Engineering faculty members garnered two of the three 2004 Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellowships for effective, inspiring, and distinguished teaching of undergraduate students. They are T. Michael Duncan, associate professor, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and C. Richard Johnson Jr., professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The third winner was Peter J. Katzenstein, the Walter S. Carpenter Jr. Professor of International Studies, Department of Government.

The awards—$5,000 for five years for each faculty member—are named for Stephen H. Weiss ’57, emeritus chair of the Cornell Board of Trustees, who endowed the program. They recognize excellence in teaching, advising, and outstanding efforts toward instructional improvement and development.

“Most Cornell professors have a burning need to contribute something of lasting significance to their disciplines and a concomitant desire to share their intellectual passions with students,” said Cornell President Jeffrey Lehman. “I am delighted that, because of Steve Weiss’s vision and generosity, we have the opportunity each year to honor some of Cornell’s most inspiring and effective undergraduate teachers as Weiss Presidential Fellows.” The faculty members were honored at an awards dinner in March.

Duncan, who joined the Cornell faculty in 1990 and has been the associate director of his school for the last ten years, is known for his keen interest in keeping material fresh and relevant to students while ensuring that it is grounded in scientific fundamentals of chemistry, physics, and math. For example, he devises demonstrations, exercises, and competitions for first-year engineering students to help them learn engineering design and creative problem solving. He is the recipient of numerous teaching awards and has been named a Merrill Presidential Scholar Mentor six times.

Johnson, who began teaching at Cornell in 1981, has earned a reputation as a professor who not only serves as a leader in electrical and computer engineering but also as a mentor who gets involved with undergraduates and changes their lives for the better. He is considered a demanding, involved, and thorough teacher who challenges his students with significant design projects and who brings his research experience into the classroom. Johnson is the recipient of numerous teaching awards, including selection as the 1983 C. Holmes MacDonald Outstanding Teacher, a national award from the electrical engineering honorary society Eta Kappa Nu.

The Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellowships were established in 1992 by the Cornell Board of Trustees in recognition of the importance of undergraduate teaching.

—Susan S. Lang
Cornell News Service