The University of Florida’s Engineering Honor Society added some research brass to its roster last week by inducting four esteemed faculty members as Eminent Engineer members.
At its Fall 2024 initiation ceremony and banquet, Tau Beta Pi Florida Alpha initiated more than 65 new student members but also honored engineering professors – and now Eminent Engineers – Pamela Dickrell, Robert Ferl, Jian Li, and Juan Gilbert.
Pamela Dickrell, Ph.D.
A triple Gator, Dickrell is the associate dean for Student Affairs at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and a professor with Department of Engineering Education. Her research focuses on effective teaching methods and hands-on learning opportunities for undergraduate student engagement and retention. Her Ph.D. is in mechanical engineering, specializing in Tribology.
“Dr. Dickrell was nominated for the prestigious University Educator of the Year Award in 2022 by students and colleagues,” Tau Beta Pi leaders noted in her induction announcement. “Dr. Dickrell is celebrated in higher education for her engineering leadership and exemplary teaching and student affairs record at all levels.”
In the nomination, her students cited her leadership and ability to instill confidence.
Robert Ferl, Ph.D.
A distinguished professor and director of UF’s Astraeus Space Institute, Ferl is best known in recent months – and many months to come – as the first NASA-funded university researcher to conduct his experiments in space.
In an August sub-orbital mission aboard the Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, Ferl carried experimental plants in specially designed tubes attached to his flight suit that he activated four times during the trip.
He holds one of NASA’s most prestigious honors, the Exceptional Public Service Medal. He earned his Ph.D. and master’s degree in Genetics and Biochemistry from Indiana University and his bachelor’s from Hiram College in Ohio.
Juan Gilbert, Ph.D.
The Andrew Banks Family Preeminence Endowed Professor and chair of UF’s Department of Computer & Information Science and Engineering, Gilbert leads the Computing for Social Good Lab, which focuses on projects at the intersection of people, technology, and society.
Gilbert has been a national newsmaker in recent years. Last year, President Joe Biden honored Gilbert with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation for developing a secure and accessible voting system that accommodates voters with disabilities.
In October, Biden appointed Gilbert to the eight-member National Science Board.
“Dr. Gilbert became the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Cincinnati,” Tau Beta Pi noted note in the induction announcement. “He is an advocate of diversity in the computing sciences.”
Jian Li, Ph.D.
A professor with the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Li is the director of the Spectral Analysis Laboratory at UF. She is a fellow at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the Institution of Engineering and Technology. She holds an honorary membership in the European Academy of Sciences.
“Dr. Li has made fundamental contributions to radar topics ranging from probing waveform synthesis to adaptive receiver design. She is well-known as a prolific and profound researcher,” Tau Beta Pi leaders noted.
Li received the 1994 National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award and the 1996 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award. Li earned her Ph.D. and master’s degree in electrical engineering from Ohio State University.