Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award

Yusuf A. Mehta, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering, expands students’ minds and capabilities in the classroom and beyond. He has revamped courses to focus on laboratory experiments and honed students’ problem-solving and critical thinking skills. A rigorous researcher, he pursues grants that provide funding for students who would not have been able to earn graduate degrees. During his 23-year Rowan career, the award-winning professor founded and directs the Center for Research and Education in Advanced Transportation Engineering Systems (CREATES), which conducts state-of-the-art research in transportation engineering. Mehta also established Rowan’s student chapter of Engineers Without Borders, bringing students to projects throughout the world. Additionally, he expanded the doctoral program. Students praise his student-centered approach and upbeat personality in helping them learn difficult material. They described him as a challenging teacher who asks “too much” of them, yet inspires them to meet his expectations. Often, they later recognize his courses were the most impactful of their time at Rowan, according to the Lindback Award selection committee.