Honors for doctoral advising, dissertations

Chin-Pao Huang, the Donald C. Phillips Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been recognized as an outstanding adviser of doctoral students.

The University’s Outstanding Doctoral Graduate Student Advising and Mentoring Award, which was presented at the end of the 2006-07 academic year, honors a faculty member whose dedication to graduate students and commitment to excellence in graduate training have made significant contributions to the quality of life and professional development of graduate students at UD.

A graduate of National Taiwan University, Huang has master’s and doctoral degrees from Harvard University. He joined the UD faculty in 1974 and served as chairperson of the civil and environmental engineering department from 1996-2001. His research interests include industrial wastewater management, aquatic chemistry, in-situ physical-chemical soil remediation, chemistry of heavy metal and its control, advanced chemical oxidation technologies and cryptosporidium inactivation technologies.

Huang has published four books and more than 150 scientific research papers and served as editor of Industrial and Hazardous Wastes and co-editor of Aquatic Chemistry. He is the recipient of the Outstanding Researcher of the Year Award and the Outstanding Environmental Service Award from the Overseas Chinese Environmental Engineers and Scientists Association and the Excellence in Service Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

At the reception where Huang’s award was presented, four graduating doctoral students also earned recognition for their work.

Xiaoyi Li, mechanical engineering, won the Allan P. Colburn Prize in Engineering and Mathematical Sciences for his dissertation, “Computational Study of Fluid Particles: Dynamics of Drops, Rheology of Emulsions and Mechanics of Biological Cells.” His adviser was Kausik Sarkar, assistant professor of mechanical engineering.

Adrian Rafael Duran, art history, won the Wilbur Owen Sypherd Prize in Humanities for his dissertation, “Il Fronte Nuovo Delle Arti: Realism and Abstraction in Italian Painting at the Dawn of the Cold War, 1944-50.” His adviser was Ann Eden Gibson, professor of art history.

Vedat Nefer Senoguz, physics, won the Theodore Wolf Prize in Physical and Life Sciences for his dissertation, “Aspects of Inflationary Models and Unification.”
His adviser was Qaisar Shafi, professor
of physics and astronomy.

Thomas B. Street, marine and earth studies, won the George Herbert Ryden Prize in Social Sciences for his dissertation, “Submerged Historical and Archeological Resources: A Study of the Conflict and Interface Between United States Cultural Resource Law and Policy and International Governance Measures.” His adviser was Gerard J. Mangone, University research professor of international and maritime law.