The annual Faculty Awards were presented on Wednesday at the last Arts, Sciences and Engineering (AS&E) faculty meeting of the year, recognizing faculty excellence in teaching, research and service.
"The last faculty meeting is a lovely event where the faculty gather and pay tribute to the retiring faculty, and then the prizes are given," Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser said. "This is an annual event; some of these awards are long-standing and have been around for 30 to 35 years."
Five teaching awards were given out, including the Lillian and Joseph Liebner Award, the Seymour O. Simches Award for Distinguished Teaching and Advising, the Lerman-Neubauer Prize, the Henry and Madeline Fischer Award, and the Undergraduate Initiative in Teaching Award (UNITE), according to Secretary of the Faculty for AS&E Jillian Dubman.
Assistant Professor of Sociology Sarah Sobieraj received the UNITE award, given out to junior, full-time faculty members selected for their passion and excellence in teaching and advising and for their concern for students' growth, according to Glaser.
"Professor Sobieraj is an incredibly creative teacher and brings all kinds of imagination to the courses she teaches," Glaser said. "She asks students to do interesting things that you wouldn't necessarily get in a conventional classroom. We laud her for bringing the material to life, and she has displayed a lot of commitment to undergraduate experience."
Glaser, along with two previous recipients of the award, selected Sobieraj as this year's honoree. Sobieraj, who studies political culture and the relationship between media, politics and society, expressed her appreciation for the recognition of her efforts.
"I was really honored," Sobieraj said. "There are so many wonderful faculty at Tufts that it was humbling to be chosen … I love students and I love teaching, and I do put a lot of time into it, and it makes me feel great to have Tufts tell me that I'm doing good work."
She recently finished a book about the relationship between journalists and activists, and is currently working with Professor of Political Science Jeffrey Berry to study political talk radio, which relates closely to her teaching.
"This spring, I taught a course on specifically the impact of political opinion media on listeners, viewers and readers," Sobieraj said. "In this case, what I was teaching and what I was researching were incredibly united. It was nice to be in class and hear students talk and think about the same ideas that I was talking and thinking about in my research."
Associate Professor of Biology Harry Bernheim was awarded the Lerman-Neubauer Prize.
Graduating class members in their senior survey nominated professors who they felt had a deep intellectual impact on them for the Lerman-Neubauer prize. Out of these nominations, Glaser and two previous recipients of the award selected Bernheim — who garnered what Glaser called a remarkable 25 nominations — as the honoree.
"The committee selected him because of his dedicated teaching," Glaser said. "He delivers to high standards, and he is a really important doer on campus when it comes to undergraduate education."
Bernheim expressed his passion for teaching and education.
"I was really thrilled and very moved by the award," Bernheim said. "I love teaching, and I get a big charge out of it and seeing that students understand a difficult concept. The instant gratification is very gratifying."
Glaser added that in addition to teaching, Bernheim has also served as an adviser for the Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium and a member of the Summer Scholars Selection Committee.
"He is a professor that has taken on responsibility and done so with a great deal of grace and humor and confidence," Glaser said. "It's not just what he's doing in the classroom, but also what he gives of himself, and we are a better place because he's here."
Associate Professor Ross Feldberg and Professor Eli Siegel, both from the Department of Biology, received the Seymour O. Simches Award for Distinguished Teaching and Advising, a lifetime achievement award for senior faculty members.
Professor of Physics Roger Tobin won the Lillian and Joseph Leibner Award for Excellence in Teaching and Advising of Students.
Graduating School of Engineering seniors selected Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering Jerry Meldon as Engineering's Teacher of the Year for being an inspiring and memorable teacher, garnering him the Henry and Madeline Fischer Award.
Professor of Mathematics Bruce Boghosian and Professor of Physics and Astronomy Gary Goldstein received the Faculty Research Awards Committee Distinguished Scholar Award for their outstanding research.
Lecturer of Community Health Linda Sprague Martinez and Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering David Gute were recipients of the Faculty/Staff Multicultural Service Award, given to individuals who contribute to diversity at Tufts.
Associate Professor of Psychology Keith Maddox received the Gerald R. Gill Distinguished Service Award, given out by the Africana Center to a faculty member who has fostered an environment celebrating the role of people of African descent.
