Three at Florida Tech Earn Faculty Excellence Awards

– Three Florida Tech faculty earned 2004 Faculty Excellence Awards for outstanding performance. They are Dr. Robert Taylor, associate professor of
humanities and communication, who earned the Kerry Bruce Clark Award for Excellence in Teaching; Hector Gutierrez, associate professor of mechanical and
aerospace engineering, who earned the Award for Excellence in Research; and Hamid Rassoul, professor of physics and space sciences, who earned the Andrew
W. Revay Jr. Award for Excellence in Service.

Colleagues and students describe Taylor, who has taught in the Department of Humanities and Communication for more than 10 years, as one of Florida Tech’s
finest teachers. Letters of appreciation and student evaluations indicate a consistently high regard for his knowledge, dedication and enthusiasm. Taylor
teaches Civilization 1 and 2, Introduction to Political Science, American History and Special topics in Social Studies: Florida History and Literature.

Gutierrez has established a strong research program in magnetic suspension systems. He has received two of the most prestigious national research awards, a
National Science Foundation CAREER Award of $375,000 and an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award of $299,000. Gutierrez has received
additional research support from NASA, the National Science Foundation and the Florida Solar Energy Center.

Rassoul is known for numerous professional service activities at Florida Tech and for his outreach to the community. In a two-year period, he served on 21
graduate student committees and is recognized for his strength in student advising. He also represents Florida Tech in the Florida Space Institute classes
at Kennedy Space Center. He has also helped colleagues in the humanities with research material translations from Persian into English.