Faculty, staff honored for excellence in teaching, mentoring, service 

Each year, Rice honors members of the university community who have served students through outstanding teaching, dedication and service. Below are recipients of some of this year’s awards:

Nicolas Salgo Distinguished Teacher Award

The junior and senior classes bestowed upon Julianne Yost, the Wiess Instructor of Chemistry, Rice’s oldest teaching award: the Nicolas Salgo Distinguished Teacher Award. Created in 1966, the award is funded by the Salgo-Noren Foundation.

 

 

Presidential Award for Mentoring

The Presidential Award for Mentoring went to Margaret Beier, associate professor of psychology; Angel Martí, associate professor of chemistry, of bioengineering and of materials science and nanoengineering; and Junghae Suh, associate professor of bioengineering. The award is given to faculty members who demonstrate a strong commitment to mentoring graduate or undergraduate students.

 

Charles Duncan Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement

Gwendolyn Bradford, chair and associate professor of philosophy, and Matthew Bennett, associate professor of biochemistry and cell biology, received the Duncan Award, which is presented by Rice deans upon the recommendation of senior faculty. It honors tenure-track or tenured faculty members who have less than 10 years of experience.

 

Sophia Meyer Farb Prize for Teaching

Andrea Ballestero, assistant professor of anthropology, received the Sophia Meyer Farb Prize for Teaching. Given by Phi Beta Kappa, this award goes to a nontenured assistant professor who demonstrates outstanding commitment to education in the liberal arts or sciences, as determined by student evaluations.

 

 

Sarah A. Burnett Teaching Prize in the Social Sciences

Amelie Carlton, lecturer of economics, and Colette Nicolaou, lecturer in psychology, have been awarded the annual Sarah A. Burnett Teaching Prize in the Social Sciences. Professor Emerita Sarah A. Burnett served on the psychology faculty for 40 years. During her years at Rice, she also served as dean of students and the vice president for student affairs. Her research focused on learning, memory and cognitive processes.

 

STC Teaching Award

Graduate student Paul Mayer and Brown College junior Carly Frieders have been named winners of the Student-Taught Course (STC) Teaching Awards for the spring and fall semesters, respectively. The winner is selected by a committee of a current college magister, a former Brown Teaching Award winner and a member of the Center for Teaching Excellence’s undergraduate advisory board and is based on class observation, instructional materials and course evaluations.

 

Marjorie Corcoran Award

Randi Martin, the Elma Schneider Professor of Psychology, and Mike Wolf, professor of mathematics, received the Marjorie Corcoran Award. The award is given to a Rice faculty member who has made major contributions to the advancement of women or underrepresented minorities in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, either in support of students at Rice or through local, state or national programs, with a particular commitment to engaged mentoring.

 

Faculty Award for Excellence in University Service and Leadership

Recipient of the Faculty Award for Excellence in University Service and Leadership is John Hutchinson, professor of chemistry. This award is bestowed annually on a faculty member(s) who has made significant and distinctive contributions to the mission of Rice through exceptional university service and leadership.

 

 

Faculty Award for Excellence in Professional Service and Leadership

Anthony Brandt, professor of composition and theory, is the recipient of the Faculty Award for Excellence in Professional Service and Leadership. This award will be bestowed annually to a faculty member or members making significant contributions to the academic profession or to the wider community (local, national or international) through professional service and leadership.

 

 

Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, Teaching and Service

The Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, Teaching and Service was given to Matthias Henze, the Isla Carroll and Percy E. Turner Professor of Biblical Studies and Professor of Religion, and Marcia O’Malley, the Stanley C. Moore Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science. This award will be bestowed periodically on a faculty member or members who fulfill the Rice academic ideal by exhibiting exemplary achievement in all aspects of faculty responsibilities: research, teaching and service.

 

Teaching Award for Excellence in Inquiry-Based Learning

Beth Beason-Abmayr, teaching professor of biosciences, was chosen for the Teaching Award for Excellence in Inquiry-Based Learning. The award was established to bring attention to efforts across campus to fold inquiry and research into the curriculum; it recognizes faculty who demonstrate excellence in the use of inquiry-based learning methods in undergraduate teaching.

 

 

Outstanding Graduate Instructor of Record Award

The Outstanding Graduate Instructor of Record Award recognizes two graduate students or recent alumni during the previous academic year for excellence in education and teaching practices. This year’s winners are graduate students Mark Celeste, a graduate student in English, and Charles Ouyang, a graduate student in mathematics.

 

Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for Excellence in Student Support

Graduate student Gerry Koons, a graduate student in bioengineering, has won the Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for Excellence in Student Support. The award honors a graduate student who excelled in providing support to students as a teaching assistant. Any work teaching assistants do with students in a course, whether during class, recitations or office hours, is considered student support.

 

Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for Excellence in Course Support

Temitayo Ajayi, a graduate student in computational and applied mathematics, is being recognized with the Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for Excellence in Course Support. The focus of this award is on substantive contributions to course design and delivery, such as contributions to the design of the syllabus, individual assignments, online tutorials or the delivery of various in-class lessons and activities.

 

Graduate Liberal Studies John Freeman Faculty Teaching Award and Faculty Mentoring Award

Deborah Barrett, professor of the practice of professional communication, is the winner of the Graduate Liberal Studies (GLS) John Freeman Faculty Teaching Award, and Nancy Bailey, master of liberal studies instructor, is recipient of Graduate Liberal Studies John Freeman Faculty Mentoring Award. The annual awards recognize two outstanding GLS faculty who make a significant contribution to the program or in the service of its students. Awardees are outstanding faculty who exemplify the qualities of interdisciplinary, liberal teaching and who have participated significantly in teaching or advising students and/or have actively participated in other faculty services in the GLS program. Primary consideration will be the quality of the nominees’ teaching of interdisciplinary courses or advising of graduate liberal studies students.

 

School of Engineering Award for Excellence in Teaching

Lecturer Marya Cokar is the inaugural winner of the School of Engineering Award for Excellence in Teaching, which reconizes continued excellence in teaching and exemplary commitment to the education of undergraduate or graduate students.