Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Teaching, Research Awards Announced
December 11, 2009 | Written by Sally Logue Post
Chancellor Hance with Alyce Ashcraft, recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award,
and Afzal Siddiqui, recipient of the Distinguished Research Award and Interim TTUHSC
President Cavin. (Left to Right).The highest awards given by the Texas Tech University System to faculty members at its member institutions were announced today (Dec. 11) by Chancellor Kent Hance.
The annual Texas Tech University System Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Teaching and Research Awards went to two faculty members from Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Angelo State University.
The Distinguished Research Awards went to Seshadri Ramkumar, associate professor of environmental toxicology at the Institute of Environmental and Human Health and Afzal Siddiqui, associate academic dean in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the Health Sciences Center.
The Distinguished Teaching Awards went to Edward Anderson, professor of mechanical engineering at Texas Tech and Alyce Ashcraft, associate professor in the Anita Thigpen Perry School of Nursing.
Winners from Angelo State were announced and honored at a general faculty meeting in April. Ellen Moreland, of the Department of Mathematics, received the Distinguished Teaching Award and Arnoldo DeLeon of the Department of History, received the Distinguished Research Award.
“These outstanding faculty members exemplify the quality and character of the professors in the Texas Tech University System,” said Hance. “Their passion and dedication to academics and research is unmatched and is apparent through their hard work and numerous achievements. It is my pleasure to once again award these honors to such deserving faculty members.”
This is the ninth year for the Chancellor’s Council to present the awards. The winners each receive a plaque and a $10,000 cash award. The Chancellor’s Council raises funds for student scholarships, faculty recruitment and support, and other programs.
Edward Anderson
Anderson joined Texas Tech in 1986 as chairman of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He has held the Ray Butler Distinguished Educator in the Whitacre College of Engineering and has served as director of Texas Tech Teaching, Learning and Technology Center. He is known for using the latest technology to develop new and innovative teaching techniques and has received more than $400,000 in National Science Foundation funding related to computer-based instruction and engineering education. Among his many honors, Anderson was named the 2005 State of Texas Piper Professor and in 2003 received the National Award for Excellence in Distance Education from the U.S. Distance Learning Association and the Institute for Telecommunications. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Iowa State University and his doctorate from Purdue.
Chancellor's Council Distinguished Teaching award winner Edward Anderson is pictured
with Chancellor Hance and Texas Tech President Bailey. Seshadri Ramkumar not pictured.Alyce Ashcraft
Ashcraft joined the Health Sciences Center in 2001. She is currently an associate professor and coordinator of the Traditional Undergraduate Program in the Anita Thigpen Perry School of Nursing. Ashcraft’s teaching consistently receives high marks from undergraduate and graduate students alike, earning her an Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award from the Student Senate in spring 2008, and the Innovation Award and Young Investigators Award from the School of Nursing. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Texas Women’s University, her master’s from the University of Texas at Arlington and her doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin.
Seshadri Ramkumar
Ramkumar came to Texas Tech in 1999 and joined the Institute of Environmental and Human Health in 2002. His research has lead to the development of Fibertect – a patented nonwoven decontamination wipe. The product was found to outperform other products in tests conducted by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Ramkumar’s nonwoven fabric work has received international publicity. He has received almost $4 million in external funding for his research. He has received the Technical Textiles Accomplishments Award, an international award presented for nonwovens research, Lubbock's Top Twenty Under 40 Award in 2007, the Scientist of the Year award from the Lubbock Chapter of the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists and the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce’s Innovation in Technology Award. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Anna University in India and his doctorate from the University of Leeds, England. He originally designed and developed the INDO-US collaborative conference, "Advances in Textiles, Machinery, Nonwovens and Technical Textiles-ATNT" which is held every year in South India since 2004.
Afzal Siddiqui
Siddiqui joined the Health Sciences Center Department of Internal Medicine in Amarillo in 2000 as the holder of the Amarillo Endowed Professorship. He joined the Departments of Microbiology and Immunology and Internal Medicine on the Lubbock campus in 2007. He currently is a professor and the associate academic dean for the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. He is internationally known for his research on parasite immunology, particularly in the area of developing vaccines to fight infectious diseases. Siddiqui currently has funded research support from the Thrasher Research Fund and the National Institutes of Health totaling about $2 million. He has previously won the Dean’s and President’s Research Awards from the School of Medicine and TTUHSC. He earned degrees from Aligarh University in India and his doctorate from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. His professional training is from the Centers for Disease Control and Harvard School of Public Health.
Ellen D. Moreland
Ellen D. Moreland joined Angelo State University in 1988 and is currently a senior instructor of mathematics. She also has received the 2009 Texas Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Since she designed the Mathematics Department’s capstone course at ASU more than a decade ago, 100 percent of the ASU students completing the high school mathematics certification program have passed the state certification exam on the first try. By contrast, the statewide average is approximately 65 percent. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from Clarkson College of Technology in Potsdam, N.Y.
Arnoldo De León
Arnoldo De León is the C.J. “Red” Davidson Professor of History at Angelo State University. He joined the faculty in 1973. His historical research has re-shaped contemporary understanding of Texas history, particularly as it relates to Mexican Americans. He is the author of 15 books and monographs as well as the editor of 11 more. His book,“They Called Them Greasers: Anglo Attitudes toward Mexicans in Texas, 1821-1900,” is considered by many scholars to be one of the top 10 books ever written on Texas history. He has been referred to by his peers as the “Dean of Tejano Studies.” De León holds his bachelor’s degree from ASU and his master’s and doctoral degrees from TCU, all in history.