Mumtaz Usmen selected for ESD Gold Award
College of Engineering Associate Dean Mumtaz Usmen was honored with the highest Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD) award, the Gold Award, at the 37th Annual ESD affiliate council Gold Award Banquet Feb. 27. The Gold Award is presented annually to distinguished individuals who demonstrate outstanding professional achievement and community service.
The society also honored several other members of the WSU College of Engineering community. Jeffrey Potoff, assistant professor of chemical engineering, was selected to receive ESD's Chemical Engineer of the Year Award. Nabil Sarhan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, received the Southeast Michigan IEEE Chapter Outstanding Engineer of the Year Award. And Richard Gifaldi, a graduate student in civil and environmental engineering, received the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers (MSPE) Detroit Chapter Student Engineer of the Year Award.
Usmen was the chairman of the WSU Civil Engineering Department for 18 years until his appointment late last year as the college's associate dean of research. During his leadership, the department was actively involved in civil engineering projects throughout the region as well as in developing well-qualified civil engineers. He is an active researcher in his specialty of construction engineering and management with a focus on site safety, quality, ethics leadership, and organizational movement.
Usmen continues to serve on a variety of national, state and local committees of technical and professional societies. He is a member of the House of Delegates of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), chairman of the PEHE Division of NSPE, past president of the Detroit Chapter of the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers (MSPE), past state president of MSPE, and a fellow of MSPE.
Usmen has received numerous academic awards for university teaching excellence such as MSPE's Outstanding Engineering in Education and Engineer of the Year awards, and ESD's Outstanding Council/Committee Leadership and Distinguished Service Awards.