Moiez Ahmedali Tapia

Moiez Ahmedali Tapia, professor emeritus in the College of Engineering’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department who chaired UM’s Islamic Center for many years, passed away September 3.

“Dr. Tapia was a lifelong champion of religious tolerance and understanding in the community, devoting countless hours promoting interfaith peacemaking efforts,” Shihab Asfour, professor and chair of Industrial Engineering, recalled fondly. “His students and his family were his consuming passion, always caring and compassionate for all he encountered.”

A member of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department for 35 years, Tapia joined the faculty in 1967 and served as associate department chair in 1987. He was a three-time recipient of the college’s Alexander J. Orr Excellence in Teaching Award.

Born in Surat, India, he received his B.E. from the University of Poona in 1960, his MS.E.E. from the University of Illinois in 1962, and his Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame in 1966. His first academic appointment was as an assistant professor the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he taught from 1966-67 and again from 1968-72.

The author of six books and more than  75 refereed professional journal articles and presentations, Tapia concentrated his research on multivalued calculus and accuracy of computation and data mining.

In addition to UM’s Islamic Center, Tapia served as chairman of the Universal Heritage Institute and was a member of the board of directors of the Urban League of Greater Miami and of the Jewish Arab Dialogue Association (JADA). He is survived by his wife, Farzana, and numerous family members, including several nieces and nephews. His burial service was conducted the day after his passing at the Muslim Cemetery in Hialeah Gardens.