Achievement Awards: College of Engineering and Polymer Science

All members of the College of Engineering and Polymer Science are encouraged to submit nominations for the CEPS Annual Achievement Awards: Louis A. Hill Award, Outstanding Staff Award, Outstanding Service Award Fostering Student Success and Chemstress Teaching Award. These awards honor faculty, staff and professional staff whose contributions to the College warrant recognition.

To complete a nomination:

  • Review the criteria for the award (descriptions and criteria are given below) for which you would like to nominate an individual.
  • Complete the nomination requirements.

Deadline for nominations is 5 p.m. on Friday, February 23, 2024.

After nominations have been received, the nominees will be contacted and asked to submit application materials to the Committee (requirements are different for each award).


Louis A. Hill Award

To be eligible, for the Louis A. Hill Award, the person shall be a full-time member of the College of Engineering and Polymer Science with a faculty rank (TT or NTT) at either the Associate, Full or Distinguished level who has been part of CEPS for at least three years. Individuals who have received the award in the past five years are ineligible.

The faculty member shall have made outstanding contributions to the STEM professions, the University or community through one or more of the following: teaching, research, consulting, invention, service to the profession and/or service to the community.

Applications are due on March 22, 2024, and include the following:

  • One letter from the applicant about why they should be selected for this award.
  • One letter of recommendation from inside UA, but outside CEPS.
  • One additional letter of recommendation (could be from anyone).
  • Unabridged CV.

2023 Recipient: Dr. Xiong Gong, Professor, School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering


Outstanding Staff Award

All active staff and professional staff are eligible for this award. Anyone who has received the award in the past five years is ineligible.

The Outstanding Staff Award recognizes outstanding service achievements by a staff or professional staff member in the College of Engineering and Polymer Science. Awards typically recognize an individual who gives maximum effort, consistently goes beyond the scope of expected job duties, motivates others and displays a positive “can-do” attitude.

Applications are due on March 15, 2024, and include the following:

  • One letter of support from your direct supervisor.
  • Additionally, gather at least one letter of support from a faculty member, colleague, or student.
  • You may submit up to three letters of support in total.

2023 Recipient: Edward Laughlin, Senior Engineering Tech, School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering


Outstanding Service Award Fostering Student Success

The College of Engineering and Polymer Science Outstanding Service Award Fostering Student Success recognizes an individual who has demonstrated a commitment to recruiting, retention and engagement of students to help ensure a successful college experience. The award is given annually to a faculty, staff or professional staff member who is dedicated to K-12 outreach and recruiting, engages students in high – impact activities that foster a sense of belonging and works in a collaborative manner with campus or community groups to foster recruitment and retention.

Applications are due on March 22, 2024, and include the following:

  • One letter from the applicant about why they should be selected for this award.

Chemstress Teaching Award

Nominations are now being accepted for the Chemstress Teaching Award 2024! All members of the College of Engineering and Polymer Science are encouraged to submit nominations.

The purpose of the Chemstress Teaching Award is to recognize the outstanding teaching achievement of a full-time faculty member in the College of Engineering and Polymer Science. Faculty members who have received the award in the previous five years are not eligible this year.

A selection committee led by Tau Beta Pi consisting of 17 undergraduate students in the college will select the recipient. To nominate a faculty member, please fill out the questions on the Chemstress Teaching Award Nomination Form. The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, March 1, 2024 by 11:59 pm.

Please contact Lily Coss at lmc187@uakron.edu with any questions.

Nominate a full-time faculty member for the Chemstress Teaching Award

2023 Recipient: Dr. Audrey Nguyen, Assistant Professor of Practice, Department of Biomedical Engineering