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Photo collage of the 2021 Distinguished Achievement Award winners: Dr. Mahmoud El-Halwagi, Dr. Svetlana Sukhishvili, Dr. Ibere Alves, Dr. Aakash Tyagi and Dr. Gerard L. Coté.
The College of Engineering recipients of the 2021 Distinguished Achievement Award are (first row, from left) Dr. Mahmoud El-Halwagi, Dr. Svetlana Sukhishvili, Dr. Ibere Alves, (second row) Dr. Aakash Tyagi and Dr. Gerard L. Coté. | Image: Texas A&M Engineering

Five faculty members from the Texas A&M University College of Engineering were selected to receive a 2021 Distinguished Achievement Award from Texas A&M and The Association of Former Students. They were among 24 outstanding members of the university’s faculty and staff to be honored.

The College of Engineering recipients recognized for their research were Dr. Mahmoud El-Halwagi, professor and Bryan Research and Engineering Chair in Chemical Engineering, Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, and managing director of the Gas and Fuels Research Center; and Dr. Svetlana Sukhishvili, professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and director of the Soft Matter Facility. 

Dr. Ibere Alves, professor of practice, Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering, and Dr. Aakash Tyagi, professor of practice, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, were recognized for teaching; and Dr. Gerard L. Coté, Texas A&M Regents Professor, James J. Cain Professor I in Biomedical Engineering and director of the Center for Remote Health Technologies and Systems, was recognized for graduate mentoring.

The university-level Distinguished Achievement Awards were first presented in 1955 and have since been awarded to those who have exhibited the highest standards of excellence at Texas A&M. 

In recognition of their achievements, each recipient receives a cash gift, an engraved watch and a commemorative plaque.

See the complete list of honorees on the Dean of Faculties website.