Ioannis Miaoulis (EG '83), president and director of the Boston Museum of Science and former dean of the School of Engineering, is this year's recipient of the 2011 Light on the Hill Award, the highest tribute bestowed upon a Tufts graduate by the undergraduate student body.
"It's a great honor; I was very surprised and thrilled when I got the notice," Miaoulis told the Daily. "What was most exciting is I taught at Tufts for many years, but I don't know the current students, so having them select me is more special."
The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate, in collaboration with the Tufts University Alumni Association, chooses the recipient of the award.
It is given annually to an alumnus who exemplifies the mission of Tufts, according to TCU Senate President Sam Wallis.
"The award is bestowed on behalf of the students to an alumni we want to honor because they provide great leadership, reflect the Tufts name and make us proud to be fellow Jumbos," Wallis, a senior, said.
Miaoulis began his teaching career at Tufts as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, at which time he began his work in education, promoting engineering science as part of the curriculum in Massachusets K-12 public schools.
Professor of Mechanical Engineering Chris Rogers, who began working at Tufts at the same time as Miaoulis, in an office across the hall, praised his efforts in heading up outreach in local primary and secondary schools.
"He got hooked and started working with more schools," Rogers said. "He spearheaded requiring engineering education in grades K-12."
Miaoulis continued his work with public schools throughout his career at Tufts.
By the time he left Tufts in 2003, engineering was a part of the curriculum in all Massachusetts public schools, according to Miaoulis.
Miaoulisis has been the president and director of the Boston Museum of Science since departing Tufts. He is also the founding director of the National Center for Technology Literacy at the museum.
He said that he hopes to continue to use his dedication to engineering education in his position at the Museum to provide further outreach for the educational programs.
"In order to make my dream come true I left Tufts after many great years and came to the museum because it would have a better platform to introduce the initiative nationally," Miaoulis said.
The resources at the museum helped to expand his education program to over two million children in the United States, Miaoulis said. Engineering is now actively a part of school programming in all fifty states and many other countries, he said.
The Light on the Hill award has been awarded since 1995 to recognize alumni contribution and achievement, Jonathan Kaplan, associate director of campus constituencies in the Office of Alumni Relations, said.
It is named for Tufts founder Charles Tufts' desire to create with the university a "light on the hill."
"It really is the students who decide who to invite," Kaplan said. "The award goes to a graduate who has demonstrated their service to the world and the Tufts community … who has shined a light off the hill."
Students try to choose the recipient from a specific profession each year so as to create a wide variety of recipients, Kaplan said.
Past recipients include Fletcher professor Vali Nasr (F '84), actor Peter Gallagher (A '77) and JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon (A '78).
Wallis will present the award to Miaoulis at a ceremony on April 26 during which Miaoulis will give a brief lecture on how his experience at Tufts has affected his life and work, Kaplan said.
