May 19, 2003

Steer, Genzer and Lazzi Receive Alcoa Foundation Engineering Research Awards

At the May 14 spring faculty meeting, Dean Nino A. Masnari (second from right) presented Alcoa Foundation Engineering Research Awards to Dr. Jan Genzer (left), assistant professor of chemical engineering; Dr. Michael B. Steer (second from left), professor of electrical and computer engineering; and Dr. Gianluca Lazzi (right), assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. (Photo: Kathi McBlief)

The Alcoa Foundation Engineering Research Awards for 2003 were presented to Dr. Michael B. Steer, professor of electrical and computer engineering; Dr. Jan Genzer, assistant professor of chemical engineering; and Dr. Gianluca Lazzi, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, at the May 14 spring faculty meeting for the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University. Steer received the Alcoa Foundation Distinguished Engineering Research Award, and Genzer and Lazzi were awarded the Alcoa Foundation Engineering Research Achievement Award.

The annual awards program was established with support from the Alcoa Foundation in 1978 to encourage basic or applied research or research in original design. The Alcoa Foundation Distinguished Engineering Research Award is made to a senior faculty member for research achievements over a period of at least five years at NC State. The Alcoa Foundation Engineering Research Achievement Award is intended to recognize young faculty who have accomplished outstanding research achievements during the preceding three years.

Steer’s research activities are internationally recognized in the field of high frequency microelectronics technology. He has been a faculty member at NC State since 1983. In the past five years, he has published 42 peer-reviewed journal articles, 55 refereed conference papers and three book chapters; co-authored one book; and received numerous awards, including two service recognition awards from the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society in 1998 and 2001, election as an IEEE Fellow in 1999, appointment as editor of the IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques in 2003 and selection as the GOMAC Kilby Lecturer in 2003. Steer has garnered more than $17 million in grants in the past five years, including an MURI award given only to top researchers. Steer received his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, in 1976 and 1983, respectively.

Genzer received his award for his contributions to polymeric thin film engineering. In four and a half years at NC State, he has received several awards, including the NSF Faculty Early Career Development (Career) Award, the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, the 3M Non-tenured Faculty Award and the Sigma Xi Research Award. Since coming to NC State, Genzer has authored or co-authored 22 peer-reviewed journal articles, five non-peer-reviewed articles, and three book chapters. He has been invited to give 50 scientific presentations in the U.S. and abroad. Genzer received his materials and chemical engineering diploma from the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague, Czech Republic, in 1989 and his doctorate in materials science and engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996.

Lazzi’s research is in the area of applied electromagnetics and biomedical engineering. His awards and honors include the NSF Faculty Early Career Development (Career) Award, the Whitaker Foundation Biomedical Engineering Grant and Young Investigator Award, the International Union of Radio Science Young Investigator Award and the Curtis Carl Johnson Memorial Award. In spring 2003 Dr. Lazzi received the NC State Outstanding Teacher Award. In four years at NC State, he has published 24 peer-reviewed journal articles and 45 peer-reviewed conference papers. He is currently completing work on a book entitled Safety Assessment and Medical Applications of Electromagnetic Fields with Dr. Om Gandhi. He is an associate editor for IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters. Lazzi received his Dr.Eng. in electronic engineering from the University of Rome “La Sapienza,” Rome, Italy, in 1994 and his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Utah in 1998.

— rudd —

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