Teaching Award Reception: April 17
All members of the University community are invited to a
reception honoring the 2012-2013 recipients of the
Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Awards for Distinguished Teaching,
the Provost’s Awards for Teaching Excellence by Non-Standing Faculty
and the Provost’s Awards for Distinguished PhD Teaching and Mentoring
Wednesday, April 17, at 5 p.m.,
Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall, 3417 Spruce Street

Jed Esty

Jed Esty, professor of English in the School of Arts & Sciences, has taught at Penn since 2008.  “When you imagine the ideal university classroom,” writes a colleague, “an atmosphere of high-octane ideas, fast-paced exchanges, and frequent humor—you are thinking of Jed Esty’s classroom.” A leading scholar of the British modernist novel, especially in its global and post-colonial contexts, Dr. Esty, in five years at Penn, “has been recognized as a brilliant and beloved teacher” among both undergraduate and graduate students. Indeed, after just one year here, he was awarded the prize of the English Undergraduate Advisory Board as the best teacher in the department. His classes are “exceptionally demanding” yet characterized by a “rare combination of world-class intellect with a light and relaxed touch” in which “no two days were the same,” yet he always aims “to engage his students in critical thinking and discussion… He believes strongly in the power of literature and art to help us engage with the world around us and with issues and questions that we, as students and as global citizens, must grapple with today.” Writes a graduate student, he “truly has a gift for getting to the core of the most complex or fuzzy, half-baked idea… He then skillfully refines... it and finally throws it back into the fray for further thought and deliberation. In so doing, [he] consistently models how to distill complex ideas into bases for further thought.” Echoes one of his many admiring students: “I left class thinking to myself, ‘this is what it’s like to be  a student at Penn.’”

Jay Kikkawa

Jay Kikkawa, professor of physics in the School of Arts & Sciences, has taught at Penn since 2000. “Jay is a great teacher,” writes a colleague, “because he seeks excellence in everything he does,” a view echoed by another colleague who notes that he “approaches teaching as he does everything else, to do it the right way and to achieve the best result possible.” Specializing in teaching the department’s vital introductory classes, he “has never seen the limit on his ability to deliver the perfect course.” His students attest that he instills in them these same high standards of excellence and critical inquiry: he “uses every occasion... as a teachable moment and welcomes (and encourages) all questions,” writes one, and another echoes: “I have never known [him] to trust something at face value, whether it be laboratory equipment or data. He dissects everything [and] impresses upon his students the importance of fully analyzing a situation for pitfalls and new interpretations.” Students and colleagues alike appreciate that “responses to emails are common until well past midnight, and they resume again early the next morning,” that “he actively seeks and gathers data about the courses he teaches and studies it to seek constant improvement in the performance of his students and his teaching prowess,” and that he “would always pause…to take questions, no matter how many people had questions to ask.” As a result, he “managed to convey the excitement of truly understanding the basic and underlying principles that govern the behavior of all matter, from the microscopic to the galactic and beyond.” In so doing, he finally “managed to transcend the bounds of physics and demonstrate how problems and issues in any discipline should be approached and solved.”

Stanton Wortham

Stanton Wortham, Judy and Howard Berkowitz Professor and associate dean for academic affairs in the Graduate School of Education, has taught at Penn since 1998. His students and colleagues consistently admire his commitment to challenging students’ assumptions and getting them to think in new ways—an especially important role since he is often teaching teachers. “He employs a Socratic teaching method,” describes a colleague, “drawing out students’ positions and examining them, as well as directing their attention to ways of framing foundational issues.” As a result, he “creates an intellectually demanding atmosphere of ‘no-holds-barred’ questioning” in which students “felt invited into, and supported through, a richer conversation about their enterprise, about ends and means, with a renewed intensity of inquiry.” Notes a doctoral student, “the students he is teaching are professionals with many years as practitioners in the field, with beliefs, assumptions and practices that have been in place for a long time. Stanton has a way of teaching that challenges these assumptions in a meaningful way through discussions and provoking questions, thus shifting the way students think about what they do in practice.” Indeed, writes an educational leadership student, “he challenged our intellect (not our person), so we comfortably negotiated around ideas, premises and implications, re-thinking and confirming … he just kept on making my mind work, question and re-evaluate.” As another graduate student indicates, “this exploration is not only valuable but essential. I credit Dr. Wortham with expanding not only my professional understanding but my ability to critically examine that which I previously accepted as truth. I can think of nothing more valuable in a teacher.”

