UTRGV awards 10 Faculty Excellence Awards for 2023-24

Recipients of the 2023-2024 UTRGV Faculty Excellence Awards are, from left, back row: Arturo Fuentes and Xiaohui Wang (accepting on behalf of Zhaosheng Feng); center row: Elena Venegas, Debasish Bandyopadhyay, Noe Vargas, Teresa Feria Arroyo, UTRGV Provost Luis Zayas, Constantine Tarawneh, Nirakar Sahoo and Eleazar Marquez; and front row, seated: Judith Guetzow. (UTRGV Photo)

El Periodico USA February 19, 2024

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS– The UTRGV Office of Faculty Affairs has named 10 faculty members as recipients of the 2023-2024 UTRGV Faculty Excellence Awards.

The annual excellence awards recognize faculty who have demonstrated outstanding work in the areas of teaching, online teaching, research, service, student mentoring, community-engaged scholarship and sustainability education.

Dr. Luis H. Zayas, UTRGV provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs, congratulated this year’s awardees for their accomplishments and commended the impact of their work.

“This is an important moment for our institution, a time when we recognize our faculty for their excellent work and dedicated service to their disciplines and our students,” Zayas said. “This acknowledges a small portion of the sustained excellence of our faculty here at UTRGV.”

Recipients of the 2023-2024 UTRGV Faculty Excellence Awards are:

Teaching (Tenure and Tenure-Track): Arturo Fuentes, professor, Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science.
Teaching (Non-Tenure Track): Eleazar Marquez, assistant professor of practice, Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science.
Research-Scholarship-Creative Work: Elena Venegas, associate professor, Bilingual and Literacy Studies, College of Education and P-16 Integration.
Online Teaching: Judith Guetzow, lecturer II, Health and Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Professions.
Service:Teresa Feria Arroyo, professor, School of Integrated Biological and Chemical Sciences, College of Sciences.
Student Mentoring:Constantine Tarawneh, professor, Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science.
Community Engaged Scholarship:Noe Vargas, assistant professor, Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science.
Sustainability Education: Debasish Bandyopadhyay, assistant professor, School of Integrated Biological and Chemical Sciences, College of Sciences.
Distinguished Career: Zhaosheng Feng,professor, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, College of Sciences.
Emerging Scholar:Nirakar Sahoo, assistant professor, School of Integrated Biological and Chemical Sciences, College of Sciences.