Campus-wide award honors excellence in teaching

He was the one who got you through biochem, and she was the one who taught you to write a history research paper. Or maybe it was the lecture on brain chemicals that made you decide to brave the pre-med route. Regardless, there are professors and TAs at Hopkins who have a marked influence upon the lives of their students.

Sometimes one wishes there was a way to thank those who influenced them through their teaching, and luckily we have the opportunity to do so by nominating those teachers for an Excellence in Teaching Award.

Hopkins began offering the Excellence in Teaching Awards in 1992 through the Johns Hopkins Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award, an honor funded by Hopkins' Alumni Association as a means of recognizing those faculty members who exhibit a strong affinity for excellence in teaching.

Faculty members are considered for the award based on their enthusiasm in the classroom, the amount of interest that they take in their students and their ability to clearly relay intricate information. The recipients are awarded a cash prize and are honored at the commencement ceremonies for the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences or the Whiting School of Engineering.

The awards program is a nice way for students to reward the hard work that their educators put forth on a daily basis, and it is open to any lecturer, instructor, assistant or full professor who has taught at the University for at least three years in either school.

The offices for both the deans of School of Arts and Sciences and the dean of the Whiting School of Engineering place great emphasis on the importance of these awards; in the past, some of Hopkins' Deans have been afforded these honors and consider them to be among the most important tributes of their lifetimes.

It is from this original applicant pool that winners for several other awards, such as The George E. Owen, the William H. Huggins Excellence in Teaching Award, Robert B. Pond, Sr. Excellence in Teaching Award, The George M.L. Sommerman Engineering Graduate Teaching Assistant Award and Capers and Marion McDonald Award for Excellence in Mentoring and Advising, were selected. Each nomination puts the candidate in the running for the appropriate honor.

"This is a very important undertaking to reward good teaching," Dean Stephen David of the School of Arts and Sciences said. "Especially at a research University, good teaching often goes unrewarded, so we are relying on our students to identify good teachers and honor them through prizes and recognition."

Dean David added, "This only works if students take the time to vote. If their teachers and graduate students go the extra mile, we are asking that students do that as well."

The George E. Owen Award was established in 1982 in remembrance of George E. Owen, who had served as a dean of the Homewood Faculties. This award is given annually by the Student Council for exceptional devotion to the teaching of undergraduates and can be presented to a member of either the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) or the Whiting School of Engineering (WSE).

In recognition of service to both the undergraduate and graduate students in the WSE, the William H. Huggins Excellence in Teaching Award is granted.

Similarly, the Robert B. Pond, Sr. Excellence in Teaching Award is presented for commitment to instruction in the WSE by inspiring within students an intense desire to learn. For the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, specifically, the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences Teaching Assistant Award is given to commend the best teaching assistants for their concern and care of their students within their subject disciplines.

A similar honor, the George M. L. Sommerman Engineering Graduate Teaching Assistant Award is offered for teaching assistants displaying similar qualities within the Whiting School of Engineering.

The final honor given under the Hopkins Excellence in Teaching Awards program is the Capers and Marion McDonald Award for Excellence in Mentoring and Advising, which is offered to nominees from the WSE exclusively for teachers, researchers and the administrators who have taken an active role in the encouragement of their students' improvement.

After an educator has been nominated, the applicants are reviewed by the Student Council, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Tau Beta Pi (the engineering society) and the Whiting School of Engineering. Also included on the committees for selection are the award's previous winners.

The award winners for 2006 include, among others, Jeffery Gray, a professor of chemical and bimolecular engineering, Trina Schroer, a professor of biology, Simon Sheppard from the political science department and Take Nakama from applied mathematics and statistics along with six other illustrious faculty members.

Unfortunately in the past there haven't been as many nominations -- fewer than 150 in some years -- as there are deserving faculty members; students are encouraged to nominate the faculty members whom they feel deserve this as a method of showing their gratitude.

Nominations can be submitted online at http://kreiger.jhu.edu/teachingawards and may be submitted by any Hopkins student, faculty member or alumnus. The last date that nominations will be accepted is February 12, 2007.

Consider nominating members of the Hopkins community who exemplify the criteria for the awards programs. The staff contributes an enormous amount of time to the University and their students, and they should have the opportunity to know that their labors are not in vain.

Studying at the Hopkins School of Public Sex

Most of us fail to truly appreciate the beauty of our campus. It's no secret that Hopkins is very concerned with campus aesthetics. You'll have difficulty finding a dead leaf on the brick or an untrimmed patch of grass, thanks to our dedicated team of gardeners. But look past the pretty quads and Georgian architecture and you'll find many uncharted locations hidden from students blindly walking between classes. These precious spots are the best to spend some private moments and enjoy the invigoration of having sex in public.

