Honors and Awards

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Research and Academic Advisor to the recipient of NSF GRFP Fellowship (2024 - present)

The NSF GRFP Fellowship is a nationally prestigious award that recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in their early careers. The fellowship provides a three-year annual stipend of $37,000, a $16,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees, and access to opportunities for professional development. Trenton Henderson joined my research group in 2020 and is my current Ph.D. student.

MGB-SIAM Early Career Fellowship (2023 - present)

The MGB-SIAM Early Career (MSEC) Fellowship is a national award and was established in 2021 by MGB (Mathematically Gifted & Black) and SIAM (Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics). The fellows are selected based on their achievements, support to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and commitment to industrial and applied mathematics, computational science, and data science. There are 8 fellows in the 2023 class of MGB-SIAM Early Career Fellows.

Research and Academic Advisor to the recipient of the AIAA Best Student Paper Award in CFD (2024)

The paper and presentation on “Thermochemical Non-Equilibrium Modeling in a Continuous-Galerkin, Finite-Element Framework” entered in the AIAA CFD Student Paper Competition at the 2024 AIAA Aviation was awarded 2nd place by the AIAA Fluid Dynamics Technical Committee (FDTC). Nicole Nutter joined my research group in 2022.

Research Advisor and Mentor to the recipient of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Summer Research Funds (2024)

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Summer under the Education Collaboration Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory provided a paid summer research opportunity ($7,500 for 10 weeks). Aidan Lay found his interest in computational research through my engineering analysis course (ME 391) and joined my research group in 2024.

Mentor to the recipient of Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (2024)

The Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) provides a paid research opportunity ($6,500 for 10 weeks) at the U.S. Department of Energy's lab. Austin Fisher works in Dr. Seokpum Kim's computational mechanics research group at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Austin found his interest in computational research through my engineering analysis course (ME 391).

Featured by SIAM for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (2023)

The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) recognized and honored the importance of Asian American and Pacific Islander mathematicians throughout history and their contributions to applied mathematics and computational and data science. 

Research Advisor and Mentor to the recipient of the John S. Foster Jr. Undergraduate Fellowship (2023)

The John S. Foster Jr. Undergraduate Fellowship was founded to honor Foster's contribution to Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) and national security issues. The fellowship provides research mentorship and a summer stipend of $15,000. Thomas Scott (the first Foster Fellow) found his passion in programming and numerical methods through my engineering analysis course (ME 391). In Fall 2022, he joined my research group.

Office of the Provost Research Development Academy Scholar (2022 - 2023)

The Research Development Academy (RDA) provides workshops and additional supports for tenure-track faculty from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. This award includes a 12-week participation in the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity's Faculty Success Program and a stipend of $4,000 to support the faculty's research, scholarship, and/or creative activities.

MABE Advocacy for Diversity and Inclusion Award (2021)

This award is in recognition of the faculty efforts to promote diversity and inclusion as well as her hard work and active participation in the college diversity committee. This award includes a financial gift of $1,000.

UTK 1794 Scholars Program Mentor to the recipient of the 1st-place poster presentation award for campus involvement category (2020)

The 1794 Scholars Program is a two-year honors program for students who are dedicated to both academic excellence and active participation at UT and Knoxville areas. The mentee, Nicholas Crowder, presented about his experience as the treasurer of the Student Space Technology Association and won first place in the campus involvement category.

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

François-Xavier Bagnoud Fellowship (2016 - 2020)

The fellowship is awarded to one Ph.D. student at the Department of Aerospace Engineering of the University of Michigan for his/her outstanding academic record, commitment to the study of flight vehicles, and the potential of broad impact of his/her work. Student must be nominated by his/her faculty adviser to be considered for this fellowship. This fellowship provides full coverage of tuition, fees, health insurance, and stipend for up to a maximum of four years and $5,000 professional development funds. For more information about François-Xavier Bagnaoud Fellowship, please click on this link.

