Faculty, students recognized for commitment to scholarship

Faculty awards included:

• Pamela Pennock: Distinguished Teaching Award, tenured category
• Sang-Hwan Kim: Distinguished Teacher Award, non-tenured category
• Jack Nelson: Distinguished Teaching Award, lecturer category
• Habib M. Ammari: Distinguished Research Award
• Joan Remski: Distinguished Service Award
• Chris Samfilippo: Collegiate Lecturer Award
• Pankaj (P.K.) Mallick: Eugene Arden Interdisciplinary Research/Teaching Award

Pamela Pennock joined the university in 2002 and currently serves as associate professor of history.

Her classroom is described as a model of active learning, where she brings history to life and encourages respectful and mindful discussion on controversial subjects. As one colleague noted, “Pam Pennock is a truly gifted and committed teacher and her students regularly sing her praises. She inspires her students like few others on this campus and has developed a large and loyal following among the student body.”

Pennock has introduced a number of new courses, including American Consumer Culture and The 1960s in America and revitalized several other courses in history and American studies.

Outside the classroom, Pennock has supervised numerous student theses, sponsored undergraduate research and supported student efforts to apply theory to practice. She has worked with history teachers in the Plymouth-Canton Community School District and Inkster Public Schools and has taught Women’s History at a local correctional facility.

Sang-Hwan Kim joined UM-Dearborn’s College of Engineering and Computer Science in 2009. He serves as assistant professor of industrial and manufacturing systems.

He has taught courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level, with students noting his concern for learning and willingness to help. He developed the popular User Interface Design and Analysis course, which has doubled in size since 2011, and significantly updated two additional courses. In addition to his classroom instruction, he serves as a sought-after graduate theses and capstone project adviser.

Kim brings his research interests into the classroom, allowing students to see what is happening in the field in real time. As one student said, “Dr. Kim does thorough research about current technologies and advances relevant to the class material in order to properly prepare students. He has a great way of approaching material that students understand what he is teaching as well as how to apply that knowledge in real-world instances.”

Jack Nelson is LEO lecturer II in natural sciences and has served the Department of Natural Sciences for 31 years.

He teaches a number of introductory physics courses, in recent years adding an algebra-based course and a calculus-based course as department needs shifted. His work teaching Physics 150 prepares many engineering, chemistry and physics students for further studies; and colleagues note that his students are well prepared and eager to continue their work. His support of the supplemental instruction (SI) program further demonstrates his desire to see students succeed.

A former high school teacher, students and colleagues note Nelson’s knowledgeable and approachable manner. “Professor Nelson is warm, engaging, patient and makes himself readily available to all of his students,” said one nominator. “His class is not easy, but as he pushes his students to be the best they can be, he is always there to support them along the way.”

Habib M. Ammari is associate professor of computer and information science, a position he has held since 2011.

His research interests are in the areas of mobile wireless sensor networks, mobile ad hoc networks, mobile wireless Internet, and cyber physical systems. That work has earned him two substantial National Science Foundation grants to continue his research, including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award. He has published several books with Springer and written papers that have appeared in publications like ACM Transactions on Sensor Networks, ACM Transactions on Autonomous and Adaptive systems, IEEE Transactions on Computers, and IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems. He also serves as associate editor for six journals, including the ACM Transactions on Sensor Networks and IEEE Transactions on Computers, and as program/track chair of several conferences, including the 9th IEEE International Conference on Distributed Computing in Sensor Systems and the 11th IEEE International Conference on Mobile Ad hoc and Sensor Systems. He gave several invited talks at reputed universities.

Colleagues commend both the breadth and depth of his research as well as the practicality of his work in a rising field. Noted one colleague, “Truly, Habib is a rising star in several fields of expanding interest. … has gone above and beyond in terms of his commitment to further the research in the field.”

Joan Remski is associate professor of mathematics.

She has served in a variety of departmental and cross-campus roles. She has been a member of the Mathematics Department’s Executive Committee, program director for the M.S. program in applied and computational mathematics, member of the graduate admissions committee and served on numerous search committees.

Campus wide, Remski’s service has included vice chair of the Faculty Senate Council and chair of the Faculty Senate’s Promotion and Tenure Committee and Senate Grievance Committee, ensuring the campus has an exceptional faculty for years to come. She also was instrumental in developing and testing examples of the new elements of the general education program proposed by the General Education Task Force.

As one colleague said, “I believe that UM-Dearborn is a far richer campus because of the work of Professor Joan Remski. Few faculty members on this campus give as much of themselves for the betterment of the campus community.”

Chris Samfilippo joined the College of Business in 1998 and serves as lecturer IV in marketing.

He both directs and teaches the university’s core marketing course, bringing his extensive marketing knowledge to the classroom. As director, he developed a new curriculum designed to create deeper student learning, which allows students to apply concepts as part of a semester-long service learning project for a local entrepreneur or business. Said one colleague, “We can see this approach really resonates with students. Since its implementation, the number of students choosing to major in marketing has shown a marked increase.”

He also serves as faculty adviser for the student chapter of American Marketing Association, challenging students to realign the organization’s focus to emphasize professional development. He is a member of the Academic Standards Committee and director of the International Summer Program in Management in Italy.

P.K. Mallick is the William E. Stirton professor of mechanical engineering.

