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AROUND THE QUADS

Williams, Heinz To Be Honored as Great Teachers

Gareth D. Williams and Tony F. Heinz will receive the annual Great Teacher Awards, presented by the Society of Columbia Graduates, at a dinner in Low Library Rotunda on October 27. Williams is the Theodore Kahan professor of humanities and classics department chair at the College and Heinz is the David M. Rickey professor of optical communications and department of electrical engineering chair at SEAS.

Williams received his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Trinity College, Cambridge, and came to Columbia in 1992 after teaching at Cambridge University. In addition to being a knowledgeable and popular teacher in his department and in Literature Humanities, Williams is very involved in College activities, whether it is giving an introductory lecture at orientation, speaking to alumni at the Dean’s Circle lunch or meeting with parents. He has been the director of undergraduate studies and serves on the Committee on Instruction. Williams has won prizes and awards for his teaching and has authored many books, papers and articles.

Heinz received his Ph.D. in physics in 1982 from Berkeley and joined the IBM Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., in 1983. He began research on nonlinear optical techniques to probe surfaces, interfaces and thin films. While at IBM, Heinz attained a worldwide reputation in quantum electronics and surface physics. Heinz, who teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in electrical engineering and physics, has built a cutting-edge research program in photonics and semiconductor surface physics, is editor-in-chief of the prestigious Journal of the Optical Society of America and has won the Ernst Abbe Medal of the International Commission for Optics.

The Society of Columbia Graduates, which was formed more than 96 years ago, established the Great Teacher Awards in 1949 to honor outstanding College and SEAS faculty. Criteria include the ability to stimulate, challenge and inspire students; make effective oral presentations; show a demonstrated interest in students; relate positively to students outside the classroom; and possess a recognized standing in academic discipline. Each recipient has his or her name inscribed on a plaque under the Teaching Lion in Butler Library.

For ticket information on the event, contact Dr. Alexandra Baranetsky: 973-376-2212 or ab665@columbia.edu.

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