Penn's School of Arts and Sciences announces the following recipients of its 2021 teaching awards.

Ira H. Abrams Memorial Award for Distinguished Teaching

This year’s recipients of SAS’s highest teaching honor are Campbell Grey, associate professor of classical studies, and Eve Troutt Powell, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of History and Africana Studies. Created in 1983, the Ira H. Abrams 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.

Described by a faculty colleague as “Socratic, self-reflexive and inclusive,” Dr. Grey is praised for his ability to get students to think deeply and critically. According to the undergraduate chair, “he has a vivid presence in a classroom—or on Zoom—that makes even Roman tax law exciting. In a seminar, he does all the ground work—provocative readings, set-up questions in Perusall or discussion boards —such that the students run the show in class, doing their own thinking and making their own discoveries.”

A hallmark of Dr. Troutt Powell’s teaching is her exceptional skill in engaging students in some of the most challenging problems in the history of the modern Middle East and the Ottoman Empire. Students describe not only a dynamic lecturer, but also one who is able to convey extremely complicated and nuanced events in a clear and stimulating manner. According to one, “Professor Troutt Powell is one of the most inspiring professors at Penn. She is always so full of energy and spirit when she comes into class, and so wonderfully helpful in office hours. Truly one of Penn’s gems.”

Dennis M. DeTurck Award for Innovation in Teaching

This award, which is named after Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor and former College dean Dennis DeTurck, recognizes exceptional creativity and innovation in instruction.

The 2021 recipient is Marisa Kozlowski, professor of chemistry.

The new features Dr. Kozlowski has introduced into the organic chemistry laboratory course for remote instruction in light of the pandemic are described by the undergraduate chair as “nothing short of remarkable... She has led my organic colleagues and our entire department with a series of ‘firsts’ that have changed the way we teach chemistry.”

Dean’s Award for Mentorship of Undergraduate Research

This award, which recognizes faculty members who have excelled in nurturing undergraduate students’ desires and abilities to conduct meaningful research, goes to Zahra Fakhraai, associate professor of chemistry, for her fierce commitment to training the next generation of scientists and to helping every student realize their full potential. One colleague explains that over the last decade, not only has Dr. Fakhraai mentored no fewer than twenty-seven undergraduate research students who have participated in cutting-edge research in her laboratory, but the work of these undergraduate students has resulted in twelve publications in high-profile journals, a sustained level of productivity that is truly impressive.

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. The 2021 recipient is Mary Channen Caldwell, assistant professor of music. Dr. Caldwell is commended for enabling vibrant classroom discussions and encouraging students to be experimental and creative in thinking about medieval music. As a student notes, “she would often engage in thought experiments and hypotheticals, showing us that we didn’t always need to have an answer to the questions that interested us and the benefits of pushing ourselves beyond our intellectual comfort zones.”

Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by Affiliated Faculty

Staver Bezhani, senior lecturer in biology, and Anne Duchene, senior lecturer in economics, are the recipients of this award, which recognizes the contributions to undergraduate education made by the School’s non-standing faculty.

One faculty member notes that in providing his students with an excellent introduction to the fundamentals of biology, Dr. Bezhani “makes a point of connecting with each of them, allowing him to identify those students with hidden potential, and he strives to ensure that they have an opportunity to reach that potential.” His students agree; one calls him “an amazing lab instructor” while another states that “He is the reason I love biology now.”

Dr. Duchene not only earns strong praise from her students in Introduction to Microeconomics, which has an enrollment of 900 per year, but she also stands out for “working tirelessly, creatively, and successfully in fall 2020 to rearrange her instruction in ways designed to keep students active and engaged in the virtual environment.”

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

The recipient of this award, which recognizes teaching excellence in LPS graduate programs, is Leona Brandwene, lecturer in positive psychology and associate director of Education at the Positive Psychology Center.

Highlighting Ms. Brandwene’s attention to detail and thorough dedication, one student states, “she does such a superb job of constructing a meaningful, cogent longitudinal educational experience, assembling the most incredible guests, ensuring each module is impactful in its own right and complementary to the stage of project and course, and ensuring we get to put the rubber to the road in practice.”

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:

• Erik Broess, Music
• Samantha Gillen, Romance Languages
• Lauren Harris, Sociology
• Zain Mian, Comparative Literature
• Brandon Orzolek, Chemistry
• Sammy Sbiti, Mathematics
• Mikhail Strokan, Political Science  
• Stephanie Wesson, Philosophy
• Yosiane White, Linguistics
• Clinton Williamson, English