News releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 12, 1995
CONTACT: William J. Berg, (608) 262-4061; John H.
Booske, 262-8548;
Calvin B. DeWitt, (608) 265-2564; Sharon Ehrmeyer, (608)
262-0859; Jo Handelsman, (608) 263-8783; Sheldon Horowitz,
(608) 263-6210; Florencia E. Mallon, (608) 263-1822; John W.
Moore, (608) 262-5154; Eberhard Rosin, (608)
NINE FROM UW-MADISON EARN DISTINGUISHED TEACHING HONORS
MADISON -- Definitions often are too limited to be really useful;
for example, a Random House unabridged dictionary proclaims that "to
teach" is "to impart knowledge or skill."
The nine 1995 UW-Madison Distinguished Teaching Award winners,
however, all have gone far beyond such narrow boundaries. This
year's recipients "impart knowledge or skill" through innovations,
including in-class debates about issues central to the course, a
teaching hospital for veterinary students, joint research projects
with their students, field trips, informal coffee house-style
discussions and more. The winners actively cultivate an interactive
teaching style that bestows weight and respect on the insights and
accomplishments of their students, and frequently inspires a lifelong
love of learning.
The honorees come from such varied disciplines as literature,
engineering, biology, medicine, history, chemistry and business.
However, each winner shares a commitment to and love of their
calling, which the university will recognize with a ceremony April 25
at the Elvehjem Museum of Art.
William J. Berg
Professor of French
Chancellor's Award
From "Madame Bovary" to "Germinal," from Guy De Maupassant to
Christiane Rochefort, from the most introductory courses to graduate
seminars, Bill Berg has defined pedagogical excellence in a
department that prides itself on teaching quality.
According to French and Italian chair Elaine Marks, herself a
Distinguished Teaching Award recipient, Berg specializes in the
relationship between literature and painting in the 19th century.
Many of his insights find their way into his classroom through an
interdisciplinary approach to courses at all levels.
According to undergraduate Elizabeth Bridgham, "Because of
Professor Berg's classes, I have gained a deeper appreciation for and
an interest in the correspondence between literature and the visual
arts ... Just this (fall) semester, I chose to research the
representation of women in 18th century French painting, based in
part on interest and on analytical techniques learned in Professor
Berg's language and culture class."
Berg's specific classroom methods made an equally big impression
on graduate student David Harrison: "First, he preceded each day's
class with a set of questions regarding that day's passage. Hence,
students know in advance how our discussions would be organized and
how we could prepare for them. Second, Professor Berg frequently
broke the class into small groups so that each group could
independently discuss one question or one aspect of the passage. The
'findings' of each group would then be presented to the class as a
whole.
"These small-group discussions encouraged students to learn from
each other; they also allowed us to speak more frequently than we
could have done in a 'teacher-centered' classroom. Indeed, the small
groups often met outside of class, allowing us to continue our
examination of the novels beyond the confines of the classroom."
A native of Bradford, Penn., Berg received his B.A. from
Hamilton College, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Princeton University.
John H. Booske
Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Chancellor's Award
Freeing students to concentrate is a cornerstone of John
Booske's effectiveness. Indeed, he routinely prepares and distributes
lecture notes for every course he teaches, so students can keep their
minds on the lecture and participate fully in discussions.
In the words of Michael D. Gemelke, a veteran of three Booske
electrodynamics courses, "Professor Booske is a dynamic and
enthusiastic lecturer, with the rare ability to make theory-based
engineering tractable. Through his high-energy teaching style, he
manages to keep his students involved in the lecture, often pausing
to make sure that the students understand the implications and real-
world relevance of the material. In my four years in the UW
engineering program, I have never met a more effective or proficient
professor."
Booske says that much of what makes him such an effective
teacher is the research he conducts with undergraduate collaborators.
To date, there have been 29 such projects, ranging from magnetic
design to modification of materials using plasmas (ionized gases).
These experiences, he says, have proved a most effective teaching
tool, expanding not only his students' horizons but sharpening his
own classroom skills by keeping him attuned to the fundamental
principles he teaches.
Booske grew up in Lancaster, Penn. He received a B.S. from
Pennsylvania State University, and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the
University of Michigan.
