Azad Madni Receives NAE’s 2023 Gordon Prize
For the second year in a row, a faculty member from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering was awarded the National Academy of Engineering’s (NAE) Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education.
This year, the recipient of this prestigious honor, which recognizes the introduction and cultivation of “new modalities and experiments in education that develop effective engineering leaders,” is Azad M. Madni, a systems engineering pioneer, holder of the Northrop Grumman Foundation Fred O’Green Chair in Engineering and University Professor of Astronautical Engineering.
Madni, who was also elected to the NAE in 2021 is recognized for his work that the NAE said, “defined the field of transdisciplinary systems engineering and created the transdisciplinary systems engineering education (TRASEE™) which fosters out-of-the-box thinking while enhancing retention and recall of concepts and facts through innovative storytelling and role-playing approaches.”
Through TRASEE, said the NAE, Madni “transformed USC’s Systems Architecting and Engineering Program by incorporating content from complementary disciplines in the curriculum” and also redefined the teaching approach by “combining storytelling with pedagogical principles from the learning sciences.”
Please click here to continue reading more about Professor Madni’s accomplishments. Fight on!
Kelvin J. A. Davies is Interim Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to share that Dr. Kelvin J. A. Davies is now serving as Interim Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs. His role in this capacity will continue during my tenure as Interim Provost.
In this role, Dr. Davies has oversight of all academic and faculty affairs for the university, including promotion and tenure processes.
Dr. Davies is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Gerontology, Molecular & Computational Biology, and Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine. He has over 30 years of service at USC, including a long history of leadership roles in academic affairs and research. You can learn more about his remarkable career at https://gero.usc.edu/faculty/davies/.
He has already begun his leadership role in the Office of Academic and Faculty Affairs. You can always learn more about the office and connect with the team here: https://evp.usc.edu/.
Please join me in thanking Dr. Davies for his service.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth A. Graddy
Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs