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J. Edward
Colgate
Alumnae of Northwestern Teaching Professor
J. Edward Colgate is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (S.B. 1983, S.M. 1986, Ph.D. 1988). He joined
Northwestern’s faculty in 1988 where he is currently
Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Institute
for Design Engineering and Applications. Students praise his
ability to communicate difficult concepts effectively and
his genuine concern for the progress and wellbeing of his
students. He led the team that developed the two-course sequence
in Engineering Design and Communications, a program that has
gained national recognition for providing both hands-on design
and technical writing experience to first-year students. Students
who have taken this course praise his willingness to help
them solve their design problems and to open his laboratory
to them. He received the Northwestern University Alumni Association
Excellence in Teaching Award in 2000 and was named to the
Associated Student Government Faculty Honor Roll in 1994 and
1995. Internationally renowned for his work with robots that
work collaboratively and safely with humans, he is co-founder
of Cobotics, Inc., the leading provider of Intelligent Assist
Devices for the industrial marketplace. A member of the IEEE
Transactions on Robotics and Automation editorial board,
he has published articles on topics ranging from robotics,
interdisciplinary collaboration, and haptic systems. His research
has been sponsored by numerous organizations, including the
Margaret W. and Herbert Hoover, Jr. Foundation, the National
Aeronautics and Space Association, and the National Science
Foundation.
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David Downs
Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching
Excellence
David Downs is a graduate of Allegheny College
(B.A. 1968) and Loyola University (M.A. 1971). He joined Northwestern’s
faculty in 1973 where he is now Associate Professor of Theatre.
Students describe him as an inspirational and challenging
teacher who provokes them to think about and connect with
the world around them. Theatre majors who have taken his three-year
acting sequence extol his ability to teach them how to express
the heights and depths of human experience through voice,
body, heart, and mind. Having taught several acting courses
for non-majors, he has profoundly affected students who will
never set foot on a professional stage, encouraging them to
take risks by exploring unfamiliar emotions and states of
mind. Since 1997, he has co-directed the New Leagues Program,
which prepares selected senior acting students for the opportunity
to audition in New York before agents, casting directors,
and television and film personnel. Several of his former pupils
have gone on to enjoy successful television and film careers.
He was named in 1994 and 1995 to the Associated Student Government
Faculty Honor Roll and received in 1997 the Alumni Association
Teaching Award. An accomplished director Downs has directed
over twenty stage productions, ranging from Shakespeare to
Chekhov to contemporary playwrights such as Timberlake Wertenbaker.
Also a highly regarded actor, he has appeared in numerous
theatre productions, television programs, and films. Downs
is the author of The Actor’s Eye: Seeing and Being Seen
(1995), a study of acting pedagogy, and three plays.
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Barbara
J. Newman
Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching
Excellence
Barbara J. Newman is a graduate of Oberlin College
(B.A. 1975), University of Chicago (M.A.Div. 1976), and Yale
University (Ph.D. 1981). She joined the Northwestern faculty
in 1981 where she is now Professor of English and Religion.
Her students describe her as a dedicated, knowledgeable, and
captivating teacher. Those who have taken her popular Chaucer
course commend her ability to make the study of challenging
subject matter enjoyable and important. Students are inspired
by her boundless passion for literature and admire her as
a role model of the engaged intellect. Her influence upon
her students extends beyond the classroom, where she is a
valued advisor and mentor revered for her attentiveness to
student concerns. Newman received the College of Arts and
Sciences Distinguished Teaching Award in 1991 and was named
to the Associated Student Government’s Faculty Honor
Roll in 1987 and 1996. An eminent scholar of medieval literature,
culture, and religion, she is the author of four books and
over seventy articles, essays and reviews. Her study Sister
of Wisdom: St. Hildegard’s Theology of the Feminine
(1987) was named an Outstanding Academic Book by Choice
in 1987 and has been translated into German and Japanese.
Her recent book God and the Goddesses: Vision, Poetry,
and Belief in the Middle Ages came out to critical acclaim.
She is a Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America and the
recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities Travel
Grant, an American Council of Learned Societies Grant, and
a Guggenheim Fellowship. She is also just concluding a term
as Master of the Humanities Residential College.
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Kathleen A.
Stair
Charles Deering McCormick University Distinguished
Lecturer
Kathleen A. Stair is a graduate of Northwestern
University (B.A. 1981, Ph.D. 1986). She joined Northwestern’s
faculty in 1994 where she is now Senior Lecturer in the Department
of Materials Science and Engineering. Students describe her
as a dedicated, enthusiastic, and approachable teacher who
is able to bring engineering to life in laboratories that
span the materials science curriculum. Those who have taken
her Principles of the Properties of Materials lab say that
she provides them with the practical foundations upon which
they can build deeper theoretical understandings of the concepts
taught in lecture. Students appreciate how she fosters a climate
of discovery and active participation and appreciate her willingness
to help them develop demonstrations that they in turn use
in community outreach programs with grade-school students.
They admire her as a role model and trusted mentor to whom
they can turn for academic, career and personal counsel. She
has made numerous curricular innovations, developed new laboratories
and improved existing ones, and is the Manager of the Metallography
and Laboratory and Digital Darkroom. Author or co-author of
over thirty publications, she was named the Materials Science
and Engineering Teacher of the Year for 2001 – 2002.
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Mallory
Beth Thompson
Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching
Excellence
Mallory Beth Thompson is a graduate of Northwestern
University (B.A. 1979, M.A. 1980) and the Eastman School of
Music (D. Mus. A. 1985). She joined Northwestern’s faculty
in 1996 where she is currently Professor of Music. Students
call her a passionate and committed teacher who expertly develops
their musical talent by awakening these same qualities in
them. Those who have played in the Symphonic Wind Ensemble,
which she conducts, describe it as a demanding experience
that effectively prepares them for the rigors of professional
performance. As Director of Bands, she has had the opportunity
to significantly impact many non-music majors who count participation
in marching band one of the most fulfilling elements of their
education. She has educated and captivated audiences ranging
from the toddlers who participate in Northwestern’s
monthly Kids Fare program to the octogenarians in the Learning
in Retirement program. A nationally-respected clinician and
model educator, Thompson has made over 100 guest engagements
and is much sought-after to conduct high school and college
honor ensembles. She has had the privilege of being invited
to conduct the Naval Academy Band, the United States Air Force
Heartland of America Band, and the prestigious United States
Army Band in Washington, D. C. She has been recognized by
two national music fraternities with the Outstanding Service
to Music award in 1999 and the Bandmaster of the Year award
in 2001.
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