1999 Recipients
Joseph B. Lambert
Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence
Joseph Lambert is a graduate of Yale University (B.S. 1962) and the California Institute of Technology (Ph. D. 1965). He joined the Northwestern faculty in 1965; he is now the Clare Hamilton Hall Professor of Chemistry. Lambert has long been recognized as an extraordinary communicator of organic chemistry to legions of students. He has regularly taught the department's introductory course in that subject to prospective chemistry majors as well as hosts of students headed for careers in medicine and other fields. His students praise his energy, the clarity and orderliness of his presentation, and his wry sense of humor. Lambert developed a new course "The Chemistry of Nature and Culture" for non-science majors that has proved to be a remarkable success, especially for students who find science intimidating. Lambert has received extensive recognition for his exceptional teaching: the E. Leroy Hall award from the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences; the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Northwestern Alumni Association; and, on the national level, awards from the American Chemical Society and the American Chemical Manufacturer's Association. He has lectured widely on the intersection of chemistry and archeology, an area of special interest to him. His research has resulted in over 300 publications and several books, including two on archeology and chemistry, and has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Petroleum Research Fund, the Dow-Corning Corporation, and the Department of Defense.
Richard M. Lueptow
Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence
Richard M. Lueptow received a B.S. degree in engineering from Michigan Technological University in 1978 and a Sc.D. in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1986. He joined the faculty of Northwestern in 1988 where he now holds the rank of Associate Professor. Lueptow has long understood that students learn engineering best when combining theory and practice and he structures his classes to ensure this. When teaching fluid mechanics, he uses children's toys to demonstrate the practical effects of the theory, he assigns projects that allow students to discover the physical principles that underlie the subject, and he requires students to develop their computer programming skills in tandem with their engineering skills. His senior design course is famous among majors for the creativity and team work it involves. His students comment on the time and energy he gives them as they work through all the real world issues that the design projects entail. Lueptow founded the local chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers and advises design teams that have received national recognition in numerous competitions. Lueptow has received wide recognition for his teaching, including the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science Teacher of the Year award, the Society of Automotive Engineers Education award, and the American Society for Engineering Education Outstanding Young Faculty award. He has made significant contributions to the research literature in turbulence, Taylor-Couette and granular flows, acoustic measurement devices, and filtration. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Whitaker Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, the Gas Research Institute, and several industrial sponsors.
Dawn Mora
Charles Deering McCormick University Distinguished Lecturer
Dawn Mora received her bachelor's degree (1968) and her Master's degree (1969) in Theatre from San Diego State University. She joined the Northwestern faculty in 1983 where she is currently Lecturer in the Department of Theatre. Mora students say she brings an intensity to her teaching that begins early in their sophomore year and continues into professional productions long after graduation. They speak of her extraordinary commitment to their long-term development as actors, commitment that manifests itself both formally and informally, in private conferences, feedback sessions on scenes, auditions, rehearsals, and one-on-one coaching for professional auditions. Their exposure to her brings growth as theatre professionals, self-assurance, and inner strength. Mora's specialty is movement and she brings her talents in this area to directing teams both on and off campus. She has published a videotape and instructional guide Movement for the Actor, in addition to other professional publications and presentations. She has directed or co-directed over a dozen productions, including at Northwestern the world premier of the musical The Boy Who Could Not Fly.
Alan Sahakian
Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence
Alan V. Sahakian received a B.S. in Applied Science and Physics from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in 1976 and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 1984 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He joined the Northwestern faculty in 1984. He is currently Associate Professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Sahakian teaches at all levels, from introductory through graduate courses. His students say that even when teaching advanced material Sahakian approaches problems as though he were a student seeing them for the first time; his classes are interactive and his presentation stresses the importance of understanding all the steps that ultimately lead to the solution. His students mention that they learned the material, not just memorized it. Sahakian's open door policy on office hours gives students opportunities to talk about class material, to meet for academic advising, or to explore their chosen field in greater generality. He developed and taught a three quarter-long Residential College tutorial on American Sign Language and Deaf Culture, advised or co-advised the IEEE, the Amateur Radio Society, the MEAS design competition. He has received extensive recognition for his teaching including the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science Teacher of the Year award, the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Northwestern Alumni Association, the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science Adviser of the Year award, the Bette and Neison Harris Professorship in Teaching Excellence, and the IEEE Outstanding Student Branch Adviser award for Region IV. His research is in instrumentation and signal processing and has been supported by the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Dr. Scholls Foundation, and Lucent Technologies. Sahakian is also the Master of the Lindgren Residential College of Science and Engineering.