Arts and Sciences honors four faculty members

Photo/Mike Lovett

Left to right: Jané Kondev, Isaac Krauss, Jennifer Cleary, Eva Bellin

The School of Arts and Sciences has recognized faculty members Jané Kondev, Isaac Krauss, Jennifer Cleary and Eva Bellin with its annual teaching and mentoring awards. The awards, which were given based on student and staff recommendations, were presented at a faculty meeting on April 23.

Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer ’69 Prize for Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring

Jané Kondev, a professor of physics whose current research includes the study of cell-to cell variability in gene expression, homologous recombination in yeast, synthetic genetic circuits, and formin assisted actin assembly, has been awarded the 2015 Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer '69 and Joseph Neubauer Prize for Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring. Established by Trustee Jeanette Lerman at the time of her marriage to Joseph Neubauer, the honor, which includes a $5,000 stipend, recognizes an individual who is involved in the co-curricular and extracurricular life of the campus and has had a significant impact on students lives as an exceptional teacher, mentor, adviser and friend.

"Jane Kondev's mentoring accomplishments are outstanding," one student who nominated Kondev wrote. "He inspires students and leads them to accomplish amazing results. His style is supportive and positive, with a combination of enthusiasm, insight and a depth of knowledge in his field that is remarkable."

Michael L. Walzer ’56 Award for Teaching

Isaac Krauss, an assistant professor of chemistry and the principal investigator of the Krauss Research Group, which studies interesting problems in organic synthesis and chemical biology, was awarded the 2015 Michael L. Walzer '56 Award for Teaching. The award is given to a tenure track faculty member who combines superlative scholarship with inspired teaching and includes a $2,500 stipend.

“Isaac Krauss cares about every single one of his students,” according to one of his students. “Not only does he excel at teaching large lecture classes, he is a fantastic mentor to students."

Louis Dembitz Brandeis Prize for Excellence in Teaching

Jennifer Cleary, a senior lecturer in Theater Arts who is an expert in stage management, oral communications and theater education, was presented with the 2015 Louis Dembitz Brandeis Prize for Excellence in Teaching. The award, which includes a $2,500 stipend, honors an individual for his or her outstanding teaching. 

“Jennifer Cleary is an inspiration to everyone that she meets,” wrote one of her students. “She is an excellent teacher, and she inspires others to have a love for all theater. She always goes above and beyond her duties as a professor, offering her knowledge to each student individually, and creating a bond with each student.”

Dean of Arts and Sciences Mentoring Award

Eva Bellin, the Myra and Robert Kraft Professor of Arab Politics, was presented with the 2015 Dean of Arts and Sciences Mentoring Award. Bellin is an expert on the authoritarian persistence in the Middle East, the political economy of development, the evolution of civil society, and the politics of cultural change. The award, which includes a $2,500 stipend, recognizes faculty members who exhibit outstanding mentorship of graduate students through inspiring excellent academic performance from students, advising and guiding research, developing talents such as research skills and teaching ability, sponsoring students in the academic and professional community and interacting effectively with students.

"It is a great pleasure to offer the Mentor Award to Dr. Bellin this year," said Eric Chasalow, dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. "We pride ourselves in being able to offer our graduate students a personal experience with quality mentoring, and I am grateful for the opportunity to honor a colleague who excels in this regard."