April 11, 2002
University announces award winners
Winners of the University’s annual awards have been announced. The 19 individuals, one team, two programs and an organization are being honored for outstanding teaching, mentoring and service.
Distinguished Teaching Awards are being given this year to David Domke, communications; Barry Witham, drama; James Green, anthropology; Priti Ramamurthy, women studies; Erika Goldstein, medicine; Carol Zander, computing & software systems (Bothell); and John Peterson, interdisciplinary arts & sciences (Tacoma). Distinguished Teaching Awards are given to University faculty who show a mastery of their subject matter, intellectual rigor, lively curiosity, a commitment to research and a passion for teaching. Each winner receives $5,000.
Two teaching assistants are also being honored with Excellence in Teaching Awards, given for instructional excellence as a TA. They are Cha-Hui Huang, linguistics; and Steven Wolfman, computer science & engineering. Each will receive $2,500.
Thomas Daniel, zoology, has been chosen for the Graduate Mentor Award, recognizing faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to the education and guidance of graduate students. And Sergio Palleroni, architecture, has won the S. Sterling Munro Public Service Teaching Award, given to a faculty member demonstrating exemplary leadership in community-based instruction, including service learning, public-service internships and community-partnership projects. Both award winners will receive $5,000.
Four individual staff members and one team are being honored with the Distinguished Staff Awards, given to staff who have made outstanding contributions to the mission of their unit or the University. Cited for responding creatively to challenges, maintaining the highest standards in their work, establishing productive working relationships and promoting a respectful and supportive workplace were Gary Ausman, director, International Services Office; Sandra Kroupa, book arts librarian, Manuscripts, Special Collections and University Archives; Felicia Hecker, associate director, Middle East Center; Keith Ward, copy center lead, Copy Services (Tacoma); and the sprinkler irrigation maintenance team: James Boecksteigel and Brian Davis, Facilities Services. All will receive $5,000.
Anita Ramasastry, School of Law, is the winner of the Outstanding Public Service Award, given to a faculty or staff member to honor the recipient’s extensive local and/or national and international public service. Ramasastry will receive $5,000.
Two Brotman Awards for Instructional Excellence — recognizing collaboration within and among departments, programs and groups that improves the quality of undergraduate education — are being given this year. One goes to the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program at Friday Harbor Labs. The other honors the Dance Program. The two programs will each receive $17,500.
This year’s Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus is Donald Baker, a 1960 graduate in electrical engineering who worked for the University for a number of years before leaving to help launch Advanced Technology Laboratories. He led that company to its success in the development of diagnostic ultrasound. This award is the highest honor the UW can bestow on a graduate and recognizes service and achievement over the course of a lifetime.
The Alumni Association will bestow its Distinguished Service Award on the late Geoff and Judy Vernon. The Vernons were both active volunteers for the Alumni Association; Geoff served as a board member and as president of UWAA, and was one of the founders of Columns Magazine. The Vernons died in a plane crash during a tour with other Husky fans last year. This is the first time the association has awarded the honor posthumously.
Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Foundation (ARCS), a group dedicated to raising money for graduate fellowships in science, medicine and engineering, will receive the UW Recognition Award, given to people and organizations whose major contributions of unique services and efforts have had an impact on the University and the community. ARCS has been supporting UW grad students since 1978 and is today the UW’s single largest annual donor.
The announcement of one campus award has been delayed. The recipient or recipients of the Brotman Diversity Award, which recognizes outstanding programs that advance diversity in the UW community, is expected to be named soon.
All the winners will be honored at the annual recognition ceremony, scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday, June 13 in Meany Hall. The ceremony is open to the public, and members of the University community are encouraged to attend. University Week will publish a special supplement detailing the winners’ accomplishments on June 6.
