E-Council commends excellent teachers

Three professors, three graduate students honored

by Sara Peters

Photo by Frank Wojciechowski Graduate students Alessandra Pantano and Lisa Worthington show off their E-Council teaching awards. Photos by Frank Wojciechowski Above, President Shirley Tilghman presents Jeffrey Carbeck with an Excellence in Teaching Award on behalf of the Engineering Council. Below: President Tilghman presents Ronnie Sircar with his award.

Students are out of the habit of placing a shiny red apple on their favorite teacher's desk, but luckily for professors here, they've got a chance to earn something even better than a shiny apple: an award from the Engineering Council.

The E-Council Excellence in Teaching Awards ceremony for the spring 2002 semester was an evening of firsts. Each person upon whom the E-Council bestowed a teaching award was a first-time recipient of the coveted honor. Also, half of the award presenters were first-year students, adding a bit of freshness to the ceremony.

The recipients of the awards for faculty and staff are Physics Professor Frank Calaprice, Chemical Engineering Assistant Professor Jeffrey Carbeck, and Operations Research and Financial Engineering Assistant Professor Ronnie Sircar. The awards for teaching assistants went to Michael Leung of physics, Alessandra Pantano of mathematics, and Lisa Worthington of computer science.

E-Council President Andrew Parker said the E-Council's membership has broadened this year to include more underclassmen, as well as students from a deeper variety of departments.

Vice president Abhinav Agrawal outlined the history and purpose of the awards, which have been given each semester since the fall of 1988. The criteria for receiving the honor include an ability to present material in a clear and effective manner, responsiveness to student needs, concern for student learning, and innovative and creative teaching methods.

"It also doesn't hurt to give me an A plus," Abhinav said.

Abhinav stressed that the entire undergraduate community in the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) is integral to the selection process. After sending out a request for student comments, he said they "received a barrage of e-mails immediately."

SEAS Interim Dean James Sturm '79--himself a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Excellence in Teaching Award--said the awards help the school focus on its most important mission.

"In the end, we are an educational institution," he said. "Faculty get pulled in so many directions. It's good to recognize them for putting their responsibility to the students first."

Professor Carbeck showed his devotion to students by getting to know them not just as students, but as people. He was honored for his work in CHE 441: Chemical Reaction Engineering. The CHE 441 students said that he often spent hours in the lounge, helping them in a comfortable environment. He extended this zone of comfort into his classroom.

"He's very personable," said one student, "which creates an atmosphere where people feel comfortable asking questions."

Professor Carbeck accepted his first Excellence in Teaching Award humbly.

"CHE 441 is the class that taught me how to teach," he said. "So I feel proud that I can now be a part of the excellence in undergraduate teaching at this university."

Professor Ronnie Sircar was praised mostly for the fact that he made all of the course material for ORF 335: Introduction to Financial Engineering as easily accessible as possible.

"He was able to present the material in a way that was understandable to everyone," said one student.

Students said Professor Sircar tied course material to real-world situations, made all the lecture notes available on-line, and even held special study sessions at night, when students' schedules are more flexible. They were grateful for the fact that he provided them with every chance to do well in his class.

Professor Sircar said his award was "a great honor," and he gave earnest thanks to his students and his teaching assistants for their dedication throughout the semester.

Student comments about Professor Calaprice indicated that they enjoyed taking his PHY 104: General Physics II almost as much as he enjoyed teaching it. They praised his availability, entertaining lectures, general character, and overall ability to teach physics, even if the subject matter was not their personal favorite.

Professor Calaprice was clearly excited to accept his first E-council award, and he dedicated it to his students.

"It was a fantastic pleasure to teach this course," he said. "I know it's my job, but it's so much fun that I shouldn't even be paid for it."

Dean Sturm said teaching assistants are often the "unsung heroes in scholarship and education." Teaching assistants can be the saving grace of both professor and student. Judging by their students' comments, these T.A.s fit the description.

Michael Leung's PHY 106: Advanced Physics (Electromagnetism) students said his patient method of teaching helped them find the answers within their own minds, rather than drilling answers into them.

"He encouraged the maximum use of our capabilities," said one student. "He was extremely patient, and he only gave us as much help as we needed so that we could find the answers and develop the comprehension on our own."

Mr. Leung could not attend the awards, but Professor Calaprice accepted it on his behalf, remarking on his exceptional devotion to his students.

Alessandra Pantano smiled radiantly as she accepted the award for MAT 202: Linear Algebra with Applications, her first TA assignment.

"It was a consensus among our class," said one student, "that Alessandra put in more work than all the professors combined."

One student related a tale from the first day of class to display the breadth of Ms. Pantano's diligence. When a student nervously confessed that he had purchased the wrong edition of the textbook, she handed the student a handwritten guide to every relevant difference in the two editions, so that he could follow along easily.

Ms. Pantano said she was very surprised to receive the award, and that it was personal and special to her.

"Teaching is something that I always wanted to do," she said.

Perhaps Lisa Worthington's COS 126: General Computer Science students were overwhelmed by their adoration of her. They summed up her value in broad, passionate statements.

"I cannot say enough about my experience with Ms. Worthington," said one student. "She is the reason I made it through the class at all. I am so grateful."

"She embodies the best of what a teacher should be," said another.

Ms. Worthington seemed as awed by her students as they were by her.

"I'm really impressed by my students," she said. "Semester and semester they work harder than I could expect."

Also in attendance at the event was University President Shirley Tilghman, who wrapped up the evening with many kind words for everyone involved.

"When I think about what we ask of our professors, I think it's an impossible mission," President Tilghman said. "We ask them to be world-class scholars and world-class teachers. The fact that we come so close at Princeton is a testament to the tremendous talent of the people awarded today. They're taking responsibility for the students' comprehension."

President Tilghman also thanked the E-Council for their continued efforts in providing this important service to the school.

"You appreciate the amount of effort your teachers put in," she said. "and that is really important."