School
of Arts and Sciences 2003 Teaching
Awards
Dr.
Samuel H. Preston, dean of SAS, and
Dr. Richard R. Beeman, dean of the
College, are pleased to announce
the following recipients of the School's
2003 teaching awards, to be presented
on Monday, April 28 at an awards
reception, which is open to the University
community. The reception will take
place from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the
Upper Egyptian Gallery of the University
of Pennsylvania Museum.
Two
faculty members have been selected
as the 2003 Ira Abrams Award winners: Dr. Margreta
de Grazia, professor of English,
and Dr. Dennis DeTurck, professor
of mathematics.
Ira
H. Abrams Memorial
Award for Distinguished
Teaching
Photos
by
Naomi
Kaminsky
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Dr.
de Grazia is graduate group chair
in English. She is praised by
faculty and students for her passion
and rigor as a teacher, both in
her large introductory undergraduate
course on Shakespeare or in small
graduate seminars, and as a caring
mentor. A colleague writes, "It
seems to me an especially rare
set of intellectual and pedagogical
gifts that enables someone to
hold the anchor position, as Margreta
does, at both ends of the disciplinary
curriculum."
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Dr.
DeTurck is a previous
recipient of the Lindback
Award for Distinguished
Teaching, the CGS
Award for Distinguished
Teaching, and the
Mathematical Association
of America Haimo Award
for Distinguished
Teaching. He is also
a former chair of
the mathematics department.
He is being honored
for his classroom
teaching, his work
in structuring the
current mathematics
curriculum, and what
one colleague describes
as "his incredible
willingness to go
the extra mile for
a student."
Since
its creation in 1983,
the Ira H. Abrams
Memorial Award for
Distinguished Teaching
has been the highest
teaching honor in
SAS. 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.
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Dean's
Award for
Innovation
in Teaching
This
award, which recognizes
exceptional creativity
and innovation in
instruction, goes
to Dr. Robert Giegengack,
professor and chair
of Earth and Environmental
Science. He is a previous
recipient of the Lindback
Award for Distinguished
Teaching and the Ira
Abrams Award for Distinguished
Teaching. He is being
recognized for several
curricular innovations
that he has introduced,
from the environmental
studies major and
Master of Environmental
Studies degree that
he crafted to the
academically-based
community service
courses that he has
developed.
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Dean's
Award for Mentorship
of Undergraduate
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.
John Sabini, professor
of psychology. He
is currently the graduate
group chair in psychology
and a former department
chair. He is being
honored for his supervision
of independent study
projects and his teaching
in psychology research
experience courses.
One student writes, "The
research experience
I gained [with Dr.
Sabini] was invaluable,
but the insight into
this aspect of education
and investigation
was far more valuable,
and is something that
I believe will sustain
me as my own career
develops."
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Edmund
J. and Louise
W. Kahn Award
for Distinguished
Teaching by an
Assistant Professor
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.
Shane Butler,
assistant professor
of classical studies,
who teaches undergraduate
and graduate courses
in Latin language
and Roman culture.
One student notes
that "his love
of classics is only
surpassed by his obvious
love of teaching classics
and the competence
with which he presents
materials to students."
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Dean's
Award for Distinguished
Teaching by Affiliated
Faculty
This
award recognizes the
contributions to undergraduate
education made by
the School's non-standing
faculty. This year's
recipient is Dr.
Gomaa Omar of
earth and environmental
science, where he
currently serves as
graduate group chair.
A previous recipient
of the Provost's Award
for Distinguished
Teaching, Dr. Omar
is praised for his
teaching in the course
sequence in mineralogy
and petrology. One
student comments that "his
enthusiasm and amazing
organization
creates
a fire in his students
to work hard in his
classes."
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CGS
Distinguished
Teaching Award
This
award honors outstanding
teaching and advising
in the College of
General Studies. Two
awards are being presented
this year: to Dr.
Jean-Michel Rabaté,
professor of English,
and Dr. Tony Pietrovito,
who teaches in chemistry.
Dr.
Rabaté is being honored for
his role as a teacher, thesis supervisor,
and mentor in the Master of Liberal
Arts program. Writes one student, "his
support of my project has fostered
new levels of insight and challenge
that have helped mold my academic
path." |
Dr.
Pietrovito is being
recognized for his
outstanding teaching
of College and CGS
undergraduates and
CGS pre-health students
in introductory and
general chemistry.
One student observes
that, "he is
always enthusiastic
and uses his endless
knowledge and sense
of humor to make the
subject accessible
and interesting."
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Dean's
Award for Distinguished
Teaching by 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 Frederick
Butler,
Mathematics, Tirdad
Derakhshani,
Religious Studies, Jennifer
Faulkner,
Classical Studies, Alexine
Fleck,
English, Paul
Kintzele,
English, Cyrus
Mulready,
English, Annie
Rosemurgy,
Anthropology, Natasha
Ruiz-Gomez,
History of Art, Serdar
Turkarslan,
Biology.
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