Apr 24, 2009 - Claremont, Calif. -

Assistant Professor of Psychology Debra Mashek has been chosen as the recipient of the inaugural Jane S. Halonen Early Career Teaching Award by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, a division of the American Psychological Association (APA). The award will be given at the APA's annual meeting in August.

The award recognizes the first five years of full-time teaching by a faculty member at any level, and is awarded to one recipient per year. Mashek joined Harvey Mudd College's (HMC) Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and the Arts in 2005.

"This is a wonderful honor and recognizes Professor Mashek for the impressive contributions she makes in the classroom and in her scholarly work," said Robert Cave, vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty. "We have all benefited from the vibrant and thoughtful contributions she makes to our community, and it is wonderful to see that her impact extends far beyond The Claremont Colleges as well."

The Jane S. Halonen Early Career Teaching award is based on the following five criteria: (a) effective teaching; (b) mentoring student professional development; (c) advancing teaching and learning through scholarship; (d) advancing teaching and learning through service; and (e) training high school, community college or college/university teachers.

Mashek has also been selected as the Critchell Assistant Professor at HMC, commencing July 1, 2009. Her selection was made on the basis of a series of discussions Dean Cave held with the Department Chairs Committee.

Acccording to Cave's announcement of her appointment, "The Critchell Professorship is awarded to a junior professor as a way of recognizing faculty who, in the early stages of their careers, have exhibited an unusual talent for mentoring and counseling students in all aspects of their lives. These are qualities that were hallmarks of the Critchells' direction of the Bates [Aeronautics] Program. They are qualities that have been exemplified by past Critchell chairs, most recently by Karl Haushalter who was the Critchell Professor from 2007-2009.

"Deb has shown deep commitment to our students in the classroom, in research, in support of service learning opportunities and by engagement in many venues outside the classroom. She exemplifies a host of the traits that made the Critchells such an important part of the community and we are fortunate to have her as a member of the faculty. Please join me in congratulating her and thanking her for the excellent support she has provided for HMC students."

Sweedyk Awarded NSF Grant for Research

The National Science Foundation has awarded a grant of $149,784 to HMC for support of the project "CS Education: Computer Game Course, Curriculum and Gender?," under the direction of Associate Professor of Computer Science Elizabeth "Z" Sweedyk.

The proposal extends work Sweedyk has been doing on gender, gaming and computer sciences. Her project proposal describes the research, in part, this way:

Recruitment of students to computer science has been a focus of effort for educators since the dot-com bust in 2001. Two major but largely disparate themes in this work are women and games. This proposal is aimed at their intersection of these efforts. It seeks to answer the following question: When it comes to CS education, can we have our games and women too?

The grant, which is part of the NSF's Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement program, runs through February 2012.

Wright to Chair Humanities, Social Sciences and the Arts

Professor of Philosophy Darryl Wright has been selected to succeed Professor Lisa Sullivan as chair of Harvey Mudd College's recently renamed Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and the Arts, beginning July 1, 2009. He has been a faculty member for 18 years.

"Darryl has played a critical role in the life of the department in a number of ways, including heading the department's recent external review," said Robert Cave, vice president of academic affairs and dean of faculty. "More recently, Darryl has chaired the subcommittee of the Strategic Vision Curriculum Implementation Committee that is helping develop our new writing course and has shown wonderful leadership skills in moving that work forward. I am excited that Darryl has accepted this position and feel confident the department will be in great hands under his leadership."

Karukstis Named Platt Chair in Effective Teaching

Professor of Chemistry Kerry Karukstis has been selected as the Joseph B. Platt Chair in Effective Teaching at HMC for a term of five years, beginning July 1, 2009.

Robert Cave, vice president of academic affairs and dean of faculty, said of Karukstis, "The Platt Chair was inaugurated in 2004 and was developed to recognize a faculty member who has ‘demonstrated both personal effectiveness in teaching and a passion to promote effective teaching in others.' Kerry personifies these traits and will be a wonderful example of the institution's commitment to teaching and learning, as was the first Platt Chair, Ran Libeskind-Hadas.

"Kerry has been committed to innovative teaching and student learning since she arrived at the college. She was one of the developers of the Interdisciplinary Lab, has pioneered a case study approach to general chemistry, has continued to help students see the real-life applications of their classroom work, and has been a national force for improving undergraduate research through the Council of Undergraduate Research (serving as president for 2008-09) and project work supported by the NSF. Please join me in congratulating Kerry for this well-deserved honor."