Senate's Excellence in Teaching Award AY 2022-23

The San Diego State University Senate Faculty Awards and Honors Committee selected Dr. Thais da Costa Lago Alves as the AY2022-23 Senate Excellence in Teaching award winner. Senate Distinguished Professor Alves teaches in the College of Engineering.

Since her arrival at SDSU in 2009,  has demonstrated superlative teaching and a deep dedication to her students’ success, while maintaining a vigorous research program that actively includes her students. She has won numerous awards, including the 2021 Alumni Association “Monty” Award for Outstanding Faculty Contributions to the University, the 2015 Outstanding Faculty Advising Award, and the 2012 Educator of the Year Award by the Construction Management Association of America. Dr. Alves brilliantly embodies the teacher-scholar model.

Dr. Alves has a passion for giving her students real-world experience, and her innovative award- winning simulations have been used in classrooms globally. In her own words, her close connection with industry. Dr. Alves recently created the Construction Management major to meet the demands from students and industry, making SDSU one of only a handful of universities that have both Construction Engineering and Construction Management majors.

She is currently the AGC- Paul S. Roel Chair in Construction Engineering and Management and the Director of the J. R. Filanc Construction Engineering and Management Program. As her colleague Dr. Marta Miletić notes, “In addition to being gifted leader, teacher, and researcher, Dr. Alves has demonstrated an exceptional aptitude for increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in research, the workplace, and the classroom.” For these, and many other reasons, we are very pleased to recommend Dr. Alves be named “Senate Distinguished Professor”.

 

                                                     Senate's Excellence in Teaching Award AY 2021-22

The Faculty Honors and Awards Committee received five complete applications for the Senate Excellence in Teaching Award.

The committee met and deliberated on the nominations and was deeply impressed with the quality of the nominees and the scope of their teaching efforts, especially during covid. After careful deliberations, the committee is pleased to recommend the Teaching Award winner for this prestigious honor: Dr. Shirin Hooshmand, Professor School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences

“Dr. Hooshmand is a “rock star” when it comes to exemplifying the teacher-scholar model that SDSU cherishes. From stellar student evaluations to mentorship of students connected with her research, to constant improvement as an educator, Dr. Hooshmand’s record far exceeds the award criteria. One of the most impressive aspects of Dr. Hooshmand’s career is that she has been recognized in the School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences (ENS) as the most influential professor and received the ENS Outstanding Faculty Award from 2018-2021. A remarkable achievement indicating her enduring effectiveness in providing students with meaningful learning experiences in the discipline of food science and nutrition, as well as their respect for her as a teacher.”
– Steven Hooker, Dean, College of Health and Human Services

Shirin Hooshmand, School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, has strived to embody the teacher-scholar model since being hired at San Diego State University in 2011. Her goal has always been to serve as a dynamic teacher and mentor while maintaining an important and productive research agenda.

In the classroom her “Nutr 302: Advanced Nutrition” lectures are highlighted by her real-time, artistic depictions of metabolic pathways that almost place the student amidst the “machinery” of the cell as she describes the roles of nutrients in metabolism. She is never completely satisfied with her performance and continuously updates course materials to foster the greatest possible student learning. Her passions for healthy aging and critical thinking are always on display in “Nutr 608: Geriatric Nutrition.” With a goal of enhancing her teaching, Shirin demonstrated her commitment to her students by earning the credential as a registered dietitian (RD) in 2018 after a 4-year, painstaking process while maintaining her teaching load and research program.

As a mentor, she has encouraged over 75 undergraduate and graduate students to enroll in “special studies” courses under her direction. Her successes in mentoring are punctuated by a string of four ENS Outstanding Faculty Awards between 2018-2021 which recognize the School’s most influential professor.

                                        

                                                     Senate's Excellence in Teaching Award AY 2020-21

On behalf of the Senate Officers, the Faculty Honors and Awards Committee (FHA) ... and ultimately the Senate, my thanks to our seven Teaching Excellence Award nominees and the College Deans/Associate Deans who supported them.

FHA members spent considerable time reviewing submitted materials before making their selection--and this excerpt from Chair Matt Anderson's letter to me illustrates the challenge he and the Committee members faced in choosing a single award recipient.

"The Faculty Honors and Awards Committee received seven nominations for the Senate Excellence in Teaching Award. The Committee met and deliberated on the nominations, and was deeply impressed with the quality of the nominees and the scope of their teaching endeavors. All nominees were truly exceptional with their contributions to discovery and dissemination of knowledge at SDSU. We were only able to recommend one of the nominees for this award but we feel that all nominees were deserving a recognition with their exceptional teaching and teaching innovations."

Ultimately, the Committee recommended (and we all congratulate) Professor Christopher Harrison (College of Sciences). As many of you know, Dr. Chris Harrison, Department of Chemistry,  represents the best of San Diego State University as an outstanding teacher and scholar. His dedication to his students over the course of his 14-year career is clearly demonstrated by his breadth of classroom teaching, his teaching innovations, his instructional design, his international reputation, and his student mentoring.He has introduced or championed several teaching innovations, including: promotion of Supplemental Instruction in chemistry, creation of novel YouTube videos, introduction of the Swivl technology to ITS, flipping his classroom, and teaching to Georgian students. He also serves as the Associate Editor for the Analytical Sciences Digital Library and is considered “one of the foremost experts on the use of technology in the teaching of analytical chemistry.” On top of all that, he has continued to be an outstanding scholar and mentor to over 70 undergraduate and graduate students.

                                  

                                                     Senate's Excellence in Teaching Award AY 2020-21

Dr. Harrison clearly demonstrates the outstanding record of teaching that this award merits. His award lecture is on "Using technology to facilitate the transition from lectures to active learning."

Dr. Harrison received a stipend of $10,000, and the title Senate Distinguished Professor.

As always, contact the Senate Office at [email protected] with any questions you might have.

                                                     Senate's Excellence in Teaching Award AY 2018-19

We all congratulate Professor Audrey Hokoda (College of Education/Department of Child and Family Development). As many of you know, Dr. Hokoda's teaching and research areas are associated with domestic issues, peer relationships and conflict resolution; given her longstanding reputation as a caring and innovative educator, it's no surprise that so many of her students have themselves won prestigous awards and opted to enter the academy.

Dr. Hokoda received a stipend of $10,000, and the title Senate Distinguished Professor.

As always, contact the Senate Office at [email protected] with any questions you might have.