By Ami Olson ’07, PR Intern
Lawrence Aaronson, professor of biology and dean of arts and sciences division, has been selected to receive this year’s Carski Foundation Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award from the American Society for Microbiology. The award recognizes Aaronson’s commitment to teaching and mentoring, highlighting his use of traditional and contemporary techniques, including web-based tools and popular fiction, in his quest to teach students about microbiology.
The Carski award is presented annually to one educator for the outstanding teaching of undergraduates in the field of microbiology. Aaronson will receive the award at the ASM general meeting in Toronto in May, where he will also be a keynote speaker. The award will include a cash prize and commemorative piece.
Aaronson was nominated for the Carski award by UC biology student Ewa Szymanska ‘08. “Students are the number one priority in Dr. Aaronson’s life,” says Szymanska in her nomination letter.
Affectionately known by many students as “Doc,” Aaronson welcomes students into his office, lab, and even his home. Aaronson’s long list of research, publications, and presentations on which he collaborated with students spans nearly 20 years; many of his former students have been nationally recognized and now hold doctorates of their own.
Aaronson holds a bachelor’s degree in biological science from Florida State University, Tallahassee, and a Ph.D. in microbiology from Rutgers University. At Yale University School of Medicine, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship. Aaronson joined the UC faculty in 1987 as assistant professor of biology. He became the dean of the arts and sciences division in 2000, though he remains devoted to teaching and facilitating student research.
“It has been a great experience serving my division and the college in this capacity, but I’ve missed the daily contact with my students, and there are still a lot of things I would like to accomplish as a teacher,” Aaronson says. He will leave his position as dean in June and return to teaching full time. Aaronson says he is very much looking forward to returning to the classroom and research lab. Teaching is, after all, his passion.
The ASM is the oldest and largest life science membership organization in the world. ASM members represent 26 different microbiological disciplines, and range from undergraduate students to post-doctoral scientists and microbiology educators. The ASM has awarded the prestigious Carski award to one educator annually since 1968.
Article appeared in Inside UC, April 2007, p.1
1 comments:
Thanks for writing this.
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