Why is public sex so addicting and attractive? It's usually not physically gratifying and doesn't allow for the flexibility of varied positions. But the thrill of having sex in public doesn't derive from the physical stimulation, but the spontaneity of the act. It's as if your desire becomes uncontrollable and must be satisfied immediately. The risk of exposure is also an aphrodisiac. The threat of getting caught makes the sex intense and furious. Adrenaline pulses through your veins and engorges your passions. It's an experience no one should miss.

Though I'm hesitant to unveil the secrets of campus, I hope some will take advantage of it and thus I'll be spreading love and joy throughout our Hopkins community. I'm considering it my charitable act for the week.

The first stop on our tour is the MSE library. The most famous and obvious site is the dungeon of D-level. To have sex in the stacks on the library's deepest floor is known as the D-Level Challenge, and it even has its own Facebook group. Like pulling an all-nighter in the Hut, the D-level Challenge is considered a rite of passage in your career at Hopkins. It's a convenient way to remove some tension while studying.

But be warned: The library may also be one of the easiest places to get caught on campus. Guards have interrupted students in the act. The best places to take a study break are the group study rooms, especially since some have locks. Most importantly, the bathrooms do not count! Surprisingly, the best time to attempt the challenge is reading period. Though it would seem that D-level would be packed with students crying over their chemistry books, this is the only time when the library is open 24 hours a day. If you go around 4 or 5 a.m. during the weekend after classes end, the library will be your personal playground.

In this writer's opinion, while the D-Level Challenge is a great Hopkins tradition, it's not a worthy accomplishment that will set you apart from the crowd. You will discover that it's unexpectedly easy. If you consider yourself a real rebel, take a shot at the MSE Grand Slam Challenge -- four levels in one night. It's certainly a unique experience that you can boast about for your entire time at Hopkins.

Across the quad from the library, you'll find the jewel of Johns Hopkins, Gilman Hall. Adorning this iconic building is its famous clock tower, the next location of our tour. After climbing up to the top story, look for Gilman 500. This small classroom sits right below the tower. Inside the room is a staircase leading up through the actual clock tower up to the gazebo holding the enormous bells. If you manage to navigate the numerous stairs and avoid the dead pigeons, you will be rewarded with an amazing view. The best time to get it on up here is in the early hours of the morning to watch the sunrise. Imagine climaxing in all your glory as the Baltimore skyline glistens in the sun. Another less known spot is the roof of Shaffer. After taking the back stairwell up to the roof, you will have to be sure to leave the door propped open -- otherwise you'll be stuck. If you aren't too afraid of heights, climb the tiny metal ladder up to the top. It's a beautiful view with a lot of private space. Be sure to bring a blanket, as the gravel is not so comfortable to be thrust against.

Though at Hopkins we aren't known for our sports, we still have many fine athletic complexes. What could be more memorable than hitting a home run with your partner on home plate of the baseball field?

Another infamous tradition is the Big H Challenge, in which couples get it on in the middle of the lacrosse field on the giant letter "H." Though our field has been updated and the letter removed, students should still be encouraged to show their school spirit and get a feel for the new turf field. However, try to avoid the field during fraternity pledging as many pledge tasks take place there in the early hours of the morning.

There are a few other noteworthy locations on the Homewood campus. President Brody's garden, the Decker Gardens, is beautifully landscaped with many shrubs to play hide-and-seek in.

If you're "lucky" enough to date a pre-med or engineer, try convincing him or her to show you the lab. What is more nerdy that doing it on a lab bench? The Levi Sculpture Garden behind Shriver is a tiny oasis in our city setting. It may be difficult to remain unnoticed in this location, as it's only open during the daytime according the Baltimore Museum of Art's hours.

Take this semester to explore your temporary home here in Baltimore. You won't want to be asked, "What's the craziest place you've had sex?" and have to answer "the foot of the bed." Grab a map of campus and enjoy this more pleasurable tour of the Hopkins campus.avoid the field during fraternity pledging as many pledge tasks tasks take place there in the early hours of morning.

There are a few other miscellaneous noteworthy locations on the Homewood campus. President Brody's garden, the Decker Gardens, is beautifully landscaped with many shrubs to play hide-and-seek.

If you're "lucky" enough to date a Pre-Med or engineering student, try convincing him to show you his lab. What is more nerdy that doing it on a lab bench? The Levi Sculpture Garden behind Shriver is a tiny oasis in our city setting. It may be difficult to remain unnoticed in this location, as it's only open during the daytime according the Baltimore Museum of Art's hours.

Take this semester to explore your temporary home here in Baltimore. You won't want to be asked, "What's the craziest place you've had sex?" and have to answer "the foot of the bed." Grab a map of campus and enjoy this more pleasurable and sensuous tour of the Hopkins campus.