Imperial’s best teachers recognised in awards ceremony

Annual Teaching Awards for excellence held - News

Monday 12 November 2007
By Naomi Weston

A ceremony recognising the quality of teaching amongst members of Imperial College’s academic staff was held last week.

Launched in 1994, and now operating annually, the College’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Teaching Fellowships Scheme reward staff members for the quality, organisation and presentation of their teaching.

The 2007 Awards for Excellence in Teaching were given to 14 academics and were presented by the Rector of the College, Sir Richard Sykes. He congratulated them and said: "These awards remind us that teaching is a critically important component of Imperial’s overall strategy. It is absolutely vital that we ensure that the students who choose to come to Imperial receive the very best teaching available internationally to enable them to develop and flourish and to ensure that Imperial remains a world leader in education."

The winners from the Faculty of Engineering were Professor John Cosgrove, Earth Science and Engineering, Dr Shaun Crofton, Mechanical Engineering, Dr Naranker Dulay, Computing, Dr Amparo Galindo, Chemical Engineering and Professor Milija N Pavlovic, Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Dr Galindo was praised for her contributions to the Chemical Engineering undergraduate programme and her teaching of chemical thermodynamics. In particular, her use of interactive lectures encouraging discussion amongst students was praised.

From the Faculty of Medicine:  Dr Keith Gould, Investigative Science, Dr Christopher John, Neuroscience and Mental Health, Dr Susan Frances Smith, NHLI and Professor Patrick Venables, Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology.

Dr Gould, who last won this award in 2002, has played a key role in teaching immunology to undergraduate medical students. He is a member of the Division of Investigative Science Undergraduate Teaching Committee and he has been commended by his students for his unique lecturing style and ability to transform difficult concepts into digestible information.

Dr Timothy Horbury, Physics, Dr Danny Segal, Physics, Dr Jane Saffell, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Dr Neil Fairweather, Cell and Molecular Biology, are all from the Faculty of Natural Sciences. Dr Horbury, who has only been on the teaching staff for two years, was praised for his Space Physics course and providing a range of support material for his students including PowerPoint presentations, computer simulations, videos and problem sheets. He is currently Educational Development Coordinator in the department.

Professor Rifat Atun, from Tanaka Business School also was recognised. Professor Atun teaches on the MBA and MSc International Health Management programmes. He has also designed and taught on the BSc Management Pathway of the undergraduate medicine degree programme. Lasting one year, the course is designed and taught by the Business School. Professor Atun’s teaching was recommended by the students he taught on the MBA and MSc programmes and his nomination was supported by impressive course evaluation figures.

In addition, two of the award winners were selected as Imperial College Teaching Fellows for 2007: Professor John Cosgrove and Professor Milija N Pavlovic. Each receives an award of £1,500.

Fellows were presented to the Rector at the Commemoration Day ceremonies at the Royal Albert Hall on 24 October 2007.

Each Award recipient was nominated by their Department or Division as being outstanding in their teaching methods. The nomination process involved each winner being individually nominated by his or her Head of Department or Division and by student representatives. The Pro Rector for Education, the Deans, the Academic Registrar and the President of Imperial College Union then considered all these nominations and selected the finalists.

Excellence in undergraduate teaching was celebrated on Monday 29 October at a special Faculty of Medicine event. The celebration included the presentation of the 2007 Teaching Excellence awards, awarded each year to honour ten NHS staff of any grade and profession for their excellence in clinical teaching.

The recipients included, Dr Charles Kaplan and Dr Stephen Robinson, from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. From Ashford & St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Trust, Ms Sharon Kitcatt was awarded.

From Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust, Dr Graham Ball and Mr Martin Lupton were both awarded.

Dr Richard Hooker, from Kensington & Chelsea PCT, was recognised along with Dr Tim Heymann, from Kingston Hospital NHS Trust and who is also from the Healthcare Management Group in the Tanaka Business School. This is the first time anyone from the Business School has won the Faculty of Medicine’s annual award. Dr Heymann’s work in the Business School looks at healthcare policy and medical technology.

From North West London Hospitals NHS Trust, Dr Wing May Kong, Dr Steve Koury, Dr Naila Siddiqui and (in posthumous recognition of contribution to teaching), Dr Oliver Smith were recognised.

For more information about the Awards, visit the Registry website: Registry