IU computer science teachers, students reap academic recognition

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Computer science faculty and students in the Indiana University School of Informatics have been recognized for their classroom achievements at the 2007 Celebration of Scholarships and Awards ceremony.

“The Department of Computer Science has a long tradition of innovation and excellence at Indiana University and the people we are recognizing for this year’s awards continue to demonstrate those strengths,” said Informatics Dean J. Michael Dunn.

The awards and recipients: Department Award for Teaching Excellence – Edward Robertson, associate dean for undergraduate studies and professor of computer science. Robertson was recognized for his long and outstanding efforts in designing, maintaining and teaching the two-year software engineering sequence. Robertson chaired the Department of Computer Science from 1982 to 1988.

IU Trustees Teaching Award – Kay Connelly, assistant professor of computer science. Connelly was recognized for her contributions to encourage the participation of women and minorities in computing education and careers. Connelly co-chaired the hugely successful Bring IT On!  workshop in October 2006, which brought 20 students from historically black colleges and universities to IU to teach them how to develop K-12 outreach programs.

Computer Science Undergraduate Instructor of the Year – Joseph Near of Bloomington. He is an undergraduate student whose interests are focused in programming languages and wearable computing devices. Said Computer Science Professor Dan Friedman, who nominated Near for the award: “Joe has one of the best dispositions one could hope for in the role of undergraduate instructor and did an excellent job in the classroom and in preparing course material.”

Computer Science Associate Instructor of the Year – Christine Task. This Ohio State University graduate is in the early stages of her doctoral studies and is interested in logic and automata theory. One of Task’s students said of her teaching abilities: “Christine went above and beyond what is common of course to associate instructors. She grasped the material that was presented and offered alternative approaches for teaching it and reinforcing the lecture’s topics.”