University honors four faculty for teaching, scholarship and service
Four College of Engineering faculty were honored with 2016 distinguished teaching, scholarship and service awards from The Ohio State University.
Distinguished Teaching Award
Architecture Professor Robert S. Livesey received a 2016 Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching in recognition of his superior teaching. He teaches undergraduate and graduate design studios in the Knowlton School of Architecture, and his design studio courses are the core of the architectural curriculum. Livesey's students are among the best prepared and his undergraduates often go on to prestigious graduate programs. Last year alone, six of his students were admitted to Yale, and others were accepted at Harvard, Rice, UCLA and Ohio State. Livesey is equally committed to transitioning his graduate students from academia to practice.
In the classroom, Livesey is attentive to the individual capabilities of his students. A colleague writes, “Above all, Rob insists that an architectural education is first and foremost a sharpening of intellectual acuity in the service of culture.” According to a former student, “he possesses a rare ability to cut through thickets of intellectual obfuscation with razor-sharp critical insights and memorable wit.”
Among his myriad recognitions, Livesey has received the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Gold Medal Award and is a fellow of the AIA and the American Academy in Rome. He was also named one of the 30 Most Admired Educators for 2015 by DesignIntelligence.
Distinguished Scholar Award
The field of electromagnetics is the scientific discipline central to designing wireless/radio communication components that produced the wireless revolution, including cell phones, wireless sensors and sensor networks. Volakis is known for his many transformational contributions in computational methods, antennas and antenna arrays, and in textile and medical electronics. His contributions include the introduction of hybrid finite element methods, now the primary approach used the world over for the design of wireless communication systems; the first true miniaturization of antennas for use in handheld and high bandwidth communication devices; and the first battery-less wireless sensor to remotely collect brain neurosignals, a device that holds promise to transform personalized healthcare.
According to one colleague, “When it comes to the field of computational electromagnetics and novel antenna designs dealing with wireless communications, Professor Volakis is in my opinion, a leader of his generation.”
Volakis has authored or co-authored 373 journal publications and almost 700 conference papers and has published eight books. He is a Fellow of the Institute for Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) and received the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society Distinguished Achievement Award for game-changing contributions to computational electromagnetics, radar scattering and antennas, and for educational leadership and service to the electromagnetics community.
Award for Distinguished Faculty Service
Rathman’s contributions extend far beyond the department through his two terms in the University Senate. As senator, Rathman served on numerous committees including the Rules, Fiscal, Steering and Academic Affairs committees. He was also elected to chair both the steering and academic affairs committees in acknowledgement of the leadership qualities he embodies.
One colleague writes, “Jim developed a reputation for fairness and objectivity.” Another who served on a committee with Rathman notes that “Jim brought a balance and sincere interest in advancing and improving the university.”
In addition to his abundant achievements as a faculty member and a leader, Rathman is also known as a great colleague. As one nominator wrote, “Jim Rathman is a wonderful human being. He is kind, humble, perceptive, good-humored, honest and conscientious.”
Award for Teaching by a Lecturer
Moore also leads study abroad trips that students describe as “eye-opening experiences.” In fact, 90 percent of her study abroad students travel later with another Knowlton study abroad program—a testament to the learning experience she provides. Moore’s teaching approach includes engaging discussions, integration of technology, support for students’ endeavors outside the classroom, close tracking of student success and emphasis on sketching to improve students’ recognition of spatial organization.
As a leader, Moore’s contributions to the school are substantial. She has served on numerous committees, developed coursework and programs that address university initiatives and has readily stepped in to support her colleagues when needed. She has received an Honors and Scholars Pressey Grant and a Critical Difference for Women professional grant, and she was selected as a 2015-2015 STEP faculty mentor. One nominator writes that she is “a great gift to her students, to our school and to the university.”
