BCoE’s Ramirez-Avila receives SHPE Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award

John J. Ramirez-Avila

Mississippi State’s John J. Ramirez-Avila, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and co-graduate coordinator, has been recognized for his dedication to STEM and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers with the SHPE Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award.

This recognition is awarded to SHPE chapter advisors who have demonstrated STEM advocacy, commitment and support to SHPE’s mission and vision, and dedication to their chapter’s success and development. He was presented with the award at the recent 2024 SHPE National Convention in Anaheim, California.

“I am grateful to my students and alumni for their nomination and support. Their dedication, passion and creativity, both in and out of the classroom, especially from those involved with SHPE, Engineers Without Borders, the Soil and Water Conservation Society and my Watersheds and Water Quality Research Lab, consistently motivate and inspire me to achieve our goals,” Ramirez-Avila said. “I am also thankful to the Richard A. Rula School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Bagley College of Engineering and Chevron for supporting the outreach programs we advance in strengthened relationships with other MSU student organizations and my lab during the almost 10 years I have been advisor of SHPE.”

As MSU’s SHPE advisor, Ramirez-Avila and his chapter members have worked with other student organizations to promote outreach projects including the Catalpa Stream cleanup, Tarde de Ciencias, Water Day, Se Habla Español, Teaching Water and more.

MSU’s SHPE chapter was founded in 2008 and is open to any university student willing to promote awareness of Hispanic heritage.

Founded in 1974, SHPE is the nation’s largest association dedicated to uplifting the Hispanic community in STEM. With over 280 chapters and 20,000 members in the U.S., SHPE is the largest organization in the field.