Mónica Palomo, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, a professor in the department of civil engineering at Cal Poly Pomona, has been named a fellow by the ASCE Board of Direction.
Palomo has been in her current position at CPP since fall 2008. Her professional background includes expertise in surface water quality and remediation, sanitation, and water reclamation. Before entering academia, she worked with the sanitation department at the Water State Commission of Guanajuato, México.
She is a licensed professional engineer in California and a Board-Certified Environmental Engineer (BCEE) recognized by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers. Her dedication to education has earned her multiple honors, including the 2013 Northrop Grumman Excellence in Teaching Award, the 2017 Inspiring Leaders in STEM Award, the 2018 CPP Faculty Diversity Champion Award, and the 2019 Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) STAR Educator of the Year for Higher Education Award. Throughout her academic career, she has taught more than 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and actively contributed to K–12 engineering outreach, service learning, and engineering education initiatives.
At CPP, she has served in several key roles, including as a champion for accessibility and inclusivity with the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence and as the ABET coordinator for the College of Engineering. Nationally, she contributes as an ABET program evaluator, serves as senior director of the ASEE Civil Engineering Division, and chairs the ASCE Committee on Faculty Development. She became an ASCE ExCEEd Teaching Workshop fellow in 2009 and has remained actively involved as a mentor, presenter, and supporter of ETW’s ongoing development and modernization. Her previous leadership roles also include chair of the ASCE EWRI Student Council and chair and board member of the ASEE Environmental Engineering Division.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Guanajuato, México, and completed both her master’s and doctoral degrees in civil engineering with an environmental emphasis at Kansas State University.
