Brandeis faculty celebrated with teaching awards

Keith Merrill, Elizabeth Brainerd and Naghmeh Sohrabi recognized for their excellence in the classroom

Three members of the Brandeis University faculty have been recognized for their excellence in the classroom with 2018-19 teaching awards.

Students, faculty and alumni annually nominate faculty members who have impacted their lives for the three awards: The Lerman-Neubauer ’69 Prize for Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring; the Michael L. Walzer ’56 Award for Teaching; and the Louis Dembitz Brandeis Prize for Excellence in Teaching.

The awards are overseen by the Committee for the Support of Teaching on behalf of the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences. Dean Dorothy Hodgson presented the awards at a faculty meeting April 12.

The following faculty members were honored:

Keith Merrill, assistant professor of mathematics: Louis Dembitz Brandeis Prize for Excellence in Teaching

What students had to say about Merrill:

• "He devotes himself so much to teaching and he is so passionate about what he is teaching! He always encourages students to uncover the enchantment of the course! He never gets tired of answering students’ questions. Keith usually holds office hours three times a week, and each office hour usually lasts for near 3 hours. Usually his office hour turns into a recitation since there are so many students coming, sometimes near 50 people. Keith always stays as long as there are still some questions."
• "To help students fully understand material, he holds office hour from 5-7 four times a week. I’ve never seen any other professor as supportive as Keith and he really stimulates students’ interest in math."
• "Keith Merrill is one of the greatest professors I have ever had the pleasure of working with. His teaching style can only be described as a magical combination of laid back and exuberant.  …interacting with him feels like a beautiful mixture of great mentoring and just being our friend. Keith's excitement for the subject he teaches is infectious. He is always happy to help with anything, be it in a class he teaches, a class he doesn't, or outside of academia in general, and he does so with such vim and verve that you can't help but get into it yourself."

Elizabeth Brainerd, Susan and Barton Winokur Professor in Economics and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies: Lerman-Neubauer ’69 Prize for Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring

What students had to say about Brainerd:

• "It is impossible to offer enough praise to Prof. Brainerd. She is a fantastic professor who sparks interest in the course material and increases students’ ability to think critically about complex issues."

• "Professor Brainerd was one of my favorite professors during my time at Brandeis University. I had her last semester for Econometrics. I was very nervous to take this class because I had heard numerous stories from economics students about how difficult this course is. Professor Brainerd made this class exciting and fun to learn about. I could tell that she truly cared about all her students and really wanted every single person to get the most out of this class. She kept the class engaged at all times and did an extremely good job at explaining the material in every class and in one-on-one settings. While this class was a challenge, I found it so rewarding. Econometrics turned out to be one of my favorite courses, if not my favorite, and this is due to Professor Brainerd."

• "She was always open and approachable before and after class times.  The class was structured perfectly, the readings were informative and engaging.  This was one of my favorite classes, and one of my favorite professors since getting to Brandeis."

Naghmeh Sohrabi, Charles (Corky) Goodman Chair in Middle East History: Michael L. Walzer ’56 Award for Teaching

What students had to say about Sohrabi:

• "Professor Sohrabi brought incredible enthusiasm and passion to a course that made everyone genuinely want to read 200 pages and prepare themselves for class.  It was never about a grade in her classroom. It was about learning. She cares very much about all of her students, and she challenges them to learn and keep learning in a respectful and exciting way."

• "Professor Sohrabi is the most engaging and passionate professor that I have had the privilege to have taken a course with. Professor Sohrabi brings so much knowledge and background to her courses and truly cultivates an amazing atmosphere that only makes students engage further in the topic."

• "She is both a fantastic thinker and an even more fantastic teacher, Professor Sohrabi is not only a brilliant professor, but gives her students the tools to think brilliantly as well. She creates a space filled with a variety of different voices and arguments.  She not only stimulates interest in everything she teaches, but asks us to think critically about everything we learn and to formulate counter perspectives."

Additionally, Professor of Mathematics Dmitry Kleinbock was named the winner of the 2018-19 Dean’s Mentoring Award, given annually to a member of the faculty involved in the supervision of graduate students enrolled in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. He is the first professor of mathematics to win the award. Read more: Dmitry Kleinbock receives Dean’s Mentoring Award.