Dean Kenneth F. Galloway of the Vanderbilt School of Engineering presented three awards to faculty and staff members for their exemplary research, teaching, and professional service during the 2006 academic year. The awards were given during a May 9 ceremony in Featheringill Hall at Vanderbilt.
The Edward J. White Engineering Faculty Award for Excellence in Service was presented to Lawrence W. Dowdy, professor of computer science and computer engineering.
Galloway cited Dowdy’s numerous contributions to the school, particularly his dedication to students. “The award recognizes leadership in a variety of settings, whether on faculty committees and councils or with student and alumni groups,” Galloway said.
Dowdy is director of undergraduate studies for the computer science program.
The School of Engineering Award for Excellence in Teaching was presented to Duco Jansen, associate professor of biomedical engineering.
“Duco is an outstanding teacher,” Galloway said. “Not only is he a superb lecturer, but he has developed most of the instructional materials he presents to the class. He is often rated as the best instructor the students have ever had, whether he teaches a freshman seminar or a graduate class.”
Sharon Lowe, administrative assistant, received the School Award for Professionalism in Staff Service for exceptional service to the faculty and staff. “Sharon has been with us for almost 17 years and is truly the linchpin of the dean’s office,” Galloway said. “She not only is what you might call the institutional memory of the school, but she steps up to the plate every day to solve a wide variety of problems as they present themselves in the form of deans, faculty, parents, students, and staff.”
Also awarded during the school end-of-year ceremony was the “2005 Best Student Research Paper,” given to graduate student Jonathan Wells. Wells co-wrote “Optical stimulation of neural tissue in vivo,” which was published in Optics Letters in March 2005.