The Gitner Award for Distinguished Teaching in the College of Arts & Sciences<\/strong><\/h5>\nWalter Hopp
\n<\/strong>Associate Professor of Philosophy<\/em><\/p>\nHopp\u2019s course evaluations overflow with superlatives (they call his ability to awaken their philosophical interest the \u201cHopp effect\u201d). His syllabi are minutely thought through. He is a crystal clear presenter, with impressive stamina in the face of interrogation. He doesn\u2019t just teach about<\/em> philosophy: his assignments require students to produce philosophical arguments and rigorous self-analysis. He earns special praise as a coach for honors thesis writers, including several Alumni Writing Award winners. One student writes: “He actively kept me away from philosophical mistakes, but not in a way that stifled my creativity.”<\/p>\nThe Neu Family Award for Excellence in Teaching in the College of Arts & Sciences<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h5>\nManher Jariwala
\n<\/strong>Lecturer in Physics<\/em><\/p>\nJariwala is a man on a pedagogical mission of ever-expanding scope and impact. An outstanding instructor in his own right, he earns near-perfect scores from captive audiences who take physics as a requirement for other majors. \u201cYes, he WILL know your name, and he WILL help you do well,\u201d writes one student. Adds another: \u201cTrust me, if electromagnetism doesn\u2019t agree with you, take his class and it will.\u201d A third concludes: \u201cHelpful, approachable, and engaging. One of the best at BU.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Frank and Lynne Wisneski Award for Excellence in Teaching in the College of Arts & Sciences<\/strong><\/h5>\nCatherine Connell
\n<\/strong>Assistant Professor of Sociology<\/em><\/p>\nConnell\u2019s passion and talent for teaching blows students away. She devises incredibly creative assignments, and balances high expectations with a genuine way of relating to students. Her exemplary facilitation style creates an intensely challenging but safe environment for exploring stigmatized topics. Students develop a strong sense of collective responsibility and passion for their intellectual growth. Writes one: \u201cWe continued to raise the bar every class as we dug deeper and deeper into re-thinking the role of a sociologist.\u201d<\/p>\n
The College of Arts & Sciences Award for Distinction in First Year Undergraduate Education<\/strong><\/h5>\nSarah Madsen Hardy
\n<\/strong>Senior Lecturer in the Writing Program<\/em><\/p>\nMadsen Hardy had already made her mark in and beyond the Writing Program. She helped develop the program\u2019s use of e-portfolios, information literacy initiative, and collaborations with high school teachers. She co-edited the journal WR<\/em> and mentored Boston Community Service scholars. Her impact still begins in the classroom. Students who usually \u201chate\u201d writing praise her thorough feedback and ability to interest them in the writing process. Says one student: \u201cI worked so<\/em> hard in this class, but Sarah never overwhelmed us.\u201d Adds another: \u201cShe taught us things that will last a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\nThe College of Arts & Sciences\u00a0Dean’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Education<\/strong><\/h5>\nPeter Buston
\n<\/strong>Assistant Professor of Biology<\/em><\/p>\nPeter Buston’s lucid, believable, infectiously enthusiastic account of why he loves to teach is a perfect illustration of why he’s so good at it. Undergraduates in his large introduction to marine biology course described him as “extraordinarily clear, honest, and thoughtful.” At the graduate level, students give much credit to his expert tutelage for their exceptional record of 10 NSF Gradate Research awards over the past three years. Professor Buston’s\u00a0graduate students’ record of placing first-authored papers, landing dream jobs, and securing post-docs demonstrates how effectively he challenges them to strive for excellence\u00a0and\u00a0prepares them for the cooperative\/competitive world of modern science.<\/p>\n
Susan Mizruchi
\n<\/strong>Professor of\u00a0English<\/em><\/p>\nSusan Mizruchi has made a vocation and brilliant career of graduate education. In her 30 years of teaching American literature and (increasingly) film at BU, she has been a first reader on an equal number of dissertations, and has served on a staggering total of 75 qualifying exam committees in English, American Studies, and Religion. The sheer range and quantity of this engagement would be significant even without reference to the wisdom and skill of her mentoring on her scrupulous, unstinting dedication to each student with whom she agrees to work.<\/p>\n