ASCIT Teaching Awards Recipients 1999-2000

This year marks the 24th annual ASCIT Teaching Awards. ASCIT and ARC are very pleased to present the awards to five professors and three teaching assistants. They have been selected without regards to their title, with their commitment to students in mind. From the start, ARC was committed on selecting these instructors, based not on how students viewed them or how popular they were, but upon how they influence their students and help them achieve their goals.

This year ARC received many more nominations than in previous years. The fact that ARC received nominations through email probably had something to do with it whereas ARC had boxes in house lounges in previous years. We encourage everyone next year to send even more nominations.

ARC received 37 nominations for 30 professors and 45 nominations for 17 TAs. 11 professors and 6 TA's were selected by ARC and the list was passed over to ASCIT BoD (Board of Directors) in ranked order, from which ASCIT BoD finalized recipients. Following the tradition that started a few years ago, there will be seven honorable mentions made--three to TA's and four to professors.

One criterion for selection was the quality of the nominations, which addressed the excellent qualities of teaching such as instructor's approachability. Other factors included the nominee's concern for students, his or her effectiveness, and his or her efficient communication of course material. Along with these criteria, ASCIT and ARC took into account other qualities, and used their own personal experiences and judgment to guide their decision.

ARC set aside some nominees for a different award because they have either received the award in previous years and yet are repeatedly nominated each year or they have contributed to Caltech academic life in such a major way that they deserve some special recognition. Three out of these that had been set aside were selected for this new award. This new award does not have any precedent in ASCIT history and was named "Lifetime Achievement Award".

The awards were announced and delivered to the recipients in forms of trophies and certificates at the Faculty Meeting on Wednesday, June 7th, following a luncheon in Avery. Recipients for the annual Teaching Awards and Lifetime Achievement Awards, their nominators, distinguished faculty, and administrators were present at the luncheon.

Respectfully submitted,

Emma Kang,

ARC Chair

ASCIT Lifetime Achievement Awards

MICHAEL D. HARTL Teaching Assistant of Physics

STEVEN FRAUTSCHI Professor of Theoretical Physics

WILLIAM B. BRIDGES Carl F. Braun Professor of Engineering

Annual Teaching Awards

JOSEPH BUCK Teaching Assistant of Physics

MATT BERGERON Teaching Assistant of Electrical Engineering

ANH PHAM Teaching Assistant of Electrical Engineering

JUAN E. DE CASTRO Lecturer in Spanish

DENNIS A. DOUGHERTY Professor of Chemistry

BRADLEY W. FILIPPONE Professor of Physics

JOSEPH L. KIRSCHVINK Professor of Geobiology

KIP S. THORNE Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics

Honorable Mentions

STEPHEN BIRD Teaching Assistant of Computer Science

AARON EICHELBERGER Teaching Assistant of Physics

CLINTON T. WHITE Teaching Assistant of Mathematics

KATE STEVENSON Olga Taussky-John Todd Res. Instructor of Mathematics

JOHN M. ALLMAN Professor of Biology

GREGORY T. SMEDLEY Instructor in Mechanical Engineering

J. DOUGHLAS SMITH Instructor in History