Four faculty earn ‘distinguished’ status from Bagley College
May 3, 2013
Four Bagley College of Engineering (BCoE) faculty members have become the newest members the college’s Academy of Distinguished Teachers.
Amy Barton, Isaac Howard, Pedro Mago, and James Martin have been inducted into the college’s prestigious society.
The four inductees were selected based on nomination letters written by students and colleagues. These letters highlighted the faculty members’ dedication and expertise in their fields of study.
The 2013 Academy of Distinguished Teachers inductees include (alphabetically):
Amy Barton is an instructor in the college’s technical writing program. She specializes in helping engineering students develop their written and oral communication skills.
As a member of BCoE for eight years, Barton has also taught English and freshman seminar classes at Mississippi State. She has organized different aspects of events on campus, such as coordinating student volunteers for outreach opportunities including the Mississippi Science and Engineering Fair, the Bulldog BEST Robotics Competition and the 2012 American Society of Engineering Education Southeastern Section Conference. She also works with engineering faculty to support their communication instruction with the goal of preparing graduates to be professional, confident communicators. She holds a master’s degree in English from Mississippi State.
Isaac Howard is an associate professor and the Materials and Construction Industries Endowed Chair in the civil and environmental engineering department. He is known for being dedicated to students—from doctoral candidates to high school seniors.
Howard has taught many civil and environmental engineering classes such as construction materials, pavement materials and design, and material characterization. At the end of 2012, he had taught 2,377 credit hours. He has been vital in the development of a four-course engineering graduate program focusing on paving materials. He is also involved in different high school outreach programs for students interested in pursuing a civil engineering degree. A member of the American Society of Engineering Education, he earned a doctoral degree from the University of Arkansas in 2006.
Pedro Mago has been a faculty member in the BCoE since 2003. He is an associate professor of mechanical engineering where he holds a Tennessee Valley Authority Professorship in Energy Systems and the Environment. He is known to help his students connect mathematical theories and class concepts to real-world applications.
In addition to teaching mechanical engineering class such as thermodynamics, air conditioning and power generation systems, Mago is involved in different professional and student organizations. He serves as the faculty adviser for the Mississippi State chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers. He is also a member of the American Society of Engineering Education and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He holds a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Florida.
James Martin has more than 30 years of engineering experience and expertise in water quality management and modeling different water environments. He is a professor and the Kelly Gene Cook Sr. Charitable Foundation Chair in the department of civil and environment engineering He also serves as the department’s graduate coordinator and chair of its scholarship, graduate, and promotion and tenure committees.
Since joining the Bagley faculty in 2001, Martin has been sharing his knowledge of water quality modeling, environment engineering and water resource engineering. While teaching classes in water resources engineering and environmental issues, he has also been active on campus as a member of different faculty senates. His doctoral degree in civil and environmental engineering is from Texas A&M University.
Established in 2006 to highlight notable faculty members who have excelled in their areas of expertise and demonstrated a passion for education and students, the BCoE Academy of Distinguished Engineers has become a prestigious assembly of educators in the college.
For more information about the Bagley College of Engineering, visit the college’s website,www.bagley.msstate.edu.
By Mary Kate McGowan