Viola Acoff, head of the department of metallurgical and materials engineering, was recently awarded for her dedication to increasing diversity in the field of engineering. Acoff was named a recipient of the Ellen Swallow Richards Diversity Award from The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society.
The national award recognizes an individual for “helping others to overcome personal, professional, educational, cultural or institutional adversity to pursue a career in minerals, metals and/or materials.” Acoff was the first black professor in the College of Engineering.