SPDC’s Kotval-Karamchandani receives MSU Outstanding Faculty Award
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EmailIn June, Zeenat Kotval-Karamchandani was honored with the Outstanding Faculty Award from the Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU).
In June, Zeenat Kotval-Karamchandani, PhD, assistant professor in Urban & Regional Planning (URP) at the MSU School of Planning, Design and Construction (SPDC), was honored with the Outstanding Faculty Award from the Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU).
Nominations for this award are submitted to the MSU Senior Class Council who then decide which faculty they believe are most distinguished. Typically, three to four faculty members university-wide will be recognized annually, which makes it even more of an honor for Kotval-K. For this award, any MSU faculty member can be nominated by another faculty member, an administrator or a student.
Even at a young age, Kotval-K knew that she wanted to become a teacher. She has a Master of Science in Hospitality Administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, a Masters in Urban & Regional Planning from Michigan State and, most recently, a PhD in Urban Geography also from MSU. She decided to pursue her PhD after her masters in 2007, because she knew that she wanted to do work in the higher education arena.
Kotval-K has been involved in research focusing on health impacts, travel behavior and environmental burdens of residents in inner cities and their surrounding suburban areas in Michigan, specifically on Lansing and Detroit. Her research interests include travel behavior and urban and environmental sustainability. Currently, she is working on putting together a proposal seeking funding for a project to assess access to food systems in India. She recently ran a pilot study that went very well and allowed her to gather a huge database of information. Her hope is that she will eventually receive a grant for her work and make this a big story.
Kotval-K is in her third year of teaching at MSU. She joined the URP Program faculty at SPDC in early 2013, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate classes. She has been at MSU since 2005; both as a student and now as a faculty member.
“MSU is home to me,” she said with a big smile on her face. “I’ve been here for so long that I feel this is where I belong.”
For her passion, Kotval-K has been recognized by MSU students as an outstanding faculty member. Please join us in congratulating her on her achievements!
