Auburn University to honor faculty members with highest annual awards

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Auburn University faculty members are being recognized for outstanding academic achievement with the 2014 Faculty Awards.

The awards are presented by Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Timothy Boosinger and are the highest honors the university gives to faculty. The recipients will be honored at a ceremony Oct. 23.

Debbie R. Folkerts, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, and Stuart David Loch, associate professor in the Department of Physics, both in the College of Sciences and Mathematics, are recipients of the Gerald and Emily Leischuck Endowed Presidential Awards for Excellence in Teaching. The awards honor two full-time, tenured faculty members who have demonstrated effective and innovative teaching methods and a continuing commitment to student success through advising and mentoring both inside and outside the classroom.

F. Stephen Dobson, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Sciences and Mathematics, and Brian E. Vaughn, professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Human Sciences, will receive the Creative Research & Scholarship Awards, which honor the research achievements and contributions of faculty who have distinguished themselves through research, scholarly works and creative contributions to their fields. Allen L. Landers, professor in the Department of Physics in the College of Sciences and Mathematics, will receive the Award for Excellence in Faculty Outreach, which recognizes the engagement of exemplary faculty members and demonstrates the tremendous impact outreach has on the community, state and nation.

Recipients of this year's Alumni Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Awards are Brian L. Connelly, associate professor in the Department of Management in the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business, Stephen P. Schmidt, professor in the Department of Animal Sciences in the College of Agriculture, and Rod E. Turochy, associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. The awards are presented on the basis of outstanding teaching of undergraduates from nominations made by department heads, deans, alumni and students. Honorees are selected by a committee of retired faculty.

The 2014 Alumni Professors are Ellen N. Behrend, professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia A. Davis, associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, Valentina Hartarska, professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology in the College of Agriculture, Peter D. Johnson Jr., professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in the College of Sciences and Mathematics, and Lisa Jean Samuelson, professor in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences. The awards are five-year, non-renewable professorships sponsored by the Auburn Alumni Association with funds endowed from Auburn Annual Giving and are presented on the basis of research, publishing and teaching.

Paula R. Backscheider, professor in the Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts, is the recipient of the Distinguished Graduate Faculty Lectureship. The award is jointly sponsored by the Auburn Alumni Association and the Auburn University Graduate School. The recipients of the award are nominated by deans, department heads and others and are chosen by the Graduate Faculty Council on the basis of excellence in research.

Alan E. Wilson, associate professor in the School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences in the College of Agriculture, has earned the Provost Award for Excellence in Fostering Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship.

The President's Outstanding Collaborative Units Award will recognize Pharmaceutical Engineering, directed by Mark Byrne, an associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. Collaborators include Associate Professor Robert D. Arnold, Associate Professor Jay Ramapuram and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs David J. Riese II in the Department of Drug Discovery and Development in the James I. Harrison School of Pharmacy; Assistant Professor Allan E. David and Professor Ram B. Gupta in the Department of Chemical Engineering in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering; Professor Valery A. Petrenko in the Department of Pathobiology and Associate Professor Douglas R. Martin in the Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, both in the College of Veterinary Medicine; and Professor Jacek Wower in the Department of Animal Sciences in the College of Agriculture.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering is being recognized with the Auburn University Departmental Award for Excellence in Education.

For more information, photos and video features about the award recipients go to http://ocm.auburn.edu/faculty_awards/.

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Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.