October 7, 2005 Source: Brock University:
http://www.brocku.ca/webnews/displaystory.phtml?TEMPLATE=template.html&sid=1356 Professors to be honoured for teaching and research excellence Brock University will honour two faculty members for their contributions to teaching and research as part of the Fall Convocation ceremonies to be held on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 10 a.m. in the Ian D. Beddis Gymnasium, located in Brock's Walker Complex. Professor Ernest Biktimirov of the Department of Finance, Operations and Information Systems, Faculty of Business, will receive the Brock University Award for Distinguished Teaching, the third major award for teaching excellence he has received from Brock this year. He also received the Faculty of Business Award for Excellence in Teaching and a Chancellor's Chair Award for Teaching Excellence. The Distinguished Teaching Award recognizes a faculty member who has made a significant commitment to providing and developing quality learning experiences for students, in addition to making valuable contributions in curriculum development and the mentoring of colleagues. Professor Tomas Hudlicky of the Department of Chemistry, from the Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences, is the recipient of the Brock University Award for Distinguished Research and Creative Activity. This award recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates outstanding research achievements, contributions toward the training of future researchers, and consistency in scholarly or creative performance. "These two professors are extremely deserving of this recognition," said Dr. Michael Manley-Casimir, Acting Vice-President, Academic and Provost at Brock. "They are widely respected on both the national and international stages for their work in their respective fields, and for providing quality learning experiences for students. Their exceptional teaching and leadership skills reflect well on the overall tradition of teaching excellence and research for which Brock is well known." Brock will confer 379 undergraduate degrees from all six Faculties, 135 graduate degrees, 71 education degrees and 24 certificates during its Fall 2005 Convocation. The University also takes great pride in awarding honorary degrees to the two chief executives and co-founders of War Child Canada - Dr. Samantha Nutt, executive director, and Dr. Eric Hoskins, president - in recognition of their contributions to Canadian public life and distinguished humanitarian service around the world. Dr. Ernest Biktimirov His approachability and his ability to tailor teaching methods to accommodate different learning styles are some of the reasons why Professor Ernest Biktimirov consistently receives excellent evaluations from grateful students. Professor Biktimirov, who joined Brock University in 1999, teaches both undergraduate and graduate finance courses, and conducts research in the areas of investments and financial education. He earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 2003, and he has been advising students about the CFA program and sponsoring them for the CFA Level 1 exam. Brock students are not the only ones who benefit from the teaching skills of Professor Biktimirov. He has also led many workshops for faculty at Brock and at educational institutions across Canada, on how to achieve teaching excellence. Prior to starting his business education in the United States, Professor Biktimirov worked as a senior researcher at the Institute of Cybernetics of Uzbek Academy of Sciences in Uzbekistan, where he became an author of eight patents and won the Excellent Results in Invention award. He has had many papers published, both educational and financial; his paper on the use of graphical tools in the introductory finance course won an international award in 2002, and his two most recent educational papers won the Best Paper awards at an international conference in September 2005. Dr. Tomas Hudlicky Dr. Tomas Hudlicky launched his career at Brock University in 2003 when he was awarded $1.4 million to establish a Canada Research Chair. The Tier 1 Canada Research Chair is targeted at experienced researchers who are acknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their fields. The former University of Florida chemistry professor continues to address the problems of pharmaceutical synthesis through the application of "green chemistry." Green chemistry describes both an ideal philosophy about the positive future environmental impacts of chemistry, and the current efforts of scientists like Hudlicky to advance the frontier of pharmaceutical synthesis in an environmentally responsible way. His work has dramatically minimized pharmaceutical waste and given the harmful compounds new life as analgesic, anesthetic and anti-tumour products, specifically as valuable compounds used in the treatment of cancer, bio-infection and diabetes. The efficiencies he has achieved are unsurpassed and are made possible by the appropriate combination of traditional synthetic techniques with biocatalysis and electrochemistry. Hudlicky is internationally recognized for his work and has received numerous grants, awards and fellowships. He has 16 patents and has published more than 220 papers, reviews and books. Media representatives are invited to take advantage of reserved seating for the event by calling Jeff Sinibaldi, Media Relations Officer, at 905-688-5550, ext. 4687. For more information about the award recipients, please contact Dr. Michael Manley-Casimir, Acting Vice-President, Academic and Provost, at Brock: 905-688-5550, ext. 4121; e-mail: michael.manley-casimir@brocku.ca For general information regarding the convocation ceremonies, please contact Diane Uppal, Associate Registrar, Convocation and Publications: 905-688-5550, ext. 3249; e-mail: duppal@brocku.ca
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