Dennis Dlugos

Dennis Dlugos, associate professor of neurology in the Perelman School of Medicine, has taught at Penn since 1998. The director of the School’s Brain and Behavior Course, “he is a true ‘triple threat,’” in the words of a colleague, with a “firm grasp of the three basic components of the academic medical center—clinical care, research, and education,” combined with the “uncanny ability to present complex issues in a clear and understandable way.” Students appreciate his ability to “skillfully communicate his exhaustive subject knowledge” while showing them “how best to use this knowledge to optimize care for patients… he taught us not only the details of the disorders we were seeing but also the skill of delivering bad news to families, always with a comfortable demeanor that led us to feel comfortable asking question after question. One of the things I took away and still recall now is that Dennis always made each student (and family) feel as if every question had its fair time.” “Indeed,” writes a former student, “Dr. Dlugos’ teaching is so effective that… I can easily recognize a ‘Dlugos trainee’ speaking at national meetings; those key phrases and paradigms deeply change the way physicians think about EEG and epilepsy, providing an indelible framework for the future.” Notes another student, “Dr. Dlugos manages to be an effective teacher in virtually every setting. As a one-on-one teacher, he is outstanding at playing to his students’ strengths, while being sure to address their weaknesses. He encourages questions and critical evaluation of the information he is teaching, while making sure to always return to the fundamentals. Five years after my fellowship ended, I still hear Dennis’ voice when I read EEGs with my own trainees. I only hope that I can convey his wisdom to my fellows.”

Katherine Margo

Katherine Margo, associate professor of family medicine and community health in the Perelman School of Medicine, has taught at Penn since 2000. “Dr. Margo’s commitment to teaching and mentoring is truly remarkable,” writes a recent graduate, while another adds that she is “the most supportive teacher I encountered during medical school… Her passion for family medicine and compassion for her patients are always evident, and she truly embodies all the attributes of the ideal physician-educator.” Her students admire that “she is constantly brainstorming ways to improve the clerkship” and “strikes the perfect balance between encouraging medical students to be independent in developing a patient plan and also providing support.” At the same time, she shows them “fantastic interactions with patients and... amazing breadth of clinical knowledge” that they “want to emulate” in their own practices. “As a clinician,” specifies one former student, “Dr. Margo teaches by example. She is intensely devoted to her patients. Her commitment to them goes well beyond the... visit, as she continues to think about them and look up information for them long after they have left the office.” Echoes another student: “To me, distinguished teaching is... the ability to inspire others in the work that you do, and Dr. Margo has inspired me again and again. She reaches beyond the required curriculum to teach about exciting topics that she knows will inspire her students. She pushed us to consider the role of the physician beyond the confines of the clinic… From her teaching and from her example, I came to understand the physician not only as a healer but also as an activist for health care reform, as a patient advocate and as a community leader.”

Eric Stoopler

Eric Stoopler, associate professor of oral medicine in the School of Dental Medicine, has taught at Penn since 2000. “His compassion and professional conduct towards patients, students and fellow colleagues serves as an example for all clinicians and educators,” writes one student, as another calls him “a role model for his students about how to be a thorough, patient, and caring doctor.” He “treats patients and students with respect and demonstrates the importance of teamwork and collaboration with colleagues,” showing his students how best to be “a listener who is able to gather relevant information from patients in a tactful and considerate manner in order to make a clinical diagnosis and deliver the best treatment.” In particular, both students and colleagues appreciate his focus on integrating basic and clinical science: he “does a fantastic job,” writes one student, of articulating “dental management considerations for every disease process studied, i.e., what we should consider before, during and after treatment—including everything from what drugs are contraindications to what labs to order for consultation.” This “ability to bridge basic biology and dentistry,” a colleague indicates, “becomes ever more important in light of upcoming changes in dental school curricula and national board exams, which will increasingly focus on integration of basic and clinical sciences.” In the end, writes a student, “my personal experience with Dr. Stoopler was one of extraordinary encouragement and mentorship. In fact, he is one of the best educators I have ever had the pleasure of encountering. Thanks to his mentorship, I became passionate about the field of oral medicine.”

Barbra Mann Wall

Barbra Mann Wall, Evan C Thompson Professor for Excellence in Teaching and associate professor in the School of Nursing, has taught at Penn since 2006. Recognized in 2011 as the university’s third Evan C Thompson Professor for Excellence in Teaching, she “connects with each student in a special way,” in the words of one student, “helps them envision their preferred future and achieve it.” After students selected her as the faculty advisor of Minorities in Nursing Organization, “even students who are not from underrepresented groups flock to MNO meetings. Her commitment to MNO has surpassed the role of a faculty advisor—the students know that they have a true advocate who shares their goal of maximizing each person’s potential.” She has become a particular advocate for students from underserved communities; as one of her colleagues notes, she is “so effective in helping students fulfill their potential that we assign her to students (undergraduate and doctoral) who may be… having difficulty adjusting to their role in achieving success given the rigor of Penn academics. I can trust that she will stay highly engaged with each student, individualize her approach to position them for academic success, hold them accountable and advocate for them.” Both graduate and undergraduate students testify to her ability to “give of herself completely, greeting us students with an open door and open ears. Listening to fumbling constructions of a student’s research proposal, she pulls out themes, clarifies thought and reflects our thoughts and ideas in an illuminating way. Dr. Wall does not simply give easy answers; she opens the gateways so that we can unleash a wealth of untapped information.”

