ND chemistry professor earns national honor
By HELENA PAYNE
News Editor
Notre Dame chemistry professor Dennis Jacobs will be named the U.S. professor of the year for research and doctoral universities by two prominent educational organizations.
"It's a great honor and it's humbling to be thought of," Jacobs said in an interview.
The award, given by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, will be presented today at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
Since 1988, Jacobs has taught in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Prior to that, he was a professor at Stanford University and the University of California at Irvine.
At Notre Dame, Jacobs developed the Chemistry 113/114 sequence that incorporates cooperative learning with the typically lecture-based introductory chemistry course.
"Chemistry 113 is a much more active course where students are engaged with discussion with each other in class," Jacobs said.
He also inserts cooperative learning into other classes, which prompted senior Erin Carmichael to write one of the letters from Notre Dame to nominate Jacobs for the teaching award.
"He approaches teaching from a lot of different angles so whatever your learning styles you can grasp the material," Carmichael said.
Jacobs' latest educational project is Chemistry 331, "Chemistry in Service of Society," where students use science to confront a community problem: lead poisoning.
"Students are building off of and expanding their academic expertise," Jacobs said.
The class, which works with the City of South Bend, Memorial Hospital, local company Greentree and the Center for Social Concerns, involves testing samples of dust, paint and soil collected from local homes.
Jacobs said he wants to continue challenging students to apply their classroom learning to the outside world.
Carmichael, who helped Jacobs form Chemistry 331, said Jacobs commitment to students is why he deserves to be honored.
"Aside from being a wonderful professor, he really puts the students first," Carmichael said.
All News Stories for Thursday, November 21, 2002