Since joining the university 35 years ago, he has been a model of interdisciplinary research and scholarship. He has served as director of Interdisciplinary Programs in the College of Engineering and Computer Science since 1997, working with faculty from four academic departments to develop three new interdisciplinary programs in CECS. He updated the curriculum of an existing master’s program in automotive systems engineering, which has become one of the university’s largest graduate programs, and helped establish a master’s degree in energy systems engineering and a Ph.D. in automotive systems engineering and information systems engineering. His research and teaching focus has been at the intersection of mechanical design, materials and manufacturing.

Across campus, Mallick helped establish the Center for Lightweight Automotive Materials and Processing (CLAMP) and was part of a faculty research and planning group tasked with exploring best practices in Science, Technology and Society education and research.

“During his long and productive career at UM-Dearborn, PK compiled an outstanding record of commitment to interdisciplinary research and teaching activities,” one nominator wrote.

Honor Scholars

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters
Kelsey Cook (American Studies), Megan Cece (Anthropology), Megan Milewski (Art History), Neam Alazawi (Biochemistry), Molly Hirst (Biology) Ruishen The (Chemistry (ACS)), Genna Owens (Communications), Doaa Al-Howaishy (Criminal Justice Studies), Mitchell Dziekan (Earth Science), Zachary Herr (Economics), Michel Turcas (English), Kyle Kandilian (Environmental Science), Wade Rose (Environmental Studies), Katelyn Hovey (French Studies), Evelyn Lukasik (General Studies), Daniela Muresan (Health Policy Studies), Zachary Smith (Hispanic Studies), JaJuan Maefield (History), Joshua Smith (International Studies), Shelby Zuk (Journalism and Screen Studies), Robert Vasquez (Liberal Studies), Cody Bouse (Mathematics), Mo Shirur (Microbiology), Aaron Usher (Philosophy), Zachary Belanger (Physics), Joseph Miszcak (Political Science), Katherine Pfannes (Psychology), Charles Stephenson (Social Studies), Paula Tijerina (Sociology), Aayat Ali (Urban and Regional Studies), Stephanie Jones (Women’s and Gender Studies), Chantel Ulfig (Graduate Program in Psychology), Ehab Tarmoom (Graduate Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics), John Vasiloff (Graduate Program in Public Policy), James Smith (Graduate Program in Public Administration), Sherika Gibson (Master of Science in Environmental Science)

College of Business
Talal Alriyashi (Accounting), Jayson Trantham (Accounting Information Systems), Roxana Laslau (Digital Marketing), Ryan Koscielny (Finance), Caitlin Mairead Hansen (General Business), Katherine Maggard (Human Resource Management), Kelly Lynne Turner (Information Technology Management), Shane Budlong (Management), Matthew Kling (Marketing), Ian James Cartmill (Supply Chain Management), Ali Baydoun (Graduate Program in Accounting), David Furman (Graduate Program in Business Administration), Matthew Wrase (Graduate Program in Business Analytics), Tai On Cheung (Graduate Program in Finance), William Kennedy (Graduate Program in Supply Chain Management), Nader Kishek (Graduate Program in Information Systems), Wei Shen (Graduate Program in Business Administration and Master of Science in Finance), Winston Koo (Graduate Program in Business Administration and Master of Science in Information Systems), Matthew Hartley (Graduate Program in Business Administration and Master of Science in Industrial & Systems Engineering)

College of Education, Health, and Human Services
Brittany Sheridan (Bachelor of Arts in Education-Social Studies), Kelsey Wydendorf (Bachelor of Arts in Education-Science Studies), Kaitlyn Lupro (Bachelor of Arts in Education-Special Education), Victoria Kulaszewski (Bachelor of Arts in Education-Early Childhood), Sherri Markwart (Bachelor of General Studies), Bethany Taylor (Bachelor of Arts in Education-Mathematics Studies), Kelsey Scarbrough (Bachelor of Arts in Education-Language Arts), Ryan Brown (Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education), Danielle Serlin (Master of Arts in Education), Zubair Chughtai (Master of Arts in Educational Leadership), Lucy Vomastek (Master of Arts in Educational Technology), Kristen Ryan (Master of Education in Special Education), Timothy Kozlo (Master of Science in Science Education), Rayana Safah (Master of Arts in Teaching).

College of Engineering and Computer Science
Quinn Osgood (Bioengineering), Amjad Hashem (Computer Engineering), Teodora Tosheva-Petrov (Computer and Information Science), Charles Waldron (Digital Forensics), Grant Bonnema (Electrical Engineering), Stefania Haag (Industrial and Systems Engineering), Jacob Grimaldo (Mechanical Engineering), Fariha Rafiq (Manufacturing Engineering), Angela Chen (Software Engineering), Shwetanjali Hegde (Graduate Program in Automotive Systems Engineering), Monika Arora (Graduate Program in Computer Engineering), David Affeldt (Graduate Program in Computer and Information Science), Yuezhang Zhou (Graduate Program in Electrical Engineering), Admir Trnjanin (Graduate Program in Energy Systems Engineering), Hussein Berro (Graduate Program in Engineering Management), Rong Jing (Graduate Program in Industrial and Systems Engineering), Parvathy Viswamohan (Graduate Program in Information Systems and Technology),Yilin Tian (Graduate Program in Mechanical Engineering), Zhaokan Yuan (Graduate Program in Program and Project Management), Mazen Alnofal (Graduate Program in Software Engineering)