Jonathan Fiene

Jonathan Fiene, senior lecturer in the department of mechanical engineering and applied mechanics in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, has taught at Penn since 2007. “As a team of four students, we often feel as if Jonathan is our fifth member,” writes one student. “His door is never shut to our team.” A “firm believer” (in his own words) “in the power of learning by doing,” he uses an interactive Wiki for his class materials, developed a “MEAMpalooza!” showcase of student projects and launched what a student calls an “appropriately epic” Robockey (robotic hockey) tournament “that is the culmination of everything we’ve learned during the semester” and generated “a feeling of excitement that I’ve never seen replicated in any other class.” Writes a recent student, “Creating an environment in which his students can learn by doing, Jonathan’s classes simulate real-world stress, pressure and challenging situations that engineers often encounter in industry. His expert teaching philosophy allows students to learn how to self-motivate, work successfully in teams and learn new concepts and skills on the fly.” These challenges help students “go beyond our perceived limits” as “he expects hard work and creativity,” and they “tie in information from other classes and inspire students to explore the applications of their other coursework.” A “deeply passionate teacher” who “helps motivate students to push themselves and accomplish things that they never thought were possible,” he “is more than just a professor in the mechanical engineering department at Penn,” writes one student: “he’s an entire culture.”

Wendy Grube

Wendy Grube, practice assistant professor in the School of Nursing, has taught at Penn since 2004. “The hallmark of Dr. Grube’s teaching,” a colleague explains, “is her seamless integration of practice, research and service.” As director of the Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner Program, she “provides visionary leadership,” in the words of another colleague, “that positions our graduate students to excel at meeting the health care needs of women and to be preferred employees in a very competitive health care market.” In particular, she has been a pioneer in introducing Nursing students to the increasingly important area of Complementary Alternative Medicine, including a field experience at the Morris Arboretum so successful that she was also then “invited to provide numerous... seminars at the Arboretum for their membership.” She designed an invaluable field work experience for students in providing cancer screening to rural women in West Virginia, as well as a two-week immersion program in Thailand as part of the School’s Comparative Health Care Systems curriculum—“an immersive, incredible experience,” in the words of one student, “that overflowed with cultural enlightenment and varied healthcare experiences.” Following her success in these initiatives, she is now leading the School’s development of primary care programs for rural residents in India. As a result of these experiences, students, especially nurse practitioners, affirm her lifelong impact on them as a role model and mentor—“a constant source of inspiration to be the best you can be and to strive to be a leader, educator and advocate for the patients you treat.”

Haim Bau

Haim Bau, professor of mechanical engineering and applied mechanics in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, has taught at Penn since 1980. “A world-renowned scholar in the vast fields of heat transfer, mass transfer, and fluid mechanics,” writes a colleague, he is “the first one in in the morning and the last one to leave in the evening. He is in his lab daily to talk with his students, review their progress and make suggestions for their research.” As one of those students writes, “he has a knack for challenging me to learn, but at the same time supporting and teaching me. Moreover, he never just tells us what he knows. Instead, he lays out a series of questions and leads us to explore on our own. It is through such steps that we got both the fish and the fishing skills.” Specifically, writes another, he “has a subtle yet effective way of teaching PhD students how to be effective, efficient researchers; he visits each student every day and, each time, expects the student to have made progress in their research. This… technique teaches PhD students, who were already self-motivated, how to set short- and long-term research objectives for themselves, develop a plan of attack and frequently assess their own progress towards achieving those objectives. At each visit, Haim provides a healthy combination of challenging arguments and valuable suggestions, which, through repetition, ultimately turns PhD students into successful researchers.” As one of those students sums it up: “Inspiring, knowledgeable and always available—what more could one expect from an advisor!”

Rita Copeland

Rita Copeland, Sheli Z. and Burton X. Rosenberg Professor of the Humanities and professor of classical studies and English in the School of Arts & Sciences, has taught at Penn since 1998. “I can think of no professor at Penn,” writes one of her many admiring colleagues and students, “who could surpass her for the sheer amount of energy she devotes to her teaching and mentoring—and it is brilliant and joyous energy at that.” A “force of nature” with “practically electric intellectual energy,” she teaches with “a reckless happiness that is truly infectious,” drawing “a huge fan base among graduate students all over North America and Europe. When she gives a talk at international conferences, expectant graduate students pack the rooms.” In particular, she is a model for her students and colleagues of interdisciplinary inquiry: “she travels freely and comfortably across at least five disciplines... and has inspired and mentored students in all of them,” writes one colleague. “She has a remarkable gift for softly but encouragingly pushing her students far out of their comfort zones into areas in which they can, quite unexpectedly for themselves, do their most original and creative work.” Her graduate students testify over and over again to her “fantastic advice,” her willingness to respond “to late-night emails and panicked emails about campus visits with patience and kindness,” her “desire always to get beneath the surface of things,” and her “passion for the subject, her ability to guide her students through reams of extremely difficult reading material and her truly astonishing skills in lecturing and presenting material simply yet excitingly.” She “makes great learning possible because she makes her teaching an outward expression of her own character: generous, enthusiastic, restlessly and ceaselessly engaged.”