02/08/2019
Dr. Erick Jones and the RAID team are very proud of Dr. Dereje Agonafer for being elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an Engineer.
Also, the fact that Dr. Jones has been able to witness Dr. Agonafer's outstanding research, graduation of top PhDs and graduate students, and his mentoring the NSBE chapter at UT Arlington makes this recognition at UT Arlington even sweeter.
Dr. Jones considers Dr. Agonafer as one of his role models and is very excited for Dr. Agonafer and his family.
Dr. Agonafer is a proud African American who Dr. Jones considers a true advocate for science and engineering. Dr. Jones added, "He allows me to be proud because he lets his science and his actions demonstrate that diversity is just not lip service but those who work hard don’t need to fight with our mouths and demand respect with our science."
Also of note, Dr. Darryll Pines and Dr. Gilda Barabino are two of his close friends who also were named to the National Academies.