News Release

Jacobs School Is Home to Two of Five Winners of UCSD Faculty Excellence Awards

 

March 06, 2007 – Two professors from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at the Jacobs School of Engineering are among the five faculty members that were honored by the UC San Diego Chancellor’s Associates on March 5, 2007 for excellence in teaching, research and community service.

Joseph Pasquale, the J. Robert Beyster Professor of Computer Science,  was honored for excellence in undergraduate teaching; and Pavel Pevzner, the Ronald R. Taylor Professor of Computer Science, for excellence in research in science and engineering. Pevzer is the director of the Center for Algorithmic and Systems Biology (CASB) at the UCSD Division of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2).

   

 Pevzner and Pasquale
 

The annual event honors UCSD faculty as a whole, while highlighting the important contributions of the university’s most exemplary teachers and researchers. Chancellor’s Associates, a program for donors who give an annual leadership gift of $1,500 or more to the university, recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of UCSD faculty members with a citation and $2,500 honorarium.

The other three winners are: Craig Callender, professor of Philosophy, for excellence in graduate teaching; Sandra Brown, professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, for excellence in research in arts, humanities and social sciences; and Irving “Jake” Jacoby, professor of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, for excellence in community service.

 

“We are enormously pleased to present the Faculty Excellence Awards to these  extraordinarily talented members of our faculty,” said Marsha Chandler, UCSD senior vice chancellor of Academic Affairs. “Each of them has made an important contribution to UC San Diego and the community, be it through teaching, research or community leadership. We are proud to have them on our faculty.”

Award candidates are nominated by their academic peers, with final selection by a committee comprised of Chancellor’s Associates donors. Criteria for selection are based on faculty member achievements, reputation, and impact on students and the academic community. Since 1974, UC San Diego has recognized 105 extraordinary faculty members with Chancellor’s Associates Faculty Excellence Awards.

 

Joseph Pasquale
Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

 Joseph Pasquale

  To watch streaming video profile of undergraduate teaching award winner Joe Pasquale, click here or on image. Length: 3:39

Pasquale was recognized as an exemplary teacher, mentor and leader within the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at the Jacobs School of Engineering. He consistently earns top ratings and reviews from students taking his standing-room-only classes on Principles of Operating Systems and popular freshman seminars on the Slide Rule and Science of Casino Games. In addition to inspiring students to think creatively, Pasquale is a caring mentor, encouraging undergrads and high school students in their first steps toward a career in computer science.

“Professor Pasquale is an exemplary teacher,” said Frieder Seible, dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering at UCSD. “It is particularly noteworthy that his high student approval ratings are achieved in core undergraduate courses with enrollments as high as 200 students. His ability to relate to, encourage and inspire students is nothing short of amazing.”

 

 

Pavel Pevzner
Excellence in Research in Science and Engineering

 Pavel Pevzner

  To watch streaming video profile of Pavel Pevzner, winner for science and engineering research, click here or on image. Length: 3:11


Pevzner was honored for his work as a pioneer and widely recognized leader in the field of computational molecular biology, also known as bioinformatics. His focus in the area of genome rearrangements – a common type of genetic mutation – has helped shed light on the study of both evolutionary history and cancer. A distinguished lecturer and author, Pevzner has also been instrumental in organizing, developing and promoting bioinformatics-related research and educational programs on campus.

“Professor Pevzner has made broad and prolific contributions to the various areas of computational molecular biology,” said Keith Marzullo, chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. “It is hard to imagine this field without his presence.”

Adapted from a press release by Laura Margoni. 
Click here for original the original.

Media Contacts

Daniel Kane
Jacobs School of Engineering
858-534-3262
dbkane@ucsd.edu