Dr. Arun Srinivasa is the 2022 recipient of the prestigious Ben C. Sparks Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
Srinivasa was selected “for contributions to integrating technology to enhance the classroom learning experience and efforts to propagate design-thinking and decision-making as an integral part of an inclusive mechanical engineering curriculum,” according to the official ASME citation.
The ASME Ben C. Sparks Medal, established in 1980, recognizes eminent service to mechanical engineering or engineering technology education through outstanding contributions that bring innovative, authentic, practice-based engineering design/build experiences to undergraduate students.
Srinivasa serves as Holdredge/Paul Professor and Associate Department Head for Undergraduate Programs in the J. Mike Walker '66 Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University. He said he is deeply honored by the recognition, particularly by mentors and respected colleagues.
Srinivasa said he was drawn to Texas A&M for its land-grant mission to provide broad access to education and has spent his career thus far working to help others achieve their educational and life goals. With this award, he said he has been reaffirmed in this path.
"I have had the good fortune to meet key people at different stages in my career who have helped me in so many ways," Srinivasa said. "I think that my way of giving thanks to them is to be the good fortune to others. Ultimately, I feel that our impact as educators has to be in the people that we help, not in the grants or the accolades or the achievements. In the hustle of our daily life we tend to forget that and our world shrinks to the world of 'me.'"