College of Engineering Associate Dean Mumtaz Usmen has been honored with the Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD) Affiliate Council's Gold Award. Usmen will accept the award, the most prestigious peer-to-peer recognition in the engineering, scientific and technical community, at the 37th Annual ESD Affiliate Council Gold Award Banquet Feb. 27 at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi, Michigan.

The Gold Award is presented annually to distinguished individuals who demonstrate outstanding professional achievement and community service.

The society will also be honoring several other members of the College of Engineering community at the banquet. Jeffrey Potoff, associate professor of chemical engineering, has been selected to receive the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Detroit Section's Chemical Engineer of the Year Award. Nabil Sarhan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, will receive the Southeast Michigan IEEE Chapter Outstanding Engineer of the Year Award. And Richard Gifaldi, a graduate student in civil engineering, will be the recipient of the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers (MSPE Detroit Chapter) Student Engineer of the Year Award.

Usmen was the chairman of the WSU Civil Engineering Department for 18 years until his appointment late last year as the college's associate dean of research. During his leadership, the department was actively involved in civil engineering projects throughout the region as well as in developing well-qualified civil engineers. He is an active researcher in his specialty of construction engineering and management with a focus on site safety, quality, ethics leadership, and organizational movement.

Usmen continues to serve on a variety of national, state and local committees of technical and professional societies. He is a member of the House of Delegates of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), chairmen of the PEHE Division of NSPE, past president of the Detroit Chapter of MSPE, past state president of MSPE, and a fellow of MSPE.

Usmen has received numerous academic awards for university teaching excellence such as the MSPE's Outstanding Engineering in Education and Engineer of the Year awards, and ESD's Outstanding Council/Committee Leadership and Distinguished Service Awards.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 11 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.