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Teaching Excellence and Staff Recognition Awards


The Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science celebrated excellence among faculty members and staff at a packed event hosted in the EV Building on November 28. It was the first time the Faculty has combined the ceremony for the Teaching Excellence Awards with the Staff Recognition Awards, and the animated and festive mood in the room showed the move to be a resounding success.

Teaching Excellence Awards

The Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence recognizes, rewards and motivates excellence in teaching. The Selection Committee makes its selections based on the following criteria:
Excellence in teaching; sustained commitment to improvement in teaching; innovation in the development of teaching materials and approaches; leadership in teaching.

The 2011/2012 winners of the Teaching Excellence Awards are:

Abdelwahab Hamou-Lhadj
Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)

Dr. William Lynch, Chair of ECE, read the citation for Dr. Hamou-Lhadj, describing the award winner as "a thoughtful instructor who works hard," somebody who "selects a variety of teaching strategies to get the best results," and "an excellent teaching practitioner." He is considered by the Faculty as one of Concordia's teaching leaders of the future.

Dr. Hoi Dic Ng
Associate Professor & Aerospace Program Director, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MIE)

Dr. Martin Pugh, Chair of MIE, described Dr. Ng as "a strong and dedicated teacher." He lauded Dr. Ng's ability to "to combine excellence with demanding expectations for students' performance." He noted how "in all the courses he has taught, he has received excellent student evaluations." He is widely acknowledged as having made very rapid progress in making his mark since joining the Faculty in 2007.

Mr. Ted Obuchowicz
VLSI/CAD Specialist, of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)
"He is always being praised by faculty members for his willingness to help and serve students and faculty alike beyond the call of duty," said Dr. Asim Al-Khalili, professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Dr. Al-Khalili also complimented Mr. Obuchowicz's "sense of humour" and his "can-do" attitude.

Dean's Staff Recognition Awards

The Dean's Staff Recognition Awards formally recognize the effort of support staff members who consistently provide outstanding contributions to the work and community environment of the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science.  The winners of the 2011/2012 awards are:

Wai-Yee Chow, Assistant to the Associate Dean, Academic Programs

Dr. Lata Narayanan, the former Associate Dean, and currently Undergraduate Program Director as well as Associate Professor, spoke of Wai-Yee's accomplishments and how she is "intelligent, resourceful, very thoroughgoing, and 100 percent reliable." Wai-Yee provided a huge support during the Faculty's recently-completed and successful accreditation process.

Nella Fiorentino, Academic Personnel Administrator
Dr. Christopher Trueman, Associate Dean, Academic Affairs, was effusive in his praise of Nella, saying "Nella helps everybody, Nella will always help you, Nella is such a pleasure to work with. I am so grateful to her."  Nella is a key resource person for all faculty members who may have questions about their rights and responsibilities and numerous faculty deadlines.

Jeffrey Landry, Technician, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Dmitry Rozhdestvenskiy, Design Project Specialist in Electrical and Computer Engineering, said "Jeffrey really made a big difference in our operations." He said how, thanks to Jeff, the microwave and antenna lab was successfully updated. Also, the students loves him." Jeff provided extensive technical support that helped with Dr. Ahmed Kishk's successful recruitment to the Faculty as a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Applied Electromagnetics.

Sonia McCalla, Assistant, Student Academic Services
For over 30 years, Sonia has been supporting students with charm, tact and diligence. Agi Csordas, Advisor in Student Academic Services, said, "It goes well beyond words how much we appreciate her." Sonia is described as the "backbone" of support to students, handling high volumes of inquiries by phone or in person, and always doing so with diplomacy and good spirits.

Georgia Michalakopoulos, Research Officer
Described as "extremely bright, motivated and hard-working," by Dr. Amruther Ramamurthy, Professor in Building, Civil and Environmental Engineernig, Georgia has been responsible for managing internal funding programs and the review of external grant programs, and this at a time of enormous growth in the Faculty's research activities. Dr. Ramamurthy said she has "managed budget affairs meticulously" and felt that her "long service" to the Faculty made her highly deserving of the award.



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