The School of Arts & Sciences has announced the following recipients of its 2024 teaching awards. These honors will be presented on Thursday, May 2 at a reception that is open to the Penn community. The event will take place at 4 p.m. in room 200, College Hall.

Listed below are the School of Arts & Sciences’ recipients of its 2024 teaching awards:

Ira H. Abrams Memorial Award for Distinguished Teaching

This year’s recipients of SAS’s highest teaching honor are Charles Kane, the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Physics, and Michael Weisberg, the Bess W. Heyman President’s Distinguished Professor and professor and chair of philosophy. The Ira H. Abrams Award was established in 1983 and recognizes teaching that is intellectually challenging and exceptionally coherent. The award honors faculty who embodies high standards of integrity and fairness, have a strong commitment to learning, and are open to new ideas.

Dr. Kane’s courses over the last fifteen years have included honors freshman physics courses, intermediate courses on electrodynamics, and graduate courses on quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and condensed matter physics. His colleagues repeatedly note that he is known for his true passion for the field of physics. Dr. Kane’s mastery of teaching is clear in his ability to “present the information in a compelling, rigorous, but understandable way.” Students praise his approachable learning environment in which he “never makes you feel like [you asked] a ‘stupid’ question.”

The ability to make students feel connected to the course material and open to new ideas is a trait shared by the other Abrams Award winner, Dr. Weisberg. He teaches four philosophy of biology/science courses for his department. Colleagues praise his teaching commitment of being “far more concerned about pursuing truth than breaking taboos, and he embodies this norm in the topics he exposes to his students.” Dr. Weisberg teaches a Penn Global seminar, Evolution’s Laboratory, in which he leads a trip to the Galapagos that connects students with the local community and transforms “students into true discoverer scientists,” as described by his colleagues.

Dennis M. DeTurck Award for Innovation in Teaching

Simon Richter, the Class of 1942 Endowed Term Professor of German, is the 2024 recipient of the Dennis M. DeTurck Award for Innovation in Teaching. This award, which is named after Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor and former College of Arts & Sciences dean Dennis M. DeTurck, recognizes exceptional creativity and innovation in instruction.

Colleagues describe Dr. Richter as an out-of-the-box thinker and innovative creator who has successfully shared his research on the critical global issues of climate change, water use, resilience, and sustainability by using animation projects. His popular Water Worlds class uses multidisciplinary methods to explore cultural responses to sea level rise and catastrophic flooding. Recently, he co-hosted a trip to the Netherlands with students to collaborate with local policy makers and artists on his Penn Climate Animation and Research Studio. Students said that in Dr. Richter’s classes, “learning felt like a process of collective discovery.”

Dean’s Award for Mentorship of Undergraduate Research

This year SAS honors Melissa Wilde, a professor of sociology and chair of the department, with the Dean’s Award for Mentorship of Undergraduate Research. The award is given to faculty members who have excelled in nurturing undergraduate students’ desires and abilities to conduct meaningful research. Colleagues describe Dr. Wilde’s mentorship of undergraduate research as “transformative” and “inspirational” for her students. She promotes hands-on research for her students, which trains them in archival and comparative historical methods, and engages them in statistical analyses of survey data. Additionally, Dr. Wilde is well known for inspiring honors students to conduct independent studies and for her willingness to provide insightful feedback. Students refer to her “unparalleled commitment” to fostering a welcoming learning environment that guides and develops their research skills.

Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by an Assistant Professor

This award recognizes a member of the junior faculty who demonstrates unusual promise as an educator. This year, SAS honors Julia Alekseyeva, an assistant professor of English. Students highly praise her teaching and assert that she fed their passion, changed the trajectory of their interests, and pushed them to become better observers. Colleagues report that Dr. Alekseyeva’s teaching is “compassionate and practical” and that she has mastered her ability to teach highly rigorous classes without making students feel overwhelmed or intimidated.

Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by Affiliated Faculty

Jenine Maeyer, a senior lecturer in chemistry, and Michael Kane, a senior lecturer in neuroscience, are the recipients of this award, which recognizes contributions to undergraduate education made by the school’s non-standing faculty.

Jenine Maeyer has an enduring record of making important contributions to the chemistry department. Dr. Maeyer has led Penn’s chemistry laboratory program since 2009 and has been on the forefront of incorporating active learning techniques and introducing new assignment formats. She started a chemistry service-learning course that provides undergraduate students with opportunities to improve their scientific communication abilities and teaching skills. Dr. Maeyer is highly focused on providing a nurturing learning environment for her students. Students say she is “approachable and helpful” and “easy and fun to talk to and makes sure you clearly understand the content.”

Dr. Kane teaches a variety of courses, including two lecture courses, a lab course, and a senior seminar known for covering the latest findings in his field. His course Drugs, Brain and Mind is a highly sought-after course by incoming undergraduate students, who refer to his course as a “must-take” class at Penn. He makes a profound impact on his students as he challenges them to think about their research in a new way and routinely offers his guidance to build their confidence.

Liberal and Professional Studies Award for Distinguished Teaching in Undergraduate and Post-Baccalaureate Programs

Virginia Millar, lead lecturer of four undergraduate courses in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS), including the Online Applied Positive Psychology Certificate, is the recipient of this award, which recognizes teaching in LPS’s undergraduate and post-baccalaureate programs. Dr. Millar is an instructor of positive education and applied positive psychology for undergraduate and graduate students. Her colleagues feel that she can “ignite students’ excitement for the subject matter,” which is a vital component of effective instruction. Students attest that “her discussions are thought-provoking” and that she has “unparalleled skill in explaining complex concepts in an accessible manner.”

Liberal and Professional Studies Award for Distinguished Teaching in Professional Graduate Programs

Sarah Willig, a lecturer in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies, is the recipient of this award, which recognizes teaching excellence in LPS graduate programs. She is honored for her teaching in the master of environmental studies program. Dr. Willig gives her students a higher appreciation for the environment by taking them on field trips and promoting independent projects. It is her passion for sharing her expertise with the next generation that earns her numerous accolades from her students.

Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by Graduate Students

This award recognizes graduate students for teaching that is intellectually rigorous and has a considerable impact on undergraduate students. This year’s awardees are:

• Meredith Hacking, Germanic Languages & Literatures
• Matilda Hemming, English
• Tessa Huttenlocher, Sociology
• Ethan Plaue, English
• Daniel Shapiro, Political Science
• Derek Yang, Chemistry
• Youngbin Yoon, Philosophy