Professor John Straub Awarded Gitner Award for Distinguished Teaching

Professor John Straub
Professor John Straub
College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) bestows three faculty teaching awards, including the Gitner Award for Distinguished Teaching. The recipients are selected by a committee comprised of associate deans, faculty, and students. On April 9, CAS Dean, Jeffrey J. Henderson, announced that the recipient of the 2003 Gitner Award is Professor John Straub. This is the first time it has been given to a member of the Department of Chemistry.

Professor Straub received the award in recognition of his dedication to improving academic programs in Chemistry and in the Core Curriculum. Teaching both undergraduate and advanced courses, his classes have always received the highest ratings from students who write comments such as:

“[Professor Staub] was passionate and funny, but most importantly he cared about us. I learned more in one of his lectures [in CH 101] than I did all last semester.”

An associate chairman of the Department of Chemistry, Professor Straub leads the Graduate Affairs Committee. He is also an internationally recognized researcher in the fields of theoretical and computational chemistry and biophysics. In addition to his work with undergraduates, Professor Straub is devoted to advancing the research and careers of his graduate students, many of whom have moved into prestigious positions in both academic and non-academic institutions.