AU honors faculty at awards ceremony

Auburn University honored 16 faculty members for outstanding academic achievements at its fourth annual Faculty Awards Celebrating Excellence Ceremony Tuesday at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center.
The awards are the highest honors AU gives to faculty.
“We invite the community to join us in celebrating academic achievement and honoring faculty whose contributions help elevate Auburn to the top tier of national universities,” said Provost Mary Ellen Mazey, the event’s host in a release from the university.
The awards recognize faculty for their excellence in teaching, research, publishing and for their efforts to promote diversity on campus.

The Gerald and Emily Leischuck Endowed Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching
- Sushil Bhavnani, professor of mechanical engineering
- Mary Mendonca, associate professor of biological sciences

The Creative Research and Scholarship Award
- Morris Bian, associate professor of history

The Award for Excellence in Faculty Outreach
- Barry Burkhart, professor of psychology

Alumni Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Awards
- Theodore Becker, Alumni Association professor of political science
- Carolyn Robinson, assistant professor of horticulture
- Shari Park-Gates, assistant professor of consumer affairs

2009 Alumni Professors
- Mary Mendonca, associate professor of biological sciences
- Subhash Sinha, professor of mechanical engineering
- Frank Bartol, professor of anatomy, physiology and pharmacology and associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Veterinary Medicine
- Mark Steltenpohl, professor of geology and geography
- Wei Wang, professor of industrial design
- Curtis Jolly, professor of agricultural economics and rural sociology

The Distinguished Graduate Faculty Lectureship
- Kimberly Walls, professor of music education

Distinguished Diversity Researcher Award
- Francesca Adler-Baeder, Extension specialist and associate professor of human development and family studies
- Mitchell Brown, assistant professor of political science
- Constance Hendricks, registered nurse and professor