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LeRoy and Elva Martin Award for Teaching Excellence

The LeRoy and Elva Martin Award for Teaching Excellence recognizes outstanding contributions to the College of Sciences’ teaching mission. The award is given to assistant professors. Two winners are selected each year: one tenure-track faculty member and one non-tenure-track faculty member. (past winners)

The award was created in 2001 by the late LeRoy Martin Jr., a longtime mathematics professor at NC State, to honor his parents, Elva and LeRoy Martin.

Nomination Information

The LeRoy and Elva Martin Award for Teaching Excellence is designed to serve the following major purposes:

  1. To signal the university’s commitment to excellence in teaching
  2. To reward faculty excellence in teaching early in their career
  3. To thereby promote excellence in teaching among other faculty

Criteria of Excellence

Commitment to teaching and students

  • Nurtures critical thinking
  • Uses innovative and creative teaching methods
  • Maintains high expectations of students
  • Is sensitive to the learning needs of students
  • Is dedicated to improving as a teacher

Intellectually stimulates students

  • Encourages active learning
  • Engages and excites students in field of study

Effectively communicates with students

  • Communicates expectations clearly and provides ample feedback
  • Is open-minded, fair, and respectful of students

Has a positive and lasting impact on students and alumni

  • Affects students’ educational goals, career goals and personal achievements
  • Engages in teaching excellence beyond the classroom (e.g., advising; student organizations)
  • Respected by students, alumni, and colleagues

Eligibilty

To be considered for the Martin Award for Teaching Excellence, the faculty nominee must be a full-time faculty member at the rank of assistant professor. Two awards will be presented each year, one for tenure-track faculty and the other for non-tenure-track faculty.

Nomination Documents

  1. Nomination letter from Department Head
  2. Current CV
  3. Brief statement articulating the nominee’s contributions to the teaching mission of the college. Limit 2 pages
  4. Two peer evaluations
  5. Samples of course materials (such as excerpts from syllabi, assignments, projects, exams, student portfolios, or other evidence of student learning outcome) or documentation of teaching-related activities such as leadership related to teaching and learning or continuing professional development (workshops, institutes, etc.). Limit 4-8 pages
  6. Student course evaluation ratings for each course taught the two years prior to the year of nomination

Past Winners

  • 2022 – Martha Reiskind (Biological Sciences), Jonathan Williams (Statistics)
  • 2021 – Michael Taveirne (Biological Sciences), Eric Chi (Statistics)
  • 2020 – Lisa Falk (Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences), Caroline Proulx (Chemistry)
  • 2019 – Alen Alexanderian (Mathematics), Jonathan Duggins (Statistics)
  • 2018 – Alice Lee (Biological Sciences), Jonathan Stallrich (Statistics)
  • 2017 – Brian Reich (Statistics)
  • 2016 – Daniel Dougherty (Physics)
  • 2015 – Maria Gallardo-Williams (Chemistry)
  • 2014 – Karen Daniels (Physics)
  • 2013 – Reza Ghiladi (Chemistry)
  • 2012 – Anantha Aiyyer (Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences), Greg Neyhart (Chemistry)
  • 2011 – Richard Mowat (Physics)
  • 2010 – Laura Clarke (Physics)
  • 2008 – Matthew Parker (Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences)
  • 2007 – Thomas Brent Gunnoe (Chemistry)
  • 2006 – David DeMaster (Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences), Michael Shearer (Mathematics)
  • 2005 – Kay Sandberg (Chemistry), Roger Woodard (Statistics)
  • 2004 – Gary Lackmann (Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences), Larry Norris (Mathematics)
  • 2003 – Alton Banks (Chemistry)
  • 2002 – Marjorie Klenin (Physics), C. Ernest Knowles (Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences)
  • 2001 – Maria Oliver-Hoyo (Chemistry)