A Commitment to Teaching Excellence

The Faculty of Science is committed to teaching and readily accepts its responsibility to provide quality instruction to its students. In recognition of this responsibility, several faculty members have been honoured for their outstanding teaching abilities, passion and dedication.

GA/TA Award for Educational Leadership

Mr. Paul Moffat, Department of Physics was the recipient of the 2011 GA/TA Award for Educational Leadership.  By planning, facilitating, and participating in events to create a community atmosphere focused on collaboration, growth, and kindness, Paul creates multiple opportunities for people to help each other learn and grow as teachers.  He is not only deeply reflective, but also able to use that reflection to help others.

OPUS Teacher of the Year Award

Ms. Kristina Verner, School of Computer Science received the 2011 OPUS Teacher of the Year Award.  This award recognizes professors who demonstrate outstanding dedication to part-time students, helping them to achieve academic excellence and greater learning.

“Professor Verner is the epitome of a university instructor.  Her love for the subject matter is contagious, and even the driest chapters are interesting because of her positive energy and innovative approaches in the classroom.  She is always there for us – always highly approachable and completely accessible before and after classes, both during her posted office hours and beyond.” - Nomination Letter

Roger Thibert Teaching Excellence Award - 2011

Drs. Richard Caron, Mathematics & Statistics, Chitra Rangan, Physics and Robert Schurko, Chemistry & Biochemistry were the inaugural recipients of the Roger Thibert Teaching Excellence Award.

This award is presented to a fulltime faculty member in Science who shows excellence in undergraduate and/or graduate teaching, curriculum development or educational leadership.  The award is to recognize and honour faculty who develop a positive, learning-centred environment in the Faculty of Science.  It is also intended to highlight and share examples of excellence.

Alumni Award for Distinguished Contributions to University Teaching

Dr. Daniel Mennill, Biological Sciences was awarded the 2011 Alumni Award for Distinguished Contributions to University Teaching

Since his arrival at the University of Windsor in 2005, Mennill has built a program for the study of birds from the ground up, engaging students at all levels of study. The proof of his talents as an educator is shown through the success of his students. Over the past six years, 10 of his students have earned master’s degrees, with six of those students now pursuing a PhD.

He is a three-time winner of the Faculty of Science Performance Award, recognizing him as the top performing teacher across all science disciplines. His students say his enthusiasm is contagious and call him “an extremely dynamic and energetic lecturer.”

The Alumni Teaching Award was established in 1987 to provide incentive and encouragement for achieving excellence in teaching and learning at the University of Windsor. Winners are nominated and selected by colleagues, alumni and students.

Past Alumni Teaching Award Winners

Professors from the Faculty of Science recognized and honoured for their distinguished teaching career in previous years are:
 

2007 Leadership in Faculty Teaching Award (LIFT)

In 2007, Dr. Richard Frost, School of Computer Science was an inaugural recipient of a Leadership in Faculty Teaching (LIFT) Award sponsored by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. The award is given to faculty who influence, motivate and inspire students and demonstrate leadership in teaching methods for the diverse student body in Ontario. Dr. Frost was recognized as a faculty member who listens, helps, takes constructive action and maintains a high commitment to teaching and research. His SpeechWeb project, which involves applying advanced computer science theory to provide blind persons with speech access to the web, exemplifies enthusiasm and passion for innovation in teaching.

Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) Teaching Award - 2006

The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) recognizes merit in teaching and academic librarianship through annual awards. Dr. Aksahi Aggarwal, School of Computer Science was the recipient of an OCUFA Award for 2006. He is one of five professors from across Ontario who were named most outstanding university teachers in the province wide competition. Dr. Aggarwal received the OCUFA Teaching Award on June 8, 2007 in Toronto. Dr. Aggarwal’s classes are described by his students as "absorbing" and "inspirational" where "every lecture becomes a voyage of discovery." His work on course and curriculum development is described by his colleagues as having put the University of Windsor on the map as a leader in computer science instruction and research.

Recipients of this award from the Faculty of Science have been:

Alumni Award for Distinguished Contributions to University Teaching

In recognition of the unique energy and enthusiasm he brings to his classroom and laboratory, Dr. Siyaram Pandey, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry was the recipient of the Alumni Teaching Award at the June 2007 Convocation Ceremonies. His level of commitment includes everything from extra tutorials and weekend office hours during mid-term exams to Hallowe'en candy during the season.

Dr. Pandey's affable personality combined with his ability to take a challenging subject and make it interesting, interactive, concise and logical are noted emphatically by his students. His colleagues credit his ability to understand and anticipate the needs of his students with his outstanding classroom success and appreciate his versatility in teaching at a variety of levels.He is noted for his innovative teaching style and his willingness to look to his students for advice and input on how he can continue to find ways to improve their learning experience.

Alumni Association Excellence in Mentoring Award

Dr. Lana Lee, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry was the recipient of the Alumni Association’s 2007 Excellence in Mentoring Award. The award is presented to a faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in mentoring by offering personal, academic and professional guidance to students and has made significant contributions to their all-round development, leading to and following their graduation. Dr. Lee has played a significant role over many years in the lives of science students, particularly as a positive role model for female science students. In the letters of support for her nomination, former students extolled: “Dr. Lee was an excellent professor who facilitated her students to acquire the skills and resources needed to succeed in achieving our goals.” “Whether she is teaching us life lessons through her own experiences in school, or whether it’s by setting up extra information sessions for students interested in various career paths such as medicine, pharmacy etc – she definitely takes her commitment to her students a step further than the confines of the classroom.” “When I shared the great news that I had been accepted into the University of Toronto medical school, Dr. Lee looked for other people from Windsor who were accepted into the same program. She acted as a liaison, encouraging us to correspond and get to know each other before starting medical school. Most importantly, she stimulated us to establish relationships with University of Windsor graduates who were in similar fields, knowing that team effort is paramount to working together successfully as future colleagues.”

Dr. Lynda Corkum, Associate Dean of Science RGS and Department of Biological Sciences and Dr. Barb Zielinski, Department of Biological Sciences were the recipients of the Alumni Association’s 2006 Excellence in Mentoring Award.

Dr. Roger Thibert, Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry was a recipient of the Excellence in Mentoring Award in 2003.

UWSA Teacher of the Year

Every year, a committee of the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance considers nominees from students for their Teacher of the Year award. The criteria for selection are:

• approachability
• concentration on teaching
• commitment to the development of teaching skills in other colleagues
• willingness to go above and beyond for students
• defending students’ interests
• helping students in pursuit of higher learning.

The recipient of the award for 2007 was Dr. Siyaram Pandey, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Dr. Pandey was also the recipient of the Award in 2003. Dr. William McConkey, Department of Physics was a recipient in 2001.