4/16/2002, SAS 2002 Teaching Awards - Almanac, Vol. 48, No. 30

School of Arts and Sciences'
2002 Teaching Awards

Samuel H. Preston, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, and Richard R. Beeman, dean of the College, are pleased to announce the following recipients of the School's 2002 teaching awards, to be presented on April 22 at an awards reception, which is open to the University community. The reception will be on Monday, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Upper Egyptian Gallery of the University Museum.

Ira Abrams Memorial Award for
Distinguished Teaching for Faculty in SAS

Two faculty members have been selected as the 2002 Ira Abrams Award winners: Dr. Michael Gamer, associate professor of English, and Dr. Ralph Rosen, professor of Classical Studies.

Dr. Gamer is faculty fellow of Hamilton College House and the interim director of the Penn Writing Program. A 1987 recipient of the University's Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, he is praised by faculty and students for his demanding standards, his exceptional talent in the teaching of writing, and his dedication to assisting students outside the classroom. A colleague writes, "Michael not only teaches students about Romantic or Gothic literature, he teaches them to raise the academic standard by which they measure themselves and their work."

Dr. Rosen is director of the Center for Ancient Studies and the faculty director of Communication within the Curriculum (CWiC). He also is the former chair of the Classical Studies department. He is being honored for his highly effective courses in ancient Greek language and literature; his mentoring, particularly of graduate students; and his involvement in Penn's Academically-based Community Service Program (ABCS). A colleague writes, "The three courses he developed for [ABCS] reflect his conviction that the products of classical culture are accessible to a wide audience."

Since its creation in 1983, the Ira H. Abrams Memorial Award for Distinguished Teaching has been the highest teaching honor in the School of Arts and Sciences. The award recognizes teaching that is intellectually challenging and exceptionally coherent and honors faculty who embody high standards of integrity and fairness, have a strong commitment to learning, and are open to new ideas.

Kahn Award for Educational Excellence

This award is given to an SAS department, undergraduate program, graduate group, or research center that demonstrates an extraordinary collective faculty commitment to teaching, innovation, and service to students. In its fifth year, the Kahn Award honors the Department of Earth and Environmental Science in recognition of its exceptional commitment to undergraduate teaching in geology and environmental studies, for the unique opportunities it provides for undergraduate research and fieldwork, its innovations in web-based instruction, and its involvement in professional education through the development of the Master of Environmental Studies degree. The chair of the department is Dr. Robert Giegengack.

Dean's Award for Innovation in Teaching

This award, which recognizes exceptional creativity and innovation in instruction, goes to Dr. Edward Thornton, professor of chemistry. He is being honored for his innovative applications of web-based graphics for the instruction of organic chemistry in a large lecture setting. This technique enables students to understand complex material by helping them to visualize three-dimensional structures and reactions. Dr. Thornton pairs this instruction tool with peer-led workshops in which students work on problems as a group and report their findings to the larger class.

Kahn Award for Distinguished Teaching

This award, established in 2000, recognizes a member of the junior faculty who demonstrates unusual promise as an educator. This year's recipient is Dr. Marisa Kozlowski, assistant professor of chemistry, in recognition of her unique ability to inspire students in both the classroom and the laboratory, where she is strongly committed to the training and mentorship of undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows.

Dean's Award for Mentorship Research

This award recognizes faculty members who have excelled in nurturing students' desires and abilities to conduct meaningful research. This year's award goes to Dr. Herman Gluck, professor of mathematics, and Dr. Ponzy Lu, professor of chemistry.

Dr. Gluck, a former recipient of the Lindback Award, is being honored for encouraging undergraduates to take part in serious mathematics research and for developing courses that emphasize research training. A colleague writes, "By encouraging active participation in ongoing research by students at all levels…[Herman] fosters the creation of new mathematics and more importantly of new mathematicians."

Dr. Lu directs the biochemistry major and the Vagelos Scholars Program in Molecular Life Sciences. He is being honored for building the undergraduate research component of both programs and for personally mentoring countless students. A student writes, "As I age and reminisce about my experience at Penn I will never forget how significantly Dr. Lu has impacted my life."

CGS Distinguished Teaching Award

This award, which honors outstanding teaching and advising in the College of General Studies, goes to Dr. Melvyn Hammarberg, associate professor of anthropology. Dr. Hammarberg is the undergraduate chair in the anthropology department and the chair of the graduate group in American civilization. A longtime teacher in CGS and summer sessions, he has taught at the undergraduate level and in the Master of Liberal Arts program.

Dean's Award for Distinguished Teaching: Non-Standing Faculty

This new award was created to recognize the contributions to undergraduate education made by the School's non-standing faculty. It honors teaching that is intellectually rigorous, is exceptionally coherent, and stimulates active and interactive student engagement in the learning process. This year's award goes to Gregory Djanikian, an award-winning poet who directs the Creative Writing Program and serves as the associate undergraduate chair of the English department. He is being honored for his outstanding teaching in creative writing courses. A colleague writes that Djanikian's students "remark about a classroom atmosphere that manages to be welcoming even as it conveys high expectations and cultivates intense creative passions."

Dean's Award for Distinguished Teaching: Graduate Students

This award recognizes graduate students for teaching that is intellectually rigorous, exceptionally coherent, and has a considerable impact on undergraduate students. This year's award goes to Ari Blatt of Romance languages, Jeremy Braddock of English, Sanjay Chugh of economics, Paul Frail of chemistry, Robbie Glen of English, Sean Greene of history, Jason Parsley of mathematics, Elena Past of Romance languages, Patricia Schmidt of music, and Petr Svoboda of biology.

Almanac, Vol. 48, No. 30, April 16, 2002

ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS:

Tuesday,
April 16, 2002
Volume 48 Number 30
www.upenn.edu/almanac/

Both the School of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Medicine announce the recipients of their annual teaching awards.

Gearing up for Open Enrollment means thinking about how the changes in benefits could influence which medical or dental plan is most cost-effective.

President Judith Rodin protects and defends free speech on campus, reiterating a message from her January 1995 Welcome Back which is still relevant today.

SEAS announces a new Ennis Professor, named for Dr. Alfred Ennis (Moore School '28).

Penn participates in the Franklin Institute Laureates Symposium, hosting four symposia on campus which are open to the University community.