Award Winners

The School of Engineering is delighted to announce the recipients of the 2021-22 faculty awards: Laura Doyle, Award for Teaching Excellence; Emre Araci, Researcher of the Year Award; Nicholas Pera, Adjunct Lecturer of the Year; and Steve Chiappari, Gerald E. Markle Award for Teaching Excellence in Applied Mathematics and Engineering.

Award for Teaching Excellence – Laura Doyle
Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

"Dr. Doyle is a champion of bringing equity into the classroom." This comment is representative of all the changes Laura Doyle has made to eliminate the disadvantages that students from underrepresented engineering groups face. Her creation of labor-based grading motivated students to focus on learning and mastering skills. She was part of the founding team that created SWIRL at Santa Clara University, which allowed students who underperformed on midterms to shine. Laura’s teaching approach empowers each student’s unique and individual learning styles and timelines. She checks in with her students before each class to identify any issues they may be struggling with. Her generosity and empathy towards students do not go unnoticed; for example, her SET evaluations for COEN 45 put her in the 98th percentile. One of her colleagues noted that “Her efforts have been a model that others have copied. Dr. Doyle has challenged and inspired us to continue our own growth as educators.”

Researcher of the Year – Emre Araci
Bioengineering

Emre Araci has extensive research accomplishments in multiple fields, especially medicine. His current research program focuses on developing wearable devices to monitor musculoskeletal disorders, the leading cause of disability in the world. Representative of Santa Clara's mission, Emre is also developing education kits for teaching human physiology to high school and college students utilizing the bioinspired device design and the simple fabrication methods available. Since joining SCU in 2015, Emre, as the corresponding author, has produced seven peer-reviewed, high-impact journal publications. He also received a prestigious NSF CAREER award entitled, “Human motion driven capillaric circuits for skin-mountable biosensors,” in 2021 that speaks to his significant achievement and impact in the field.

Adjunct Lecturer of the Year – Nicholas Pera
Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

Nicholas Pera has served as the department's industry advisory board chair and as an adjunct lecturer for many years. His knowledge from his job as COO for Truebeck Construction gives students relevant insight into the current industry. Nicholas' passion for the material he presents is appreciated by all and supports the betterment of the department. "The course stood out with respect to the way the instructor engaged the class. The professor is excellent, and he makes his classes very interesting to learn."

Gerald E. Markle Award – Steve Chiappari
Applied Mathematics

Steve Chiappari's career spans over thirty-two years at Santa Clara University. He is a distinguished teacher of Applied Mathematics and the Department Chair. He began teaching graduate courses in applied mathematics at Santa Clara in 1990. For many years, Steve served as co-director of the Center for Advanced Study and Practice of Information Assurance. His passion for teaching and commitment to our students can be seen through the diversity of courses he has taught in undergraduate and graduate programs.