Calvin B. DeWitt
Professor of Environmental Studies
Chancellor's Award
A pioneer and ardent advocate of multidisciplinary study, Cal
DeWitt has spent his years at UW-Madison working across disciplines
to further the understanding of environmental processes and policies.
"I interpret the word 'studies' to mean that I must go beyond the
natural sciences to include the context and application of
environmental science in society," he says. He adds that this is a
philosophy as well as a practice: "I use a 'professive' rather than
'instructive' style of teaching," he says.
Specifically, that means inspiring students, advisees and
members of the public to take a thoughtful, active role as
environmental scientists and stewards of the land. A tool that DeWitt
has found useful in this mission is what he calls a "spiral" approach
to teaching, in which context underscores the interconnectedness of
the world and its inhabitants.
DeWitt also is a fixture at the Memorial Union Lakefront
Cafeteria, where, for an hour or so on Tuesdays and Thursdays, he
presides over "coffee sessions" with IES faculty, students and
alumni. This practice has become an information clearinghouse,
putting current students in touch with environmentally friendly
careers, internships and other opportunities.
Former student Neil Peters-Michael found DeWitt's informal
coffee house most instructive, not only at the time but for years
afterward. "When I worked as the Midwest organizer for the Campus
Outreach Division of the National Wildlife Federation, I encountered
students from throughout the region who met Cal at seminars, lectures
and visits. They all called Cal their friend because he had opened
them up to new information and the values of environmental
stewardship."
DeWitt began his remarkable career with a B.A from Calvin
College in his home town of Grand Rapids, Mich., followed by an M.A.
and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.
Sharon Ehrmeyer
Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Van Hise Outreach Award
About 90 medical technology students in the UW Medical School
study under the careful watch of Sharon Ehrmeyer. When this program
was integrated into the school's Department of Pathology and
Laboratory Medicine six years ago, Ehrmeyer began her association
with it as acting director. According to acting department chair
James Malter, she did such a masterful job that she was elevated to a
permanent appointment as director.
Ehrmeyer has stretched her teaching skills by helping to
incorporate ideas classes about health care laboratories into high
school science education. In addition, she has developed and taught
refresher courses for medical technologists returning to practice and
has provided national programs on the impact of government
regulations on health care laboratories.
Ronald H. Laessig, director of the State Laboratory of Hygiene,
says that professionals represent a select and specialized clientele.
"Every month for 11 years, she has reached into 150 laboratories
(which means almost every Wisconsin hospital) through newsletters to
teach professionals how to perform quality blood gas analysis," for
example. Laessig adds that this effort has resulted in 10 annual
blood gas seminars, with the 11th scheduled for this fall.
Ehrmeyer's high teaching standards have been documented by a
number of awards on both state and national levels, including the
1994 Professional Achievement Award from the American Society for
Clinical Laboratory Science, the ASCLS 1992 Professional Achievement
Educator Award, the 1992 Medical Technologist of the Year award from
the Wisconsin Association for Medical Technology, and more.
Ehrmeyer also balances her pedagogical strengths with research
acumen. She has authored 40 peer-reviewed papers, and her conclusions
add depth and luster to her in-class presentations.
Ehrmeyer was raised in Beaver Dam. An alumnae of UW-Madison and
the UW System, she received a B.S. and Ph.D. from Madison campus, and
her M.S. from UW-Eau Claire.
Jo Handelsman
Associate Professor of Plant Pathology
Chancellor's Award
According to former student Kevin O'Connell, now a research
associate at Michigan State University, Jo Handelsman's lab was a
place of absolute delight: "An atmosphere of enthusiasm, mutual
respect, vigorous discussion and careful, rigorous dissection and
analysis of ideas and data ... sustained by a keen, incisive
intellect, and a passionate love of science."
O'Connell recalls that Handelsman was particularly memorable for
the way she encouraged and included students. "This point was well-
illustrated when she told me that one of her best days as a young
professor was the day her students first offered an argument on a
scientific point during a laboratory meeting (and happened to be
correct). I think her happiness that day stemmed from her eagerness
to see us grown from students into colleagues."
Another student, Kristin Berg, believes an important key to
Handelsman's teaching success lies in her ability to relate "dry and
complex topics ... to our everyday lives."
For one Handelsman lab, Berg says, students designed their own
experiments. "Because we did not have access to instructions, I
observed firsthand how the Ames test (for mutagens) worked on
chemicals I wanted to know about. Labs were suddenly interesting."
