Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science Education (E4S)

The E4S Award will be granted to an educator who has made a significant contribution to the profession in the area of educating practitioners. The award will be jointly administered by AAEES and AEESP and will be bestowed annually at the AAEES Academy Convocation and Celebration of Excellence. A monetary award of $1,000 with an additional $500 for travel by the award recipient to the annual awards ceremony will be granted to the winning nominee.

Examples of significant contributions include:

• Development of educational material or text that enhances the ability of students to succeed as professional environmental engineers serving as practitioners in roles such as infrastructure design and project leadership.
• Demonstration of successful course or curricula development aimed at educating practitioners. Successful deployment of the Environmental Engineering Body of Knowledge concepts.
• Creation of unique methods or curricula that challenge and inspire students in the area of environmental engineering practice.
• Demonstration of successful student educational outcomes (examples include: letters of support/nomination from former students currently practicing environmental engineering, former students passing PE, former students showing leadership as practitioners, critical projects that former students have led).
• Establishment of positive student mentoring relationships or programs.
• Contributions to the profession in terms of activity in professional organizations, delivery of lectures, and interaction with public agencies and the consulting community to bridge the gap between university education and environmental engineering practice.
• Open to all university faculty teaching environmental engineering.

Nomination packages should include: (1) a brief cover letter from the nominator; (2) brief curriculum vitae (4-page maximum) for the nominee, (3) documentation related directly to the award criteria consisting of no more than 30 pages, (4) one (minimum) to five (maximum) letters of recommendation from current or past students; and (5) one (minimum) to three (maximum) letters of recommendation from faculty, administrator, or industry peers. Past nominations will be carried over and considered for three years and can be modified during the current nomination period.

Information on where to submit a nomination package can be found here: https://aeespfoundation.org/awards/e4.

2026 Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science Education Recipient

Professor Hedy V. Alavi, Ph.D., MBA, P.E., BCEE

Dr. Hedy Alavi serves as the Associate Dean for Global Partnerships at the Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, where he has established numerous academic collaborations with prominent institutions worldwide. He also holds the position of Teaching Professor of Environmental Engineering in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, jointly at the Whiting School of Engineering and the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Alavi is the Chair of Johns Hopkins Engineering for Professionals Master’s degree programs in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Science, Environmental Planning and Management, as well as Climate, Energy, and Environmental Sustainability. He has developed and implemented several graduate degrees, certificates, and post-master’s certificate programs, and has mentored hundreds of students.

Dr. Alavi earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, with a focus on Environmental Engineering, and minors in Chemical Engineering and Applied Mathematics from the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering at Ohio State University. He also earned an MBA in Management from Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Alavi is a Chief Examiner and Board-Certified Environmental Engineer (life member) with the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists, as well as a life member of the American Society for Engineering Education. He serves on the Selection Committee for the Engineering Excellence Awards Competition of the American Council of Engineering Companies in Maryland. Dr. Alavi was a member of the founding workgroup that established the “Fundamentals of Engineering” examination for the Environmental Engineering discipline at the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. Before joining Hopkins, Dr. Alavi served as the Division Chief of the Design and Certification Division at the Maryland Department of the Environment.

Dr. Alavi has received the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award, presented “In recognition of extraordinary dedication to the University’s teaching mission, exceptional performance in the classroom, and a continuing commitment to tomorrow’s leaders.” He also earned an Excellence in Teaching Award from Johns Hopkins Engineering for Professionals and a Merit Award from the Maryland Department of the Environment.

Past Recipients