Three distinguished faculty and staff members were recognized during Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s annual Commencement Awards ceremony on May 28 in Hatfield Hall for their outstanding contributions to teaching, scholarship, and service to the campus community.

Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering Irene Reizman, PhD, earned the Board of Trustees’ Outstanding Scholar Award; Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Amir Danesh-Yazdi, PhD, received the Dean’s Outstanding Teacher Award; and Events Manager Tracy Crosby was presented with the President’s Outstanding Service Award.

The trio were recognized before faculty, staff, and campus leaders during the annual pre-Commencement celebration honoring employees whose work reflects Rose-Hulman’s mission of providing the world’s best undergraduate STEM education in an atmosphere of individual attention and support. 

“Tonight, we celebrate just a few of those people whose dedication, service, innovation, and care help make Rose-Hulman such a special place,” President Robert A. Coons said during the ceremony.

Reizman was recognized for her nationally recognized scholarship and transformational leadership in undergraduate research mentoring at Rose-Hulman. 

As originator of the Rose Research Fellows program, Reizman has helped expand hands-on undergraduate research opportunities for first- and second-year students by connecting them with faculty mentors and meaningful research experiences early in their academic careers.

The success of that initiative has also become a major focus of her own scholarship. Reizman currently serves as principal investigator on a collaborative National Science Foundation grant focused on developing and assessing research mentor training programs in engineering education.

This year, Reizman received national recognition with the 2026 Leadership in Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award from the Council on Undergraduate Research Engineering Division. The award honors faculty members who demonstrate exceptional dedication to mentoring undergraduate researchers and fostering impactful student research experiences. 

In addition to her work in engineering education and mentoring, Reizman’s research interests include synthetic biology and renewable chemical production through bio-based processes. She has supervised dozens of undergraduate research students and mentored multiple teams participating in the international iGEM synthetic biology competition. 

“Dr. Reizman has played a leading role in expanding undergraduate research opportunities at Rose-Hulman, helping to strengthen a campus culture of inquiry, innovation, and collaboration,” Board of Trustees Chair Carl Cook said during the presentation. “As a result, more students than ever are becoming confident researchers and problem-solvers.”

Danesh-Yazdi was honored for his dynamic teaching style, deep commitment to student learning, and ability to make complex engineering concepts approachable and engaging for students.

Students and colleagues praised his passion for teaching, thoughtful course organization, and ability to connect theory with real-world engineering practice through demonstrations, diagrams, animations, and interactive lectures.

“One student wrote that he ‘teaches with passion and enthusiasm that helps students develop their own appreciation for the material,’” said Dean of Faculty Renee Rogge, PhD, while presenting the award. “Another said he ‘just makes everything in the class make sense.’” 

Danesh-Yazdi teaches a range of courses within the Department of Mechanical Engineering, including statics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, vibration analysis, and mechanics-focused engineering courses. Students consistently noted his accessibility, humor, and genuine investment in their success both inside and outside the classroom.

“Perhaps the strongest measure of his teaching is that students leave his classes understanding more, thinking and reasoning more clearly, and eager to learn more,” Rogge said. “That is a lasting gift to our students.”

Crosby, who is preparing to retire later this year after nearly two decades of service to the college, was honored for her extraordinary dedication to supporting campus operations, events, students, and visitors.

In her role as events manager, Crosby has coordinated thousands of campus reservations, meetings, programs, weddings, conferences, and special events while becoming one of the campus community’s most trusted and dependable resources. 

Her work regularly involves managing complex logistics, room scheduling, accessibility considerations, technical requests, catering coordination, and last-minute changes—often behind the scenes and outside traditional work hours.

“Her professionalism, dedication, kindness, and unwavering commitment to others have left a lasting mark on this institution,” Coons said. 

Colleagues particularly praised Crosby’s calm demeanor, positive attitude, and ability to mentor and support student employees over many years. 

“One nominator wrote that ‘she is the epitome of individual attention and support,’ and that description could not be more fitting,” Coons added. 

Throughout the ceremony, campus leaders emphasized that the accomplishments of the award recipients reflect the broader culture of excellence, care, innovation, and student-centeredness that continues to define the Rose-Hulman community.