Center for Engineering Diversity & Outreach Mentor of the Year (2017-2018)

The University of Michigan Center for Engineering Diversity & Outreach (CEDO) gave this award to recognize mentors for their commitment in creating an environment that celebrates diversity, equity, and inclusion for students with disadvantaged backgrounds and first-generation college students. Mentors must be nominated by their protégés for having the commitment to make a difference in their academic success.

Richard and Eleanor Towner Prize Nominee from the Aerospace Engineering Department for Outstanding Ph.D. Research (2017)

This is a college-level competition across all departments/programs for Ph.D. graduate students who are on-track to receive (graduate with) their degree between May 2018 - December 2018. It is intended to highlight the innovation and creativity demonstrated by our Ph.D. students, and to reward their outstanding research achievements. Departments/programs may each present up to two graduate students for this award. Candidates must present a poster at the Engineering Graduate Symposium.

Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship (2016 - 2017)

The $10,000 fellowship is awarded to 35 talented women, pursuing Ph.D./doctoral degree in aerospace-related sciences or aerospace-related engineering around the globe. Women of any nationality pursuing Ph.D./ doctoral degree, who demonstrate a superior academic record in the field of aerospace-related sciences or aerospace-related engineering, are eligible. For more information, please click on this link.

Best AIAA Student Paper Award in CFD  (2015)

The paper and presentation on “Improving High-Order Finite Element Approximation Through Geometrical Warping” entered in the AIAA CFD Student Paper Competition at the 22nd CFD Conference at the Aviation 2015 was awarded 1st place by the AIAA Fluid Dynamics Technical Committee (FDTC). This award represents a significant achievement, given that there were 36 papers entered in the competition.

Featured Alumna on the GRC Dynamics Newsletter (2015)

I was chosen to be one of the three Green River College (GRC) alumnus who were selected to be featured in the first newsletter for its engineering and computer science alumnus.

Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery and Engineering Fellowship (2015 - 2016)

The Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery and Engineering (MICDE) gave this award to students enrolled in graduate studies in computational science. The award was based on exceptional academic record and the quality of ongoing research. There were more than 70 applicants, and only three Ph.D. students and six graduate students in the certificate program received this award.

James B. Angell Scholar (2011)

This award was given to undergraduates who achieve an “A” record (all grades of A+, A, or A-) for two or more consecutive term.

E.A. Stalker Aerospace Research Scholarship (2010)

This scholarship was awarded to aerospace undergraduate students to do cutting-edge research in aerospace engineering with a faculty member in the University of Michigan during summer. I submitted a research proposal on the topic of atmospheric contaminant transport problem to the Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) Program.

Tau Beta Pi (MI-Gamma) Outstanding Electee (2010)

This award was given to one Tau Beta Pi electee in MI-Gamma chapter based on the commitment to the completion of the initiation process and community services.

University Honors (2009 - 2011)

This honor was given to undergraduates who took at least 14 credits hour in a semester and earned a 3.5 grade point average or higher during that term.

Dean's Honor List (2009 - 2011)

This honor was given to undergraduates who took at least 12 credits hour in a semester and earned a 3.5 grade point average or higher during that term.

Green River College

GRC Mathematics Division Award (2009)

This award was given to one outstanding student enrolled in Green River College for his/her ability and interest in the field of mathematics.

GRC Best International Student in the Area of Natural Science (2009)

This award was given to one outstanding international student enrolled in Green River College for his/her ability and interest in the field of natural science.

GRC Scholastic Award (2009)

This award was given to several students enrolled in Green River College for their academic performance.

David Bender Memorial Scholarship (2008 - 2009)

This scholarship was given to a student enrolled in Green River College with excellent academic records and superb ability in mathematics.

ASGRC Scholarship (2008 - 2009)

This scholarship was given to several students enrolled in Green River College based on their leadership experiences.

In addition to honors and awards mentioned above, I also joined several honor societies: Tau Beta Pi (engineering), Sigma Gamma Tau (aerospace), and Phi Kappa Phi (all disciplines).