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Awards and Honors

Each year the University acknowledges and celebrates the achievements of its graduate students, alumni of the Graduate School, and others who have positively affected the lives and careers of Brown’s graduate students. Awarded at the Graduate School Commencement ceremony, these awards are important recognitions of the past, current, and future contributions of the Graduate School to the intellectual life of the University.

Horace Mann Medal

The Horace Mann Medal was established in 2003 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Brown University Graduate School. The award is given annually to a Brown Graduate School alumnus or alumna who has made significant contributions in his or her field, inside or outside of academia. The medal replaces the Distinguished Graduate School Alumni Award, and, beginning in 2008, will be awarded at the University's Commencement exercises in May. Any graduate of a Brown advanced-degree program is eligible.

Previous Horace Mann Medal winners:

2006

  • Tracy Denean Sharpley-Whiting '94 Ph.D. French Studies

2005

  • Maria T. Zuber '83 Sc.M., '86 Ph.D. Geological Sciences

2004

  • Wen-Hsiung Li '72 Ph.D. Applied Mathematics

2003

  • Joel D. Scheraga '79 A.M., '81 Ph.D. Economics

Joukowsky Dissertation Award

The Joukowsky Family Foundation Outstanding Dissertation Award is an annual prize awarded by the Graduate School for superior achievements in research by students who are completing their Ph.D.s. Supported through the generosity of the Joukowsky Family Foundation, the awards are usually given to four students per year, one from each of the four main areas: the humanities, the life sciences, the physical sciences, and the social sciences. The award carries at $2,500 honorarium and is given out at the Graduate School Commencement ceremony.

Previous Joukowsky Dissertation Award winners:

2007

  • Laetitia Iturralde, Comparative Literature
  • Matthias vom Hau, Sociology
  • Prasanna Satpute-Krishnan, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry
  • Stefan Roth, Computer Science

2006

  • Nathaniel Levtow, Religious Studies
  • Brian Mayer, Sociology
  • William Querbes, Pathobiology
  • Jeffrey Reingold, Chemistry

2005

  • Lorrain Lisiecki, Geological Sciences
  • Sabrina McCormick, Sociology
  • G. Michael Pace, Philosophy
  • Julian Ling-Chao Wong, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry

2004

  • Matthew Lange, Sociology
  • Sang Ryul Park, Physics
  • Scott Robbins, Pathobiology
  • Rachel White, Religious Studies

 

Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching is an annual prize awarded by the Graduate School to recognize outstanding pedagogical achievement by a Brown University graduate student. The award carries at $2,500 honorarium and is given out at the University Awards ceremony, which is held in early May.

Criteria for the award include:

  • Teaching that influences, motivates and inspires students to learn and fosters independent learning. Indicated by the graduate student's feedback to students on class assignments and how this feedback is consonant with course goals, or through statements regarding the graduate student's pedagogical technique.
  • Development of curriculum and resources that promote student learning. A demonstration of the graduate student's use of imaginative instructional resources, a research-inspired approach to teaching, a current knowledge of the field, and the ability to communicate clear objectives and expectations for student learning.
  • Development of students as individual learners. Evidence that the graduate student is responsive and supportive to the diversity among his or her students, and that assessment methods are similarly adapted.

All nominations are reviewed by the Graduate Council, which also makes final determinations regarding the winners.

Previous Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching winners:

2007

  • Kerin Holt, English
  • Maria del Mar Patron Vazquez, Hispanic Studies

2006

  • Angel Otero-Blanco, Hispanic Studies
  • Wendy Lee, English

2005

  • Julian Ling-Chao Wong, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry
  • Kira Lawrence, Geological Sciences

2004

  • Jennifer Rains, Hispanic Studies
  • Malhar Nabar, Economics

Wilson-DeBlois Award

The Brown University Graduate Student Council confers the Wilson-DeBlois Award annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to graduate students and the Graduate School. The Wilson-DeBlois Award is named in honor of George Grafton Wilson and Austen K. DeBlois, recipients of Brown's first Doctor of Philosophy degrees in 1889. The award is given annually on behalf of all Brown graduate students to express their appreciation for the recipient's dedication and commitment to graduate students at the University.

Previous Wilson-Deblois Award winners:

2007

  • Douglas Brown, Director, Brown University Writing Center

2006

  • Erma Wallace, Coordinator of Administrative Affairs, Brown University Graduate School

2005

  • Laura Hess, Associate Director for the Humanities and Social Sciences, The Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning
  • Janet Rankin, Associate Director for Life Sciences and Physical Sciences, The Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning

2004

  • Michael Diffily, Associate Dean, Brown University Graduate School