Two College of Engineering faculty – Jessica Deters and Emmeline Lemos Watson – have received College Distinguished Teaching Awards from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. These $1,000 awards are in recognition of excellence in teaching and were established by the Nebraska Legislature in 1976.
Up to 15 awards are presented each year based on recommendations from the colleges, each of which have differing criteria for selection. The annual distribution of awards are as follows: one award for Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Business, and Fine and Performing Arts; two awards for Engineering; three awards for Education and Human Sciences; and six awards for Arts and Sciences. One award rotates annually between the Colleges of Architecture, Journalism and Mass Communication, and Law.
- Jessica Deters, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of Mechanical and Material Engineering and a Discipline Based Education Researcher in the college. In 2025, she received both the Harold and Esther Edgerton Junior Faculty Award from the UNL Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and the Henry Y. Kleinkauf Family Distinguished New Faculty Teaching Award from the college. Deters advises students in the Ph.D. in Engineering – Specialization in Engineering Education Research program, as well as undergraduate researchers with an interest in engineering education. In the classroom, she incorporated project-based learning into her Engineering Statistics & Data Analysis course, where students worked in teams to analyze real-world data related to their interests. The projects culminate in an end-of-semester symposium where students present posters of their work to their peers; this experience helps prepare them for senior design and future engineering jobs. Her current research is focused on examining how culture, education, and institutional structures influence student development, workforce readiness, and career outcomes. She is collaborating across the college to build connections with high schools in rural Nebraska, helping expand pathways to engineering across the state. Recent papers have been published in the Journal of Engineering Education, Biomedical Engineering Education, and European Journal of Engineering Education.
- Emmeline Lemos Watson is an assistant professor of practice in the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction. With a professional background in the built environment, she focuses on the integration of design, construction processes, and project delivery. Watson is also the inaugural Cook Teaching Fellow in the College of Engineering’s Faculty Teaching Fellows Program. Some of her continuing hands-on learning projects include Sheds for Hope™, now in its second year. More than 100 students in her Vertical Construction classes plan, design and construct small sheds – 11 in 2026 – over a one-week period outside Kiewit Hall that are then sold with the money donated to local charities. In her Construction Materials and Testing course, Watson created a materials-focused project where students design and fabricate concrete bowling balls using fiber-reinforced mixes. Students test their designs in a bowling competition, evaluating both performance and structural integrity. She also organizes job site visits and industry tours, giving students exposure to real construction environments and helping them connect classroom learning to professional practice.
