May 6, 2024
Faculty, staff and students were honored at the 2024 University Spring Awards ceremony and reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday, May 6 at the Owen Pavilion at the Madren Conference Center.
The awards ceremony recognizes faculty for teaching, research and service; staff members for exemplary contributions; and honors undergraduate and graduate students with achievement honors and awards. Two School of CEEES faculty were recognized among the twenty-four nominees.
Frank A. Burtner Award for Excellence in Advising
Mashrur “Ronnie” Chowdhury is a distinguished academic and researcher specializing in the intersection of transportation, cybersecurity and smart city technologies. He holds the prestigious Eugene Douglas Mays Chair of Transportation at Clemson University and serves as a professor in Automotive Engineering, Civil Engineering and Computer Science. Dr. Chowdhury is also recognized for his pivotal role as the founding director of the USDOT UTC National Center for Transportation Cybersecurity and Resiliency and the USDOT UTC Center for Connected Multimodal Mobility. Additionally, he co-directs the Complex Systems, Analytics and Visualization Institute (CSAVI).
Chowdhury completed his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the Bangladesh Institute of Technology in 1988, followed by a Master of Science in Transportation from Morgan State University in 1991. He then earned his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia in 1995.
Thomas Green Clemson Award for Excellence – Faculty
Cindy Lee has served as chair of the Department of Engineering and Science Education at Clemson University since 2013. She is also a professor in Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences (EEES) and in Biological Sciences. Her research interests include graduate education, mentoring and persistent organic pollutants in natural systems. From 2006 to 2007, she served as the founding program director of Environmental Sustainability at the National Science Foundation. She served as an associate editor for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry and as a member of various subcommittees for the science advisory board of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She was the first woman post-doctoral associate and faculty member in EEES. Lee served as interim associate dean of research and graduate studies for the College of Engineering and Science. She holds a Ph.D. in geochemistry from Colorado School of Mines, a BA in distributed studies (geology and chemistry) from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and a BA in English from Indiana University.