06/30/2026
ASHRAE recognized outstanding member achievements during its 2026 Annual Conference in Austin, TX, honoring individuals whose leadership, service and technical excellence have advanced the society and the built environment. Through the ASHRAE Honors and Awards program, recipients were recognized for their contributions to innovation, sustainability, research, education and the continued advancement of HVACR and building sciences.
ASHRAE Honors and Awards recipients recognized for outstanding leadership, service and contributions to the HVACR industry.
“ASHRAE’s strength is built on the expertise, dedication and leadership of its members,” said 2025–26 ASHRAE President Bill McQuade, P.E., CDP, Fellow ASHRAE, LEED AP. “This year’s Honors and Awards recipients have made meaningful contributions to our society, our industry and the communities we serve. Their achievements exemplify ASHRAE’s commitment to advancing the built environment and creating a more sustainable future.”
Dan Mills Chapter Programs Award
Alvin Lo, Director, Decarbonization Business, CLPe, received the Dan Mills Chapter Programs Award, which recognizes excellence in chapter program endeavors.
Donald Bahnfleth Environmental Health Award
Iain Walker, Staff Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, received the Donald Bahnfleth Environmental Health Award, which recognizes excellence in volunteer service focused on environmental health issues.
George B. Hightower Technical Achievement Award
Pratik Deokar, Research Engineer, Rheem Manufacturing Company, received the George B. Hightower Technical Achievement Award, which recognizes excellence in volunteer service in the area of Technical Committee, Technical Group and Technical Research Group activities.
Government Affairs Award
Eid Mohamed Abdelmoneim, Senior Mechanical Engineer – Design Department, Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, United Arab Emirates, received the Government Affairs Award. The award recognizes individuals for outstanding effort and achievement in state, provincial and local government activities in connection with technical issues related to the society.
Lincoln Bouillon Award
Kwaku Asiedu Boateng, Sales and Marketing Manager, Atlantic Climate Control, received the Lincoln Bouillon Award, which recognizes a member who performs the most outstanding work in increasing membership. The award commemorates Presidential Member Bouillon’s efforts in recruiting new members.
Ralph G. Nevins Physiology & Human Environment Award
Federico Tartarini and Meng Kong, Ph.D., received the Ralph G. Nevins Physiology & Human Environment Award, which recognizes significant accomplishment in the study of human response to the environment. Tartarini is an Assistant Professor at The University of Sydney, and Kong is a Principal Engineer at GTI Energy.
Standards Achievement Award
Steven Emmerich, Group Leader, U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, received the Standards Achievement Award, which recognizes excellence in volunteer service for developing ASHRAE standards and guidelines.
William J. Collins, Jr. RP Award
Kevin Clannon, Senior Applied Sales Specialized Equipment professional, The Master Group, received the William J. Collins Jr., RP Award. The award, named in honor of Presidential Member Collins, recognizes a chapter RP chair who excels in raising funds for ASHRAE’s RP campaign.
YEA Award of Individual Excellence
Tina Abbasi, Mohamed Faizal and Abraham N.O. OKOKO received the YEA Award of Individual Excellence, which recognizes YEA members for superior efforts during the preceding society year in the promotion and success of YEA and its programs. Abbasi is Director of Operations at Zapas, Faizal is an IAQ Consultant at Intercool and OKOKO is a Sales & Supports Engineer at AHI-Carrier.
ASHRAE Journal Paper Award
David Traxler, Associate Mechanical Engineer, Burns & McDonnell, received the Journal Paper Award for the best article published in the previous volume year of the ASHRAE Journal.
Science and Technology for the Built Environment Best Paper Award
Shahzad Yousaf, Craig R. Bradshaw, Rushikesh Kamalapurkar and Omer San received the Science and Technology for the Built Environment Best Paper Award for “Development and performance evaluation of empirical models compatible with building energy modeling engines for unitary equipment.” The award is for the best paper published in the volume year of the Science and Technology for the Built Environment, the ASHRAE research journal. Yousaf is a Research Assistant at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Bradshaw is an Associate Professor and Executive Director of the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Center (ACRC) at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign and Kamalapurkar is an Associate Professor at the University of Florida.
Crosby Field Award
Lukasz Sztaberek, Christopher Koenigsmann, Ken Haesslein, Arham Jamshaid, Jack Loughney and David Chacon, Jr. received the Crosby Field Award for “Understanding PCO Air Purification Systems,” which was judged to be the best paper presented before the society. The Crosby Field Award is named for a former Presidential Member. Sztaberek is an Associate Professor at NYC College of Technology and Koenigsmann is an Associate Professor at Fordham University. Haesslein, Jamshaid and Loughney are Research Assistants at Fordham University.
Willis H. Carrier Award
S. Kia. Mossalaei, Research Assistant, Herrick Laboratories, received the Willis H. Carrier Award given to a member 32 years of age or younger for presenting an outstanding paper at a society conference. The award was presented for “Laboratory Evaluation of Control Verification Procedures for Certification of Variable-Speed Heat Pump Behavior.”
Andrew T. Boggs Service Award
Larry J. Fisher, Founder, ECT Service, received the Andrew T. Boggs Service Award. The award, named after ASHRAE’s Executive Vice President Emeritus, recognizes an Exceptional Service Award recipient for continuing unselfish, dedicated and distinguished service.
Eunice Foote Decarbonization Award
Luke Leung, P.E., P.Eng, BEMP, Principal, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, received the Eunice Foote Decarbonization Award, which recognizes a member who works to reduce carbon emissions in the built environment.
Louise & Bill Holladay Distinguished Fellow Award
Costas Balaras, Research Director, Institute for Environmental Research & Sustainable Development, The National Observatory of Athens, received the Louise and Bill Holladay Distinguished Fellow Award. This annual award is given to an ASHRAE Fellow for continuous preeminence in engineering or research work. The honor was initiated in 1979 by Presidential Member Bill Holladay.
About ASHRAE
ASHRAE is an international society of more than 50,000 heating, refrigerating and air-conditioning professionals from over 132 nations dedicated to serving humanity and promoting a sustainable world. Founded in 1894, ASHRAE is an industry leader in research, standards writing, publishing, certification and continuing education. The organization and its members are dedicated to promoting a healthy and sustainable built environment for all, through strategic partnerships with organizations in the HVACR community and across related industries. For more information, visit https://www.ashrae.org.
