Seven Faculty Members Receive Meyerson Awards

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo Faculty Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity has been renamed the President Emeritus and Mrs. Martin Meyerson Award for Distinguished Teaching and Mentoring.

Seven faculty members who received Faculty Awards for Excellence in 2011 and 2012 were recognized as Meyerson Award recipients at a campus reception on Sept. 18. They are: Lynne Koscielniak and Maria Horne, associate professors of theater and dance, College of Arts and Sciences; John Ringland, professor of mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences; Kate Rittenhouse-Olson, professor of biotechnology and clinical lab sciences, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Satpal Singh, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; and Jun Zhuang, assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering, and Jennifer Zirnheld, assistant professor of electrical engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

The Meyerson Award was established in 2004 by the late UB President Emeritus Martin Meyerson and his wife through a generous gift to recognize exceptional teaching at the university. Martin Meyerson, served as UB's 10th president from 1966 to 1969, and was the first president appointed after UB's merger with SUNY. His surviving spouse, Margy Ellin Meyerson, supports renaming the endowed fund, which will be awarded annually to faculty members who distinguish themselves as teachers and student mentors.

"We are very grateful that the Meyersons had the foresight to establish this award," says A. Scott Weber, PhD, vice provost and dean of undergraduate education. "Faculty members chosen to receive the Meyerson Award set the bar for excellence in helping our undergraduates reach their full potential as young scholars. Their ability to inspire our students and support them in the dissemination of their creative work is exceptional and contributes to their long-term academic growth."

Faculty may be nominated for the award by students, faculty colleagues or university administrators; individuals selected for the award will be recognized during UB's annual Celebration of Student Academic Excellence each spring.