Thirteen Arts and Sciences scholars and teachers — covering the full spectrum of the arts and humanities, natural and physical sciences and social and behavioral sciences — won top university awards that recognize and honor outstanding performance and commitment to our land grant mission of scholarship, teaching and service.
2015 Distinguished Scholar Award
Supported by Ohio State’s Office of Research, the Distinguished Scholar Award recognizes exceptional scholarly accomplishments by senior professors.
, professor, chemistry and biochemistry, is a world leader in discovering how ions and molecules are organized in water-based interfaces and describing the way surface characteristics dictate chemical arrangements. Her work is remarkable for its broad applicability — to cell membranes, lung lining, atmospheric particles, cloud droplets, geochemical interfaces, cancer migration; and impact on a wide range of environmental and biological systems. Allen also develops new nonlinear optical spectroscopic methods using ultrafast lasers to analyze ionic and molecular arrangements.
, professor, comparative studies, is an internationally recognized scholar of Japanese philosophy and religion. The universal value of his scholarship is built on a unique ability to describe subtlety and nuance of concepts deeply embedded in Japanese culture and history in terms accessible to both Western students of philosophy and the generally educated reader. His first book, Zen Action/Zen Person, established the field of Japanese philosophy; his next two created specialties in Asian studies, comparative philosophy and religious studies.
Amy E. Shuman, professor, English, is a leading scholar in folklore, narrative, literacy and human rights studies. She is a pioneer in studying the use of narrative in everyday life and the political asylum process, examining writing and speaking by inner city African American and Puerto Rican American adolescents. She developed theories of how narrative is used in everyday life, especially the question of who tells stories to whom, how stories travel and how they are used in public discourse.
Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching
Recognizes superior teaching by faculty, nominated by students, alumni and colleagues. Our distinguished teaching award winners have multiple pages of amazing testimony from their nominators. Those students cited below sum it up.
Robin Judd, History
Judd’s students know that she cares deeply about their well-being, believing it links to their academic and personal growth. Students say she helps them “confidently approach new subjects, wants us to be successful and makes that happen through her core teaching values: flexibility, positive attitude, reciprocity, availability.”
William Scott McGraw, Anthropology
Students describe him as a passionate and enthusiastic classroom teacher, “I love that he lives out his passion in the field where primate numbers are decreasing at a fast pace … I know the species he studies are in good hands with all the work he is doing for them.”
Scott Alan Jones, Music
Jones is known as a charismatic, nurturing person, excited and enthusiastic about providing a well-rounded, meaningful engagement with music-making for his students, who say, “he makes a clear effort to connect with each student and communicate in a way that everyone is able to understand, giving us fabulous experiences.”
Christopher Frank Highley, English
An accessible, helpful, funny, engaging, supportive teacher and mentor, loved by both undergraduate and graduate students. He is extremely invested in his graduate students’ success. One said, “Helping a student secure research funding is an advisor’s responsibility, securing them a dorm room is beyond what I would expect.”
Julie Marie Hupp, Psychology NEWARK
Hupp’s expectations are high, but she helps her students meet them. An interactive, hands-on teacher, she engages students in active learning, creating service-learning opportunities to develop citizenship and leadership skills. One student gives Hupp the ultimate tribute, “She is the kind of teacher, researcher, mentor I want to be.”
Karl Peter Whittington, History of Art
“I took his class for GEC credit — I expected to take it, forget everything I learned, move on with my life,” one science major said. “What I didn’t expect was to find was such an engaging lecturer who made me enjoy coming to class...understanding art and why people make art. I thank him for showing me a whole different view of the word through art. Because of him, I decided to minor in art history and study rock wall art in South Africa.”
Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer
Recognizes lecturers, senior lecturers, or other auxiliary faculty members for teaching excellence. Nominated by students, faculty, and alumni, who wrote vigorous letters of support; chosen by a committee of students, other award winning faculty and alumni.
Jenny Patton, English, takes a personal interest in how well her students are doing both in and outside the classroom. Described as “dedicated, caring, enthusiastic and always willing to go out of her way to help you figure things out.” One student said, “Her attitude each and every day was an inspiration as well as her passion for people and writing.”
Kristie Sigler, communication, interacts with undergraduate students as a lecturer, where she provides an engaging learning environment; and as course supervisor for graduate students, who say she “goes above and beyond in her dedication to mentoring GTAs, sharing not just best teaching practices but how to balance work/life issues, and is a model of professionalism for beginning instructors.
The President and Provost's Award for Distinguished Faculty Service
Honors faculty whose service has been both extensive and made a long-lasting positive impact on the quality of the university and beyond.
Michael Kelly Bruce, associate professor, dance, is always looking for opportunities to serve his department, college and university, and does so at all levels in the most meaningful ways. In whatever capacity he serves, he stays focused on wanting to find the best outcome for any given problem or situation. Colleagues rely on his ability to see details as well as the bigger picture. Beyond the university, Bruce is active in the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science, has worked with the Ohio Regents Council on transfer articulation, served on the board of the American College Dance Festival Association and continues to be its dance department liaison. Nominators say Bruce sets an example of selfless determination, open communication and firm integrity.
Lawrence Krissek, professor, Earth sciences, has served with distinction on a mind-boggling number of school, college and university committees, advisory boards and two terms on Faculty Senate. Nominators say that for the past 30 years, he has made significant contributions to his school, college, university, public and profession, serving on the Woodrow Wilson Ohio Teaching Fellows Advisory Board and the University Statewide Transfer Assurance Guidelines committee. All note Krissek’s passion and commitment to his work on Ohio State’s curricular assessment, semester conversion and STEM initiatives and the difference his involvement has made. Despite his ongoing dedication to service, Krissek has maintained a vigorous research program, and gives scrupulous attention to teaching and mentoring. He has won several teaching awards, including the Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching.
