RAPID CITY, SD (July 29, 2020) — A South Dakota Mines professor who teaches and leads
research into technology that would
convert plant matter into biofuels and value-added
products has been awarded the Waksman Outstanding Teaching Award by the Society of Industrial Microbiology and
Biotechnology.
Rajesh Sani, Ph.D., teaches in the Department
of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Department of Chemistry, Biology
and Health Sciences in addition to conducting more than $33.8 million in funded
research at South Dakota Mines.
“This is a very prestigious award
that highlights the achievement and dedication of our faculty to teaching,”
said Dr. Zhengtao Zhu, interim department head of the department
of chemistry, biology and health sciences.
The award is named for Nobel Laureate Dr. Selman Waksman who taught microbiology at Rutgers University.
Recipients of the award must be professors in the field of industrial or
applied microbiology or biotechnology and bioengineering at an institution of
higher education for a minimum of 10 years and be involved in both teaching and
research. The research must have led to advance in the area of industrial and
applied microbiology and biotechnology.
“This award is an excellent recognition for my research group’s
activities in extremophilic bioprocessing for various industrial applications,”
said Sani.
Dr. Ken Benjamin, interim
department head of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering,
added, “What is special about Dr. Sani’s work is his effectiveness and success
at integrating his state-of-art research into his teaching. This makes his
teaching materials and methods even more impactful and impressive.”
Sani will be presented the award at
the 2021 Society of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology annual meeting
Aug. 8-11 in Austin, Texas.
Earlier this year, Sani also
received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indian Association of Applied
Microbiologists. The award is given to an eminent microbiologist with minimum
of 20 years of experience and a range of publications, patents and awards.