Matt Nowinski, a collegiate associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been presented the 2025 Sporn Award from the Virginia Tech College of Engineering.

Nowinski earned his undergraduate in aerospace engineering and his master's degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech in 1991 and 1993 respectively, then a doctorate in mechanical engineering from EPFL in Switzerland.

Nowinski joined the faculty of the department in 2023 after a long career with Boeing, where he worked as a systems and software engineer for more than two decades. Following his retirement from that career, he returned to his alma mater to teach classes in computational methods and experimental measurements. He also mentors several student teams in both Mechanical Engineering and Interdisciplinary Capstone Senior Design.

"To borrow some phrases from my GenZ students, I am low key humbled to receive this prestigious award," Nowinski said. "Teaching is a two-way street, and to have the undergraduate students of the College of Engineering acknowledge my grind is actually fire."

The College of Engineering Sporn Award is given annually to an engineering faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in undergraduate instruction. The award was established in 1966 and made possible by gifts from Dr. and Mrs. Phillip Sporn as well as university alumni. Eligible faculty members are those who have not won the award in the past three years. The faculty member must have taught or is teaching at least one undergraduate course during the current academic year.