Having students negotiate their own paths through science is
only one teaching technique Handelsman has adapted for her classes.
Through courses such as Plants, Parasites and People; Plant-Bacterial
Interactions; and Introductory Biology, she has broken large classes
into small problem-solving and brainstorming groups, and established
a series of study skill exercises for students having trouble with
science.
Working with the departments of Plant Pathology, Botany,
Bacteriology and Zoology, Handelsman has become a specialist in
multidisciplinary teaching. She has given numerous presentations on
the subject to such varied entities as the National Science
Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences, a UW-Madison workshop
on writing intensive courses, the Association of Midwest College
Biology Teachers, and more.
Having grown up in Great Neck, N.Y., Handelsman earned her B.S.
at Cornell University. She earned a Ph.D. from UW-Madison.
Sheldon D. Horowitz
Professor of Pediatrics
Chancellor's Award
A new Medical School curriculum, being phased in over three
years, will be one Sheldon Horowitz legacy. Horowitz, the school's
associate dean for curriculum for the past two-and-a-half years, led
the charge to secure a $300,000 federal grant for the school to
develop a new interdisciplinary generalist curriculum. Wisconsin is
one of five medical schools in the country to receive the funding,
which will run through 1997.
Characteristics of the new model will include fewer courses, and
an integrated four-year curriculum. Horowitz's plan also will
introduce third-year students to a transition clerkship to bridge
basic and clinical sciences. Another highlight will be an active
learning component, replete with small group discussions, problem-
solving sessions, labs and work with interactive computer programs.
Horowitz believes that technology will continue to prove an
important tool in establishing interdisciplinary links. He has worked
with the Division of Instructional Technology to set up a pilot
distance education project, which eventually will spread the new
curriculum to major clinical sites around the state. To help his
colleagues maintain top teaching standards, he has designed and
implemented a peer review system thought to be unique in American
medical schools.
A specialist in immunology, Horowitz also has created a
nationally used home-study course on the subject. More than 1,200
students have taken the course since its inception in 1974. More
recently, he led the Alternate Studies Program, an independent tract
providing greater flexibility for approximately one-fifth of all
students in the Medical School.
A native New Yorker, Horowitz received an A.B. from the
University of California and his M.D. from UCLA.
Florencia E. Mallon
Professor of History
Steiger Award
One of the world's pre-eminent Latin American historians,
Florencia Mallon also has developed quite a record in collaborating
with undergraduates on research projects through the Hilldale
Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowships. Projects in that arena
have ranged from gender and race in idolatry trials in colonial Peru,
to contemporary Mexican agrarian policy, to the history of the United
Farm Workers in Texas.
Mallon also has helped her department enhance teaching by co-
developing a peer faculty teaching review and collaborating on a
volume of teaching "stories" about pedagogical experiences.
Mallon prides herself particularly on mentoring students and
using class assignments to build community among her students. In one
Mallon course, in-class debates help students consolidate and
summarize course material. Each team must present a position on an
issue covered in class, and every student also must act as a "judge,"
synthesizing the issues and evaluating the debate. In another course,
Mallon offers extra credit in which individual students work with her
on a fictional biography, covering 40 years in a character's life.
While riddled with exciting creative opportunities, Mallon's
classes are demanding. "I tell the students mine will be 'squeaky
wheel' courses -- no student will be able to fall behind, even for a
week. But I also promise it will be worth the ride," Mallon says.
Consequently, students invariably recall her classes with respect and
affection.
Born in Santiago, Chile, Mallon received a B.A. magna cum laude
from Harvard, and an M.A., M. Phil. and Ph.D. from Yale.
John W. Moore
Professor of Chemistry
Underkofler Award
A champion and practitioner of quality teaching, John Moore has
been one of the catalysts and staunchest advocates of the Department
of Chemistry's continuing efforts to reform and strengthen its
undergraduate curriculum. Instrumental in securing an National
Science Foundation grant to carry out curricular reform, Moore led a
core of five to plan this five-year project. The NSF chose UW-Madison
out of a pool of 114 to receive this special funding.
