2011 Edition - Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - The ...

Faculty Awardsstudent in 2008, Calnon and other studentswanted to participate in the SpaceRobotics Challenge. Dr. Agah created aspecial topics course for the studentsand helped them write grant proposalsto fund the project and present it at theInternational Conference on Robotics andAutomation.Agah Earns Teaching Award“Professor Agah has a true desire tosee his students succeed. Whetherassisting students with their research orencouraging students to participate ineducational outreach, Professor Agahis always willing to spend as much timeand effort as necessary to provide hisstudents with opportunities to grow, bothacademically and personally,” says Calnon.EECS Professor Arvin Agahreceived a surprise visit from KUProvost Jeffrey Vitter and otherdignitaries during his Mobile Roboticsclass on August 23. They presented himwith a Kemper Fellowship for TeachingExcellence Award and a $7,500 check.Each fall the Kemper fellowships recognize10 outstanding teachers and advisers atKU. Now in their 16th year, the awardsare supported by an annual gift fromthe William T. Kemper Foundation andmatching funds from KU Endowment.Dr. Agah is the eighth EECS professor toreceive a Kemper award.Andrea Valdivia had Dr. Agah forSoftware Engineering in 2008. Studentsworked in small teams to develop aNintendo DS game, which she saidwas a great conversation starter duringinternship interviews. Valdivia said thecareer-oriented course showcased Dr.Agah’s strongindustrybackgroundand hispassion forsoftwaredevelopment.“ProfessorAgah'sSoftware Engineering class was one ofmy favorites at KU! It was an extremelyhands-on course that gave students aflavor of what it is like to develop solutionsfor real-world scenarios,” said Valdivia,who graduated in May and is working atthe Goldman Sachs world headquartersin New York. “His enthusiastic teachinghas made a lasting impression on me andcertainly countless others.”Mark Calnon returned to KU this fallto begin his doctorate work under thedirection of Dr. Agah. As an EECS graduateEECS doctoral studentChris Redford has Dr.Agah as his adviser.In addition to takingseveral courses from Dr.Agah, Redford conductsartificial intelligenceunder his direction."He has been a fantasticadviser. He findsinteresting elements in your ideas andhelps you develop a concrete plan for howto achieve them. I always leave his officewith a clearer idea of what I need to do andthe motivation to do it," says Redford. •Top Photo: EECS Professor Arvin Agah (left) examinesresearch findings with EECS doctoral student ChrisRedford.Inset picture: Mark Heider, president of CommerceBank, presents EECS Professor Arvin Agah with a $7,500check as part of his W.T. Kemper Fellowship for TeachingExcellence.EECS News 2011 9