Professors shine through excellence in teaching

1998 research awards announced

Professors shine through excellence in teaching Seven faculty members were recipients of the 1998 Excellence in Teaching Awards, presented annually by the Office of the Provost and the Instructional Advancement Center. "The awards were created to obviously recognize people who are doing an exceptional job teaching, but also to highlight the fact that as a university, we think teaching is one of our most important activities," says Executive Vice President and Provost Luis Glaser. Along with the honor, awardees receive a cash award of $4,000 and $2,000 toward teaching support. They are also given the opportunity to serve as mentors, particularly for young faculty coming into the system. "To the extent that people use those opportunities, that's a second benefit that accrues to the students and the University," says Glaser. Ron Newman, assistant provost for instructional advancement, who oversees the selection committee, cites this year's winners as talented, hard-working, and inspiring. "They include some professors of considerable experience, and some who have been here for only a couple of years," says Newman. "That's a very interesting testimony by those who nominate candidates." And the winners are: Carlos Aguirre, professor of art in the College of Arts and Sciences, feels that teaching is even more fulfilling than art because it helps others directly. A colleague from another department says, "Professor Aguirre was especially good at relaying his insights about the strengths and weaknesses of a piece [of art] while treating the student with respect." Rebecca Biron, professor of foreign languages and literatures, in the College of Arts and Sciences, says "The effort to explain something new and make it useful for other people always leads me to question it further, to be a better student." Her students noted her tremendous preparation for class, individual concern for her students, and constant availability for consultation. Lelen Bourgoignie, photography professor in the School of Communication, is described by a colleague in her department as a "gifted teacher whose work revitalized the School of Communication's program in photography." Bourgoignie says that inspiring students to become educated is an awesome challenge that she takes very seriously. Michael Gaines, professor and chair of biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, has six well-constructed principles of good teaching, of which stands out, "Love your students. If they know you care about them, they work harder. I treat the students as I would want another teacher to treat my children." An administrator says Gaines' basic philosophy is that every student can excel under the right circumstances. Anthony Miyazaki, professor of marketing in the School of Business Administration, was recalled by a student as having spent several hours in the computing lab the day before Thanksgiving to help the group solve a problem that stumped them. Described by some as "one of the best instructors I've had," Miyazaki feels that each of his students deserves the opportunity, tools, environment, and most importantly, the encouragement, to learn. Jan Nijman, geography professor in the School of International Studies, was also described by a pupil as one of the best teachers ever, truly motivating students to learn. Nijman feels his research feeds and inspires his teaching. "In addition, I try to convey to my students that sense of curiosity that drives the researcher, and the satisfaction of finding answers to puzzling questions." Michal Strahilevitz, marketing professor in the School of Business Administration, says she loves to teach. "The first day of every new semester I am thrilled to be back in the classroom and, for the most part, I stay thrilled all semester long." Students report they will miss her class, for her inspiration and enthusiasm. Strahilevitz' love for teaching is what Provost Glaser points to as the one common denominator that award recipients share in their recipe for being a good teacher. "Invariably, and very genuinely, they are fond of teaching," says Glaser. "They truly find it a rewarding experience."

1998 research awards announced 1998 General Research Support Awards in Natural Sciences and Engineering Jeffrey Evanseck, chemistry, "Mechanism of Extremozyme Thermostability by Multivariate Methods" Hongtan Liu, mechanical engineering, "New Flow Fields for Pem Fuel Cells" Ali Shahin, mechanical engineering, "Mechatronics in Medical Labs" Narendra Simha, mechanical engineering, "A Torsion-Tension Testing Machine for Studying Fatigue of Nitinol (NiTi)" Fulin Zuo, physics, "Investigation of Magnetic Field Induced Structure Transition in Intermetallic Compound Ni2MnGa" 1998 General Research Support Awards in Business and Social Sciences Alice Ackermann, international studies, "Post-Conflict Peacebuilding: A Comparative Study" Andrew Barnes, political science, "We can give away the store, but not the farm: Russian privatization vs. land reform, 1990-1998" Ronnie Duran, psychology, "The Codification of Disclosure and Responses to Disclosure in Support Groups for Persons Living with HIV" Marcus Kurtz, political science, "Free Market and Democratic Consolidation in Mexico and Chile" David Leston, marine affairs, "Economic Value of Beach Renourishment: A South Florida Case Study" Anthony Miyazaki, marketing, "Correspondence Between Objective Odds Information and Subjective Probabilities: Marketer Influences and the Impact on Consumer Decision Making" Lawrence Robertson, international studies, "Ethnic Politics, Separatism, and State Creation in the former Soviet Union" Scott Schieman, sociology, "Aging, Disability, and Health Among South Florida Residents" Arun Sharma, marketing, "The Relationship Between Customer Satisfaction, Customer Commitment, and Customer Loyalty: A Multi-Industry Investigation" Michal Strahilevitz, marketing, "The Effects of Timing of Solicitation, Budget Constraints, and Gender on Charitable Giving Behavior" Tie Su, finance, "An Empirical Test of Option Market Efficiency Using Box Spreads" Steven Sutton, psychology, "Personality and Emotion: The Fundamental Nature of Appetitive and Aversive Motivation" Linda Taylor, anthropology, "Establishment of the Genetic and Individual Identity of Free-Ranging Squirrel Monkeys at the Bonnet House, Fort Lauderdale, Florida" 1998 General Research Support Awards in Arts and Humanities Robin Bachin, history, "Planning, Politics, and Public Spheres: Chicago in the Progressive Era" John Balaban, English, "Travel Funding, Vietnam & Romania" Hermann Beck, history, "The Fateful Alliance: The German Educated Elite and Hitler" Rebecca Biron, foreign languages and literatures, "Haunting Romances: Elena Garro and Mexican Literary Culture" Russ Castronovo, English, "Materializing Citizenship in American Culture" Sanjeev Chatterjee and Lelen Bourgoignie, broadcast and photography, "Through Their Eyes, in Their Words" Brian Curtis, art and art history, "Preparation for Solo Art Exhibition at the Lowe Museum in August of 1999" Viviana Diaz-Balsera, foreign languages and literatures, "Translation Training in Hahuatl-Spanish for the Book Project: Franciscan Discourses of Colonialism and the Emergence of the Nahua Christian Subject in Sixteenth Century Mexico" Lise Drost, art and art history, "Using Digital Imaging as a Printmaking Tool" Christine Federighi, art and art history, "Mixed Media Sculpture" David Glimp, English, "The Government of Generations: The Literary Formation of Populations in Early Modern England" David Graf, history, "Literacy in the Desert: The Publication of a Corpus of Pre-Islamic Inscriptions" Whittington Johnson, history, "Free Black and Colored Slaveholders in the Bahamas, 1789-1834" Michael Krenn, history, "The Art of Diplomacy: American Art, Culture, and the Cold War" Tomas Lopez, art and art history, "QTVR and Large Panoramic Inkjet Prints" Kathleen Roberts, motion pictures, "Film Festival Submissions" Perri Lee Roberts, art and art history, "An Art Historical Study of the Italian Renaissance Painting 'St. Francis, in Glory'" Michael Salwen, journalism and photography, "Evelyn Waugh in Ethiopia: News of a Thoroughly" Cynthia Servidio, motion pictures, "40 Weeks" Mihoko Suzuki, English, "The Early Modern Englishwoman in Print: A Facsimile Library, 1500-1750" Michelle Warren, foreign languages and literatures, "History on the Edge: Excalibur and the Bounds of Legitimacy" Barbara Woshinsky, foreign languages and literatures, "Black Phedre? An Intertexual Reading of Claire de Duras' Ourika"

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