Mechanical engineering professor Robert Boehm has been named the inaugural recipient of the Harry Reid Silver State Research Award, UNLV President Carol C. Harter has announced.
"I am delighted to announce the selection of professor Robert Boehm as our first recipient of this prestigious award," Harter said. "He is an internationally recognized engineer who is dedicated to researching renewable energy work that can have a tremendous impact on our community and state. He possesses superb credentials and has exhibited an impressive commitment to his work. The award is well deserved."
The award, named in honor of U.S. Sen. Harry Reid for his support of research activities on campus, was created to recognize faculty engaging in research that is both highly regarded and responsive to the needs of the community and state. Each year, it will be presented to a faculty member who conducts research that meets at least one of the following criteria: research that 1) directly and positively affects the economic growth and development of Nevada; 2) addresses a pressing social need; or 3) demonstrably advances significant scholarship in an academic field of knowledge.
Harter said she is pleased to be able to acknowledge faculty achievement with the award and to honor Reid simultaneously.
"Senator Reid has been wonderfully supportive of the university's research activities, which are, of course, integral to our efforts to continue building our academic reputation. We are grateful to the senator for his support and feel he should be recognized for it."
Sen. Reid said, "I would like to congratulate professor Boehm on receiving this award. I am deeply honored to be associated with the award and the outstanding scholars who receive it. UNLV is becoming the home of world-class research programs. I am proud of the university's accomplishments in general and, in particular, of the achievements of professor Boehm."
This year, 11 faculty members were nominated by their peers for the award, which carries with it a $10,000 cash stipend provided by the UNLV Foundation.
"The UNLV Foundation is pleased to support such a worthwhile recognition program," said John Gallagher, UNLV vice president for development. "Senator Reid fully understands how important high-quality research is to the future of Nevada. It is only fitting that this award be established in the senator's name and that a researcher with a truly international reputation like Bob Boehm be the first recipient. We are very proud to help honor these great citizens for their contributions to the university and the community."
Boehm, who is the director of UNLV's Center for Energy Research, has authored nearly 400 technical publications and has served as editor, co-editor, or author of 10 books. He is considered one of the world's experts in the fields of design of thermal systems and direct contact heat transfer, and he has served as the principal investigator on 40 funded research projects, many of which are designed to produce cleaner and more cost-effective energy.
He has also been instrumental in establishing numerous university, government, and private industry partnerships dedicated to advancing research on and applications for renewable energy, including solar, hydrogen, and geothermal power.
An example of one such partnership is the Dish Stirling Project, the solar power generation system located on the north side of the campus that serves as the focal point of a two-year federally funded project through which engineering faculty and students are demonstrating and refining the functioning of the solar power system. Boehm has served as the principal investigator on the project.
"I am honored to receive this award," Boehm said. "I would like to thank the administration and the selection committee for recognizing my work. I believe in the importance of developing renewable energy and that it can have a valuable impact on society."
Boehm, who joined the UNLV engineering faculty in 1990, has received numerous other awards, including the UNLV Distinguished Teaching Award and the Barrick Senior Research Award. He has served in a variety of capacities within the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering, including department chair and director of research. He has played a leading role in the creation of a graduate degree in biomedical engineering that will soon be offered in the college and has been instrumental in developing an innovative program in entertainment engineering. He is also well-known for his dedication to teaching and involving students in his research. Before joining UNLV, he was a professor and administrator at the University of Utah for 22 years.
He holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from Washington State University.
