MACON – Mercer University School of Engineering faculty member Dr. Natalia Cardelino received the American Society for Engineering Education Southeastern Section (ASEE-SE) Outstanding New Teacher Award for 2022.
ASEE was founded in 1893 and remains the only organization that seeks to promote excellence in engineering education across the full spectrum of engineering fields. The Southeastern Section was formed in 1934 and has grown to more than 2,000 members from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
The Outstanding New Teacher Award recognizes one faculty member per year from the section who has less than four years of teaching experience and has demonstrated excellence in the classroom.
“We are delighted that Dr. Cardelino is recognized by the American Society for Engineering Education for her teaching excellence,” said Dr. Laura Lackey, Georgia Kaolin Industry Chair and dean of the School of Engineering. “Dr. Cardelino brings her real-world experiences and passion for civil engineering into the classroom, laboratory and research experiences.”
Dr. Cardelino has been an assistant professor of environmental and civil engineering at Mercer since 2018, the same year she received her Ph.D. in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Before earning her Ph.D., she worked as a structural consulting engineer for 17 years, first at Arup in its London, New York and Boston offices, and most recently at Uzun+Case Engineers in Atlanta. She is a licensed professional engineer and is LEED accredited.
“Throughout my career, I’ve always been passionate about teaching and mentoring young engineers,” said Dr. Cardelino. “Mercer University provided me with the opportunity to do so, and ASEE-SE has guided me on critically evaluating my teaching methods and improving on them. I am honored to receive this award.”
Dr. Cardelino’s specializations include structural analysis and design using steel, concrete and timber. Her current research interests include producing sustainable concrete mixes by replacing a portion of energy-intensive portland cement with limestone powder and metakaolin. She is also interested in the potential of using mine tailing debris as construction material in developing countries.
Dr. Cardelino also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering, both from Cornell University.
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.
