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Anton named Tennessee Tech Scholar-Mentor Award winner
Steven Anton
Tennessee Tech University has named Steven Anton as the recipient of their annual
Scholar-Mentor Award. Anton is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical
Engineering and the director of the Dynamic and Smart Systems Laboratory within the
College of Engineering.
“I am very honored to receive this award. It is very meaningful and impactful to be
recognized by my peers and colleagues for my work at Tech,” Anton said. “I can only
do what I do because of the support of my colleagues in the department, the college
and throughout the university. I have had the opportunity to interact with faculty
and staff members from across the university through my research and my service on
various committees, and I look up to many of these people both professionally and
personally. They have helped shape me and I’d like to recognize them for their guidance
and support.”
Stephen Canfield, professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tech, said,
“Dr. Anton loves to teach. Students interact with Dr. Anton in many ways, and a significant
portion of his time is spent guiding students in the classroom. He commits to the
success of his classroom through solid preparation followed with a complete focus
on student learning.”
Anton added, “I take great pride and receive much fulfillment when my mentorship efforts
play a part in the future success of a student or faculty member. There is perhaps
no greater joy as a professor than seeing a former student secure a dream job, gain
a promotion, or win an award.”
He recalled an undergraduate student who was interested in biomedical engineering
and 3D printing, which meshed with Anton’s own ongoing research into smart knee replacements.
They worked together on research, and Anton helped him apply to a summer internship
program at the Indiana University Heath Hip and Knee Center. When the student returned
after his internship, he won multiple university awards for his research. He later
secured a job in the biomedical field at a major company and was promoted in less
than two years.
Anton also recalls a graduate student he mentored who had been out of school for four
years.
“Over the course of four years as my Ph.D. student, I worked diligently to teach him
sound research practices, improve his technical writing and speaking skills to a high
level, and provided him many opportunities to define his own research questions and
pursue research areas of his interest. We developed a close relationship built on
mutual respect and trust, and common goals for excellence in research. And I’m proud
to say that we still stay in touch.”
The student not only won multiple awards for his work, but only a few years after
graduation he was offered and accepted the position of the director of research and
testing at Huxley Medical, Inc., a start-up biomedical company in Georgia.
Anton has other former students who are employed in companies such as Apple, Medtronic,
the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the US Army Corps of Engineers.
“My mentoring philosophy centers around the following ideal: the selfless heart of
a true mentor. What is the selfless heart? It is a heart focused on the growth and
success of others rather than the growth and success of oneself,” he said. “Above
all, what brings me the most energy and stirs my passion the deepest is having the
opportunity to be a positive impact on the success of one of my students. Their success
is my success”
Anton also has worked to create student mentors and leaders. He encourages his Ph.D.
students to also mentor his master’s students, and both of these students to mentor
the undergraduates. These peer mentorships help them to grow strong collaborative
relationships and mentorships amongst themselves. These students have also been involved
in creating and running competitions and camps for middle and high school students
to get them interested in STEM careers.
Not only does Anton have a track record of mentoring students, but he enjoys mentoring
his fellow faculty members as well. Having raised or helped to raise $5.8 million
in external funding, he has been able to share his knowledge and experience in grant
writing to help his colleagues be successful as well.
“Steve has been reviewing and editing my grant proposals, helping me receive more
than $1.2 million in research awards as a PI (principal investigator), including a
National Science Foundation CAREER award of $500k. I would not hesitate to say that
my proposal would not receive that award without Steve's help, including his edits
and feedback,” said Ahmad Vasel-Be-Hagh, assistant professor of mechanical engineering.
Since beginning his career, Anton has worked with his students to publish 19 journal
papers and 64 conference papers. He has supervised 14 graduate students and served
on advisory committees for an additional nine students, advised 21 undergraduate researchers,
including three visiting French undergraduates, and served as academic advisor for
an average of 23 undergrads per semester.
“A true mentor is one who takes pause to consider the needs of a student and acts
in their best interest,” Anton said. “A true mentor is one who does not micromanage
their students and dictate, but gives their students freedom to explore their own
ideas and interests, and provides guidance and direction along the way. A true mentor
is one who considers the success of their students as the ultimate mark of their own
success.“
Anton would like to thank Steve Canfield for nominating him for the Scholar-Mentor
Award and all his colleagues and former students who supported his nomination.
“I am very grateful for the support of my wonderful colleagues at Tech, and particularly
thankful for those that took the time to nominate me and provide letters. Thank you
for your support. And thank you to the university for recognizing my work, I am very
honored!”
