Ablaze, as the awards program is known, was launched this year to acknowledge and celebrate the efforts of the university’s 300 faculties and staff in making Florida Poly a world-class leader in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.

The award winners were announced at the university’s first employee awards ceremony on April 18 at the Magnolia Building in Lakeland, Florida. About 90 employees were nominated for an award.

• The Award for Excellence in Research was presented to Dr. Arman Sargolzaei, assistant professor of electrical engineering, for his excellence in academic research, creative activity, scholarship, and contributions to expanding knowledge or its application in his field. Sargolzaei joined Florida Poly in 2016