MACON – Mercer University School of Engineering Professor Dr. Richard O. Mines Jr. was named Engineer of the Year by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia (ACEC Georgia).
The Georgia Society of Professional Engineers (GSPE) coordinates the Engineer of the Year awards, which are judged by the Engineering Council of Birmingham. The purpose of the awards is to honor licensed engineers who have made outstanding contributions to the engineering profession, the public welfare and/or humankind.
Awards are presented annually for Engineer of the Year, Lifetime Achievement in Engineering, Engineer of the Year in Construction, Education, Government, Industry and Private Practice, and Young Engineer of the Year. Agencies, companies, organizations and universities submit nominees, who must hold a professional engineering license in a U.S. state or territory and must be a resident of Georgia.
“We are delighted that Dr. Mines was named this year’s Engineer of the Year by the ACEC,” said Dr. Laura Lackey, Georgia Kaolin Industry Chair and dean of the School of Engineering. “He is a perfect candidate for this prestigious award.”
Dr. Mines received the Engineer of the Year Award as the overall highest scoring nominee from the categories of Engineer of the Year in Construction, Education, Government, Industry and Private Practice. He received the honor during the 2022 Georgia Engineering Awards held March 19 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.
“I am very appreciative, humbled and honored to have been nominated and selected as the 2022 Georgia Engineer of the Year. This is the highest award that I have ever received. This recognition would have never been possible if it were not for my loving family that have supported me and all my colleagues and students with whom I have worked throughout my 42-year career,” said Dr. Mines. “How could I have ever imagined growing up in the mountains of Appalachia that I would go to college, become a professional engineer, earn a Ph.D. and go on to become a professor? Receiving this award was so unexpected, and I am truly thankful.”
Dr. Mines is a professor of environmental and civil engineering at Mercer. He has served in academia for 34 years and consulting for seven years, specializing in the design of water and wastewater treatment facilities.
He also serves as startup coordinator for the Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in civil engineering degrees at Mercer, where he has taught since 1998. He was previously on the faculty of the University of South Florida, where he was named Civil Engineering Professor of the Year twice and received the Teaching Improvement Plan Award three times for excellence in engineering education.
Dr. Mines is the author of two textbooks, Introduction to Environmental Engineering published by Pearson and Environmental Engineering: Principles and Practice published by Wiley, and he has published 94 refereed publications and proceedings, 20 other publications and reports, and made 63 presentations.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Virginia Military Institute, master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Virginia and Ph.D. in civil engineering from Virginia Tech.
About the School of Engineering
Mercer University’s School of Engineering, founded in 1985, offers innovative and academically challenging programs that provide students with a comprehensive education, featuring a solid foundation in mathematics and sciences, a core engineering curriculum, a range of courses in engineering specialties and a strong emphasis on communication technologies. The School is consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top three master’s-degree-level engineering schools in the Southeast. Known for its breadth of instruction in its undergraduate program and its five-year joint bachelor’s and master’s degree program, the School combines technical education with hands-on laboratory experience. Mercer engineers can look forward to joining fellow alumni in companies such as Robins Air Force Base, Mercer Engineering Research Center, Northrop Grumman, Georgia Power, Manhattan Associates and Gulfstream Aerospace.
