Chapman receives Salgo Award

Chapman
receives Salgo Award
…………………………………………………………………

BY BILL CORNWELL
Special to the Rice News

Walter Chapman will have a tough
time coming up with an encore.

This year has
seen the 39-year-old chemical engineering professor win
Rice’s prestigious Salgo Award, which is voted on by
juniors and seniors and signifies classroom-teaching excellence.
He also becomes a full professor July 1, and he was named
one of the outstanding young alumni for 2001 at Clemson
University, his alma mater.

“This has
been a good year,” Chapman said with a degree of understatement.

Chapman, whose
students in thermodynamics honored him, said he believes
the key to his classroom success stems from an ability to
bring a real-world sensibility to a highly theoretical subject.

“Students
want to know how something relates to the real world,”
he said. “That keeps them involved.”

Chris Powers,
one of Chapman’s students, agrees.

“Dr. Chapman
has a unique way of presenting his material,” Powers
said. “I know at some schools thermodynamics is considered
a drudgery. But that isn’t the case with Dr. Chapman’s
course.”

Rafael Verduzco,
another of Chapman’s chemical engineering students,
praised Chapman for his commitment.

“He is
available almost any time,” Verduzco said. “We
all felt free to go his office whenever it was necessary.”

Chapman said
the environment at Rice lends itself to connecting with
students.

“The faculty
here are really dedicated to teaching,” he said. “Research
is important, of course, but there is a true commitment
to classroom excellence. At some schools they talk about
the importance of classroom work, but at Rice it is fundamental.”

Chapman also
said that his age helps in dealing with students.

“I’m
39 — and probably look a little younger,” he said.
“I believe that students often relate more to a younger
professor.”

But Powers said
it is more style than age that has made Chapman a classroom
favorite.

He said Chapman
regularly began classes with a “fun-type problem.”
Powers said this was almost like an athlete warming up for
competition.

“It was
a really good way to get you involved,” Powers said.
“It got you ready for the heavier material that followed.”

Verduzco, who
will attend graduate school at Cal Tech next year, said
that above all Chap-man has been a role model both intellectually
and personally.

“He pays
a tremendous amount of attention to his students,”
he said. “You know that he really cares, and it shows.
He truly respects his students, and they feel the same way
about him.”

Chapman, who
is married and the father of two, said that while he spent
time in the corporate world before coming to Rice, nothing
is more rewarding than helping to shape young minds.

“This really
is a wonderful life,” he said. “I enjoy working
with these young people. It is rewarding.”