Engineering professor makes lasting impact at UWindsor

Dean Mehrdad Saif is joined by faculty and staff to honour Dr. Shervin Erfani's (R) contributions.Engineering Dean Mehrdad Saif (L) is joined by faculty and staff to honour Dr. Shervin Erfani's (R) contributions to the Faculty of Engineering.

A University of Windsor engineering professor is helping students grasp more than complex electrical engineering concepts.

Shervin Erfani has made a six-figure dollar donation to the Faculty of Engineering to help students finance their education and foster collaboration in the classroom.

“The greatest reward I have ever been given is the simple opportunity to teach generations of young people how to think in an ‘engineering way’ about the world around them,” Dr. Erfani said at a gathering of his immediate family and colleagues, Friday in the Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation.

There, Dean of Engineering Mehrdad Saif unveiled the newly-named Dr. Shervin Erfani Learning Studio and recognized Erfani’s philanthropic investments to endow two scholarships in memory of his father Dr. Ibrahim Erfani. The scholarships will support undergraduate and graduate engineering students and are set to begin disbursing in 2020.

“These scholarships will empower our future engineering students for generations to come and showcase your life-long commitment to teaching and inspiring engineering students,” said Dr. Saif. “On behalf of the faculty and students, I’d like to thank you for your generosity.”

Shervin Erfani has taught electrical engineering at the university since 2002 and has been an industry consultant for more than 35 years.

“I want to express my appreciation for this latest gift by Dr. Erfani in support of our students and programs,” said UWindsor interim president Douglas Kneale. “We have such committed friends and supporters of the University, and when those friends and supporters are our own faculty members, it is even more deeply appreciated. It sets such a fine example of philanthropic leadership when it begins at home.”

  • Dr. Shervin Erfani Learning Studio, room 2103 of the Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation. This 40-seat dynamic classroom is a space where students will learn, collaborate and discover.
     
  • Dr. Ibrahim Erfani Undergraduate Scholarship in Engineering, to be granted annually to a full-time undergraduate student in the Faculty of Engineering who has special needs or a disability. This award is intended to recognize a student's determination, perseverance and commitment to the advancement of their engineering education.
     
  • Dr. Ibrahim Erfani Graduate Scholarship in Engineering, to be granted annually to a full-time female graduate student in the Faculty of Engineering Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. This award is intended to recognize a female student with a strong track record of academic excellence.

View photos from the event on the UWindsor Engineering Facebook page.