Lampe Distinguished Professor in the NC State-UNC Department of Biomedical Engineering: NAI, National Inventors Hall of Fame
• Rodolphe Barrangou, associate professor, Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences: National Academy of Sciences Award in Molecular Biology

Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Economic Development Alan Rebar recognized the following honored faculty:

• Veronica Augustyn, assistant professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering: National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Development (CAREER) Award
• Alper Bozkurt, associate professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: NSF CAREER Award
• Min Chi, assistant professor, Department of Computer Science: NSF CAREER Award
• Ramon Collazo, assistant professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering: NSF CAREER Award
• Edgar Lobaton, assistant professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: NSF CAREER Award
• Stefano Menegatti, assistant professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: NSF CAREER Award
• Marcelo Ardon Sayao, assistant professor, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources: NSF CAREER Award
• Nadia Singh, associate professor, Department of Biological Sciences: NSF CAREER Award
• Venkat Narayanaswamy, assistant professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering: U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Young Investigator Award
• Srikanth Patala, assistant professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering: AFOSR Young Investigator Award
• David Marshall, Research Leader and USDA Professor, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology: U.S. Department of Agriculture Abraham Lincoln Honor Award for Increasing Global Food Security
• Judy Kertész, assistant professor, Department of History: Woodrow Wilson Career Enhancement Fellowship

2017 marks the sixth year of the Celebration of Faculty Excellence. In recognition of all honored faculty, the university lit the Memorial Belltower red for the night.

This post was originally published in NC State News.