CARL S. WEBER Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching Award
FOURTH AWARD RECIPIENT ANNOUNCED SPRING 2012
Mark Perks
Mark Perks received his BS degree in chemistry at Bucknell University. After graduation, he taught A-level chemistry in Ghana as a volunteer with the Teachers for West Africa Program. Upon returning to the U.S., he taught chemistry at the secondary level at Moorestown Friends School in New Jersey. He subsequently completed his Ph.D. at the Johns Hopkins University and pursued a career in biomedical device research and development with Becton-Dickinson and then as an environmental scientist. Dr. Perks seized the opportunity to return to teaching as instructor at UMBC in 1993 and has been a senior Lectuerer since 2005. Dr. Perks remains actively involved in STEM outreach programs; including the Maryland
Collaborative for Teacher Preparation (MCTP) initiative (1995-1997), VIP K-16 Partnership at UMBC, "Ceh;mistry Distilled" Academy for elementary and middle school teachers in Washington County, and the "Finfty-Fifty" of the USA Science & Engineering Festival. Dr. Perks adopted active, collaborative, and constructivist learning as the keystone of his pedagogical philosophy starting from his experience with MCTP. He implements active and group learning in large lecture hall classes of hundreds of students in general and organic chemistry courses. Dr. Perks earned a role on the inaugural team to advance active learning methods in introductory chemistry, the pilot effort for what has become the renowned Chemistry Discovery Center.
THIRD AWARD RECIPIENT - SPRING 2011
For decades, students have been the beneficiaries of the unique life experiences that James W. (Jim) Sandoz brought with him to UMBC. After being dismissed for academic reasons from Mount. St. Mary's College in his second semester, Mr. Sandoz enlisted in the Marine Corps and served in San Diego, Hawaii, and Viet Nam. Mr. Sandoz was honorably discharged and then decided to pursue his higher education in earnest. He transferred to UMBC from Catonsville Community College earning his B.A. in Biology in 1976. Midway through his graduate studies, he was asked by Dr. Marty Schwartz to assume the position of instructor, which had unexpectedly become vacant. He worked two years and then took a leave of absence to finish his Master's degree under the tutelage of Dr. Suzanne Rosenberg. His former position as instructor had
James W. Sandoz
been filled when he earned his M.S. in 1983, so Mr. Sandoz took a position as a lab technician in Jerry Klein's lab at the Oncology Department of Johns Hopkins Hospital of Medicine. In 1984, Mr. Sandoz was asked to return to UMBC when the instructor position again became vacant. He gladly accepted and began an uninterrupted tenure at UMBC as an instructor of Biological Sciences. Mr. Sandoz, who is been active in using technology in teaching and in active learning,, was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2005. Mr. Sandoz has mentored high school students in projects in microbiology and genetics. He has served as faculty advisor to many Interdisciplary Studies majors for the Biology portion of their capstone projects. With Steve Caruso, he was appointed an Honors College Faculty Fellow, teaching a completely investigative course to non-majors, sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Science Education Alliance. Currently, Mr. Sandoz supervises the Biology Tutorial Center and is teaching Microbiology lecture and lab, and the Phage Hunters courses.
INFORMATION ABOUT DR. WEBER
Dr. Carl S. Weber
The Weber award was established in 2006 in memory of Dr. Carl Weber, Assistant Professor Emeritus in the UMBC Department of Biological Sciences, as a tribute to his passion for classroom teaching. The annual award honors a faculty member at UMBC with exceptional dedication to teaching as demonstrated by his or her enthusiasm, up-to-date teaching materials, effective mentoring, community service in the teaching area, approachability, rigorous learning requirements, coherent teaching philosophy and inspirational teaching style. All CNMS faculty members are eligible to be nominated for the award.Nominations can be made by faculty, alumni, and students in any of the CNMS graduate and undergraduate programs as well as CNMS groups, such as the councils of majors.
A selection committee of CNMS faculty members and students, both graduate and undergraduates, reviews the application packets and then, as a group, makes a recommendation to the CNMS Dean, who then names the award winner. The award includes a $1,000 prize from the Carl Weber Excellence in Teaching Award fund. The most recent Call for Nominations, with a steamlined procedure, may be viewed from this site. Questions should be directed to Kathy Sutphin (sutphin@umbc.edu).
