In the College of Engineering, professors place a great deal of emphasis on involving their students in cutting edge research projects. Many of these projects often expand the field and give students a sense of involvement in engineering.

Ajay Agrawal, a professor of mechanical engineering, is the 2013 recipient of the Blackmon-Moody Outstanding Professor Award. He is the first professor in the College of Engineering to receive this award in 23 years.

His research broadly focuses on energy concerns and making fuels environmentally efficient. In the beginning, he used porous materials and structures to reduce emissions from combustion. After the culmination of that project, his research shifted to working on reducing engine sound as well.

“To begin with, we reduced emissions, and then I realized that the sound is also an emission,” Agrawal said. “Sound is a pollution.”

He used the same concept of porous materials and applied it to sound. Agrawal studied emissions as a physical pollution and therefore tackled the problem in a similar manner.

“In my field, when people have an environmental problem, they solve it by cleaning the environment,” Agrawal said. “In terms of noise, that is what we do today. We clean the noise; we get rid of the noise. We address [it] at the root, and that is how the idea came.”

Clark Midkiff, head of the mechanical engineering department, said it was not hard to select Agrawal when it came time for nominations.

“He has done great things in recent years,” Midkiff said, “Our dean encouraged us, the department heads, to nominate someone, and I thought Ajay would be a really excellent person to nominate. And I did.”

Agrawal said research projects like his benefit the field in which they are conducted and elevate the University, and this trickles down to students.

“Research strengthens the educational mission,” Agrawal said. “It lifts the University’s stature, not only in our state, but nationally.”

Agrawal said he believes his research is an opportunity to contribute to the mission of the University.

“When we do something new research-wise, or we create something, it challenges everyone,” Agrawal said. “It enthuses people and ultimately creates new knowledge, and that is a vehicle for new wealth and new resources. We always talk about having limited resources, but the United States remains where it is because it has invested in innovation, in research, in cultivating people who understand that.”

Midkiff said research is an integral part of any prominent university.

“Research is important for a university’s reputation,” Midkiff said. “It’s important for faculty to become internationally and nationally recognized. It’s important for our country because innovation is what drives the economy over time.”

Research challenges faculty to stay up to date with their field and reinforces what they’re doing in the classroom, Midkiff said. It benefits their students and allows professors to give their classes an inside look at real-world application based on their own experiences.

Midkiff said he believes research and classroom activities are harmonious.

“I think they’re complementary; they help each other,” Midkiff said. “You have a better appreciation for what’s important. Research is not the enemy of undergraduate education. It’s an ally.”

Charles Karr, dean of the college of engineering, said he believes the union of cutting edge research and teaching acutely describes what faculty strive for at the University.

“Faculty at UA have a two-pronged mission: to push the boundaries of knowledge and to impart that knowledge to our students,” Karr said.

Agrawal said his key message for the University is that, by pushing boundaries, there is a brighter future ahead.