Augustyn and Garcia Menendez named 2021 recipients of Blessis Outstanding Undergraduate Advisor Award

Veronica Augustyn and Fernando Garcia Menendez received the Blessis Outstanding Undergraduate Advisor Award from the College of Engineering this year for their dedicated commitment to supporting students academically and personally.

The award, announced during the College’s virtual spring faculty meeting, recognizes faculty members who consistently and willingly give their time and effort to advising, counseling and mentoring students, as well as assisting student groups. It is also a continuing memorial to George H. Blessis, a faculty member whose interest in undergraduate education and advising serves as an example today.

Candidates are nominated by their department and are selected by the College of Engineering Teaching and Advising Awards Committee. The awardee receives $1,000 and a certificate, and the recipient’s name is engraved on a permanent plaque displayed by the College of Engineering.

Augustyn is an assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. She joined the NC State faculty in 2015, and in six years, she has helped ensure students have access to laboratory research and opportunities to see how engineering can be a mechanism for social change.

Augustyn founded the program SciBridge, which aims to increase global engineering education through the development and use of experiment kits on renewable energy for partner universities in east Africa. Students at NC State develop the kits. Her leadership of the program has been a great asset for many students, and at least one student each year has received a fellowship from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

A former student wrote that Augustyn always encouraged students, especially in pursuing leadership positions, and noted that Augustyn’s mentorship was one of the main reasons she decided to pursue graduate school and aspires to be a female faculty member. “She has been a constant source of inspiration for my own academic choices and career,” the student wrote about Augustyn. “I have watched her grow an academic empire for the last three-and-a-half years at NC State, all while being supportive of me and my own goals.”

Garcia Menendez joined the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering in 2016, and in that time, he has mentored approximately 20 students each semester. He has been active in improving diversity in engineering through several initiatives, including by founding the Future Ingenieros program, which encourages Latinx high school students to consider studying engineering.

He has also served on the department’s diversity and recruiting committee for two years, and he has helped with the Juntos Summer Academy program for Latinx students in eighth through twelfth grades. His mentorship and guidance extend even beyond his own students, helping those who are interested in engineering fields outside of his expertise connect with faculty members who could better introduce them to these interests.

Garcia Menendez is known for his responsive and thoughtful feedback and advice to students, especially when they are making important decisions. A colleague wrote that Garcia Menendez “takes pride and joy in advising students one-on-one, where he devotes attention to the specific needs of students, celebrating their individuality, while giving heartfelt career and study advice.”