Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award

Dr. Sriram Aaleti is a professor and associate department head for graduate studies in the department of civil, construction and environmental engineering at The University of Alabama. Since joining the University in 2013, he has advanced research and education in structural engineering while mentoring the next generation of engineers.   

Dr. Aaleti earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, followed by MS and PhD degrees in civil engineering from Iowa State University. His doctoral research focused on improving the seismic performance of concrete walls, setting the foundation for his long-term commitment to designing resilient infrastructure.   

At UA, Dr. Aaleti’s research addresses the durability and safety of reinforced concrete and timber structures under natural hazards, including earthquakes, wind and fire. He has developed novel precast systems and contributed to U.S. building codes, advancing the use of ultra-high performance concrete and cross-laminated timber in bridges and buildings. His research is published extensively, and he has led federally and state-funded projects and frequently presented his findings at national and international conferences.   

Beyond research, Dr. Aaleti is an active educator and leader. He has taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate structural engineering courses, supervised numerous graduate students and organized workshops and symposia to connect academia with industry. He serves on technical committees for the American Concrete Institute and the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, helping shape and improve industry practices.   

Dr. Aaleti has been recognized with multiple honors, including the Faculty Excellence Award for Undergraduate Education from UA’s College of Engineering, two Faculty Excellence in Graduate Education Awards in 2022 and 2025, the 2024 Donald H. McLean Civil Engineering Professor of the Year from the CCEE department, and the Prestressed/Precast Concrete Institute’s Educator of the Year Award in 2019.   

Through his research, teaching and service, Dr. Aaleti continues to strengthen UA’s role in advancing resilient infrastructure for the future.

Dr. Patrick A. Frantom is a professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry at The University of Alabama. He earned a BS in biochemistry from Louisiana State University in 1999 and a PhD in biochemistry from Texas A&M University in 2005, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.   

He joined UA’s faculty in 2009, where his research laboratory currently investigates bacterial pathways of iron-sulfur cluster assembly, with the goal of identifying new targets for antibiotic development. His lab utilizes techniques like mechanistic enzymology, hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry and application of sequence similarity networks to enzyme superfamilies. Dr. Frantom’s unique approach to teaching and research helps undergraduate students better understand health and disease at the molecular level.  

Since arriving at UA, Dr. Frantom has secured more than $3.5 million in external research funding, including an NSF CAREER Award in 2013 and two NIH R01 grants in 2015 and 2020. He has trained 18 graduate students, whose research has contributed to 27 peer-reviewed publications.  

A dedicated teacher, he regularly leads undergraduate and graduate courses ranging from large lecture sections of general chemistry to upper-level biochemistry courses. His student evaluations consistently reflect his clear communication, innovative use of active learning and dedication to student success. In his recommendations for this award, one student said, “Dr. Frantom didn’t just teach me biochemistry, he equipped me with knowledge I’ll carry into my future career in medicine.” She emphasized his respect for students and hands-on, collaborative teaching methods.  

Dr. Frantom’s service includes previous leadership as departmental assessment coordinator and director of graduate studies for the chemistry PhD program. He also helped lead the Barefield College of Arts & Sciences Reflective Teaching Workshop series, which has provided professional development for nearly 400 new faculty members. 

His contributions have been recognized with multiple honors, including the UA Provost’s Assessment Award for Outstanding Program Assessment in 2017 and selection as a Distinguished Teaching with Technology Fellow in 2014. 

Dr. Heather Ashley Hayes is an internationally recognized communication scholar and educator whose work bridges academic excellence with transformative public impact. She is an associate professor at The University of Alabama, where she directs UA’s largest PhD program in the College of Communication and Information Sciences.   

Her award-winning research on public communication, accessibility and social change has produced two books and numerous scholarly articles, including the development of a groundbreaking methodology in rhetorical and cultural studies.  

Beyond the University, Dr. Hayes brings complex and innovative ideas to broad public audiences, including a keynote at SXSW EDU and a recent TEDx talk on accessibility, learning and communication. She also works in partnership with schools, industry and nonprofit organizations to design new models of communication technologies.  

Dr. Hayes holds a PhD in communication studies from the University of Minnesota and a graduate degree in neuroscience from Harvard University. Drawing on her interdisciplinary expertise and lived experience with disability, her work deepens understanding of how the brain shapes learning and how accessibility drives innovation in communication and civic life.   

Over the past two decades, she has taught in collegiate classrooms worldwide, as well as in K–12 schools, refugee camps and healthcare facilities. Students describe her as “the blueprint of what an educator should be” and even “the Michael Jordan of professors—the greatest that’s ever taught.”   

Dr. Hayes is the recipient of the 2023 National Communication Association Donald Ecroyd Award for Outstanding Teaching in Higher Education and the 2024 Southern States Communication Association John I. Sisco Excellence in Teaching Award. She is a finalist for the 2025 National Brain Tumor Society Quality of Life Research grant and was recognized with the College of Communication and Information Sciences Board of Visitors Teaching Award in 2025. At the Capstone, she teaches and mentors students at every stage, from welcoming first-year students in the new UA 101 Legends course to guiding doctoral candidates through their dissertations.     

Dr. Kagendo Mutua is a professor of special education, co-founder and executive director of the nationally accredited CrossingPoints Program, and director of the office

of international programs in the College

of Education. Since joining The University

of Alabama in 2001, she has led transformative

efforts to strengthen teacher preparation

for severe disabilities across Alabama. Her teaching career has taken her from teacher preparation programs in Ohio, Oklahoma and Alabama to international schools across Latin America.  

Dr. Mutua’s work focuses on creating and expanding learning and life opportunities for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities through research, teaching and community partnerships. She has been awarded nearly $20 million in external funding from the U.S. Department of Education and other federal and state agencies to support the development of innovative models of serving youth with significant disabilities and preparing teachers and related transition personnel.  

A passionate educator and mentor, she enjoys guiding doctoral, master’s, and undergraduate students who are committed to developing and testing innovations in teaching and research. Her efforts lead to increasing opportunities for youth with significant disabilities to learn, work and thrive as valued members of their communities.  

Dr. Mutua describes her greatest privilege as the opportunity to directly impact the teaching of students with intellectual disabilities, whose persistence and presence continue to shape her understanding of what it means to belong.  

She earned her PhD in special education from Kent State University, an MS in special education from Clarion University, and a BEd in secondary education from Kenyatta University. Her research has been featured in leading publications within the field.   

Her contributions have been recognized through numerous honors, including the E. Rogers Sayers Distinguished Service Award, the McCrory Faculty Excellence Award for Service, and recognition in 2015 as one of Thirty-Four Women Who Shape the State. Her work embodies The University of Alabama’s enduring commitment to transforming lives through education.