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CSUN Professors to be Honored by Valley Engineering Group

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Feb. 8, 2008) — Two Cal State Northridge professors, Behzad Bavarian and Sharlene Katz, will be honored later this month by the San Fernando Valley Engineers’ Council for their contributions to education and inspiring future generations of engineers.

The pair is scheduled to receive their honors on Saturday, Feb. 23, at the council’s 53rd consecutive National Engineers Week Honors & Awards Banquet at the Sportsman's Lodge in Studio City.

S.K. Ramesh, dean of CSUN's College of Engineering and Computer Science, said Bavarian and Katz reflect the quality and commitment of the faculty in his college to the field of engineering and ensuring that future engineers have the skills to succeed and continue to move the profession forward.

"Dr. Katz’s award recognizes her contributions to providing new educational opportunities to the regional workforce in information and manufacturing technologies, and for facilitating joint efforts among community colleges, universities and industry in this endeavor," Ramesh said. "Dr. Bavarian’s award recognizes his demonstrated long-term dedication and commitment to education in teach graduate and undergraduate courses, and undergraduate research.

"Both of these individuals are examples of the type of faculty we have in the College of Engineering and Computer Science," he said.

Bavarian, interim chair of CSUN’s Department of Manufacturing Systems Engineering and Management, will receive the council’s John J. Guarrera Engineering Educator of the Year of Award for 2008. The award is named for the pioneering Cal State Northridge engineering professor who university officials credit with saving the college from elimination more than 30 years ago. Guarrera died in 2006.

The Guarrera award, formerly known as the San Fernando Valley Engineers’ Council Educator of the Year Award, was renamed to honor and perpetuate Guarrera’s accomplishments and standards as "a model of excellence to be aspired to by future generations of engineering educators pioneering programs of the future," organizers of the event said.

Katz, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, will receive the council's William B. Johnson International Inter-Professional Founders Award. The award is named for one of the founders of the Engineers’ Council. It honors those engineers "who are deemed to exhibit qualities of dedication to principle, devotion to duty, our love of our engineering profession and the tenacity to achieve lofty goals," members of the council said.

The San Fernando Valley Engineers’ Council was established to advance the art and science of engineering for the general welfare of mankind.

Cal State Northridge’s College of Engineering and Computer Science is home to several nationally recognized programs where students gain valuable hands-on experience working alongside faculty members and industry professionals on cutting-edge research.