Arriving on campus in 1988 to direct the department's Institute
for Chemical Education, Moore brought with him several innovative
instructional technologies, including Project SERAPHIM, a program
that produces new computer-based teaching materials and serves as a
clearinghouse for the information. He also has introduced new
software that favors an open-ended, exploratory approach to learning
chemical principles and developed multimedia chemistry software. He
is producing and distributing a video archive illustrating chemical
reactions, laboratory techniques and animated images of atoms and
molecules. In addition, he edits Journal of Chemical Education and
Software, a successful and pioneering academic journal published
electronically.
Due to Moore's efforts, the Department of Chemistry opened a
computer and resource room. Since the doors opened, more than 5,000
students have used the equipment. In fact, Moore's vision of chemical
education appears to be a most user-friendly one, both for science
and nonscience majors. Beginning four years ago, for example, he
detected a serious problem with incoming students whose chemistry
background was spotty or outdated at best, nonexistent at worst.
Consequently, he developed a special section of the department's
introductory chemistry course to address those students'
deficiencies.
With Cathy Middlecamp of the Chemistry Learning Center, Moore
has taught a new course for graduate students that addresses race and
ethnicity in the teaching of chemistry.
Moore received an A.B. magna cum laude from Franklin and
Marshall College in Lancaster, Penn. his birthplace. His Ph.D. comes
from Northwestern University.
Eberhard Rosin
Professor of Surgical Sciences
School of Veterinary Medicine
Chancellor's Award
Eberhard Rosin has played a pivotal role in shaping not only
what students in the School of Veterinary Medicine learn, but how.
For example, Rosin has established the veterinary equivalent of
a teaching hospital in his Fundamentals of Surgery and Small Animal
Surgery laboratories. To allow his students to go more fully to the
dogs (and cats), Rosin's lab "operates" as a small animal veterinary
surgery.
Equipment is available to perform routine blood screening, and
students, carefully supervised by surgery faculty, perform all
nursing and treatment of surgical complications for their Humane
Society clients. The result of this real-world approach, according to
student Michelle Sandel, who will graduate this year, is much better
retention of complex material.
Rosin also has had a say in determining what students study
through his leadership in developing the School's clinical portion of
the professional curriculum. Beginning with the school itself, in the
early 1980s, Rosin has contributed to "continual improvement of
curricular design over the past 11 years," says Susan Hyland,
associate dean for academic affairs in the school. "Dr. Rosin is
unique among faculty for his breadth of teaching excellence,
including exceptional teaching in both the classroom and in the
clinical setting."
Rosin already has claimed teaching honors from the school in the
form of the Norden Distinguished Teaching Award in 1988 and again in
1992. He also has been cited twice by UW-Madison's student chapter of
the American Veterinary Medical Association, receiving its Teaching
Excellence Award for Clinical Sciences in 1991 and 1993. Rosin
arrived in Dayton, Ohio, from his native Berlin, Germany, in 1948.
Ohio State University granted his D.V.M.; the University of Minnesota
his Ph.D.
Joan T. Schmit
American Family Insurance Professor of Risk Management
Associate Professor of Environmental Studies
Kiekhofer Award
To "manage risk" might seem a contradiction in terms -- and,
therefore, next to impossible to teach ... until you take one of Joan
Schmit's courses.
A member of the School of Business faculty since 1988, Schmit
specializes in insurance issues in the workplace and insurance
litigation. Her prominence in this field has found its way into the
classroom through such courses as Property Risk Management,
Government Insurance Programs, Risk Management Information Systems,
and basic courses in the area.
An undergraduate student in one of the introductory risk
management courses, Polly Sponsler, says Schmit put Sponsler at ease
about transferring to Madison from UW-La Crosse.
"I was concerned that learning would be more difficult and less
interactive, and that I would be just another face to my professors.
However, after just one class period with Dr. Schmit, I knew she was
going to be the exception to my concerns."
Specifically, Sponsler says, Schmit's organizational ability
freed time and space for her to get to know her students, and, in
some cases, to act as mentor.
"She was very welcoming when I went to her for help and spent
more than 45 minutes talking with me," Sponsler says. "Not only did
she help me understand the material, but she also took the time to
address some concerns I was having about my future career. She gave
me some wonderful advice, and let me know that I was always welcome
to come and talk with her."
Schmit, originally from Thiensville, Wis., prepared at UW-
Madison, earning both a B.B.A. and M.B.A. from the School of
Business. Her Ph.D. is from Indiana University.###