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TEACHING AWARDS
Teaching Awards:
| CHEMISTRY | GS:
EDUCATION | GS:
FINE ARTS | LAW
| SOCIAL
WORK
Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar:
Dr. Rappe of Chemistry
Dr. Andrew Rappe, assistant professor of chemistry, has won the prestigious
Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award for 1999, one of 20 given in the nation
to provide external support to young faculty members at the early stages
of their academic careers. The $60,000 award is unrestricted except for
the designation of $5,000 to the recipient's department for use in enhancing
undergraduate education.
Dr. Rappe, a theoretical physical chemist who took his B.A. from Harvard
in 1986 and his Ph.D. from M.I.T. in 1992, was a postdoctoral fellow at
UC/Berkeley in 1992-94.
Since joining Penn in the fall of 1994 he has focused on the quantum-mechanical
prediction of the properties of molecules and solids, and tailoring molecule-surface
properties through substrate modification. For his work in this area he
was named a Sloan Foundation Fellow last year. He has also received an NSF
Career Development Award.
Among other activities, Dr. Rappe maintains on the web The Rappe Group,
with postdoctoral and graduate student members, which "applies the
theoretical methods of quantum, classical, and statistical mechanics to
explain and predict the properties of a broad spectrum of fascinating chemical
systems," to quote Group's home page (www.lorax.chem.upenn.edu). The
Group is also "strongly involved in advancing the state-of-the-art
of Basic Theory and Methodology."
The Camille Dreyfus Award is one of two given by the Camille and Henry
Dreyfus Foundation. The late chemist-inventor Camile Dreyfus and his late
brother Henry organized and directed the Celanese Corporation. Both awards
"encourage young scholars who embrace and amalgamate the academic research
and teaching missions," with the Camille Dreyfus Award emphasizing
individual research attainment and promise alongside excellence in teaching. |
Teaching Awards:
| CHEMISTRY
| GS: EDUCATION | GS:
FINE ARTS | LAW
| SOCIAL
WORK
GSE: Ellen Braffman
Ellen Just Braffman, an instructor and fieldwork advisor in the Graduate
School of Education, is the winner of the School's 1999 Excellence in Teaching
Award, which recognizes those who are "imaginative, well-organized,
intellectually challenging, inspiring and enthusiastic in their teaching
practice."
Ms. Braffman took her B.A. cum laude in American history from the College
in 1977 and her M.S. from G.S.E. a year later. After teaching in Springfield
and Upper Darby she joined G.S.E.'s Educational Leadership Division in 1982
and served as its associate director, 1983-84, while completing her Ph.D.
here.
During her five years with the Atwater Kent Museum's Phila-A-Kid Program,
1983-88, she developed a highly regarded children's social history camp
focusing on life in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Some of her scholarly articles
discuss ways children experience and recreate history; in others, and in
the popular press, she also writes about topics in Black History.
Since 1991 she has taught two of G.S.E.'s most popular courses in social
studies methodology, and supervised student teachers in all subject areas
of secondary schools.
"When we look back at our graduate experience at Penn, Ellen is
the professor we remember for her dedication to her profession and enthusiasm
for her students," said her nominators. "Ellen opened up the door
to our teaching careers, offering us insight into new theories and ways
of involving elementary students in social studies that would impact their
lives." |
Teaching Awards:
| CHEMISTRY
| GS:
EDUCATION | GS: FINE ARTS |
LAW
| SOCIAL
WORK
GSFA: Anthony Tomazinis
The Graduate School of Fine Arts has given its 1999 Perkins Award for
Distinguished Teaching to Dr. Anthony Tomazinis, professor of city and regional
planning and former chair of the Faculty Senate.
Dr. Tomazinis, who combines an engineering background with extensive
research and professional city planning experience, has been on the faculty
for over 35 years, teaching courses in transportation planning, infrastructure
systems, strategic planning, evaluation and international planning.
"Dr. Tomazinis knows his students," said the School's announcement.
"Not just as names--but who the students are, where they are from,
why they are studying planning, what their goals are after graduation, in
what area of planning they wish to concentrate. He recognizes the strengths
of his students, and in a thoughtful and deliberate manner acknowledges
the contributions a student has made.
"The success of his former students is the real testimonial of Dr.
Tomazinis' credentials. [They] are working at all levels of government and
private practice, including key positions at state and regional planning
agencies."
The G. Holmes Perkins Award is given in recognition of distinguished
teaching and innovation in the methods of instruction in the classroom,
seminar, or studio to a facility member in the Graduate School of Fine Arts.
The award is named in honor of an internationally recognized planner who
was dean of the School of Fine Arts from 1951-1971. |
Teaching Awards:
| CHEMISTRY
| GS:
EDUCATION | GS:
FINE ARTS | LAW | SOCIAL WORK
Law: David Skeel
The winner of the Law School's Harvey Levin Award for Excellence in Teaching
is David A. Skeel, Jr., professor of law--a teacher/scholar who, in addition
to publishing in his field on corporations, bankruptcy, business associations
and secured transactions, is also the author of several poetry-and-law publications.
Professor Skeel received his B.A. from North Carolina and J.D. from the
University of Virginia. After serving a judicial clerkship and practicing
with a Philadelphia firm he joined Temple's School of Law in 1990, and was
awarded its Friel-Scanlan Prize for best law scholarship for 1992-93.
He served as a visiting professor at the Law School during the fall 1997
term, where "he was a very active and engaged participant in the intellectual
life of the faculty and his teaching was received with extraordinary enthusiasm
by his students," said the School's announcement. "He joined the
Law Faculty permanently in January 1999 and the graduating class voted to
award him the Levin Award after all of two semesters teaching here. This
is remarkable recognition of a superlative teacher."
The Levin Award was established by the Philadelphia law firm of Schnader
Harrison Segal & Lewis to be awarded annually in recognition of teaching
excellence. The recipient is selected by majority vote of students earning
a J.D. in the year the award is made. |
Teaching Awards:
| CHEMISTRY
| GS:
EDUCATION | GS:
FINE ARTS | LAW
| SOCIAL WORK
SSW: Kenwyn Smith
The recipient of the 1999 Excellence in Teaching Award from the School
of Social Work is Dr. Kenwyn K. Smith, an associate professor at the School
since 1990 who has also taught in the executive education programs of the
Wharton School for the past 15 years.
Dr. Smith, who is Faculty Master of Ware House in the Quad, earned his
B.A. and an M.A. in psychology from the University of Queensland Australia,
then took a second M.A. and his Ph.D. in organizational behavior at Yale.
Dr. Smith teaches human behavior; group, organizational and community dynamics;
and organizational politics, and he is well known for his research on group
and intergroup dynamics, organizational change and the management of conflict.
A major additional interest is his work with the AIDS community. He was
one of the founders of MANNA, the non-profit organization that delivers
hot meals to homebound people living with HIV/AIDS. The book he is currently
writing is Incarcerated Fathers. |
Teaching Awards: | CHEMISTRY
| GS:
EDUCATION | GS:
FINE ARTS | LAW
| SOCIAL
WORK
Almanac, Vol. 45, No. 33, May 18/25, 1999
FRONT
PAGE | CONTENTS
| JOB-OPS
| CRIMESTATS
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| COMMENCEMENT &
BACCALAUREATE ADDRESSES |
| TALK
ABOUT TEACHING | BETWEEN
ISSUES | SUMMER at PENN
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