News 2020: Engineering professor honored for outstanding commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Dr. Arghavan Louhghalam is the recipient of the 2020 College of Engineering Faculty Award for Excellence in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

Dr. Arghavan Louhghalam, assistant professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is the inaugural recipient of the College of Engineering Faculty Award for Excellence in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The award recognizes Louhghalam’s leadership in fostering a learning environment that embodies diversity, equity, and inclusion to prepare the next generation of culturally competent scientists and engineers.

The award review committee noted Louhghalam’s initiative in designing and participating in workshops that increase participation of junior high and high school girls in civil and structural engineering; her involvement in the Society of Women Engineers; and her leadership in a National Science Foundation effort to support panels and workshops on approaches to increase diversity and inclusion in engineering mechanics.

Prior to joining UMass Dartmouth as an assistant professor, Louhghalam served as a postdoctoral research associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Concrete Sustainability Hub. She holds a PhD and an MS in Engineering Mechanics from Johns Hopkins University, as well as an MS in Earthquake Engineering from the University of Tehran and a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Iran University of Science and Technology. In recognition of her contributions, Louhghalam has received a $1,000 award.