Outstanding faculty members Geoffrey Voelker, Shelley Streeby, Harold Pashler, Bernhard Palsson and James Dunford will be honored at the annual UCSD Chancellor's Associates recognition event


Highly coveted awards for excellence in teaching, research and community service will be presented to five outstanding University of California, San Diego faculty members by the UCSD Chancellor's Associates on March 21. The recognition ceremony and reception will be held at 5:00 p.m. in the new California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) building on the UCSD campus.

The event offers an annual opportunity to honor UCSD faculty as a whole, while highlighting the important contributions of the university's most exemplary members. Chancellor's Associates, a program for donors who give an annual leadership gift of $1,500 or more to the university, will recognize the outstanding accomplishments of UCSD faculty members with a citation and $2,500 honorarium.

The recipients of the 2006 Chancellor's Associates Faculty Excellence Awards include: Geoffrey Voelker, professor of Computer Science and Engineering, for excellence in undergraduate teaching; Shelley Streeby, professor of Literature, for excellence in graduate teaching; Harold Pashler, professor of Psychology, for excellence in research in arts, humanities and social sciences; Bernhard Palsson, professor of Bioengineering, for excellence in research in science and engineering; and Dr. James Dunford, professor of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, for excellence in community service.

"It is a pleasure to see this year's Faculty Excellence Awards honorees receive the recognition they so richly deserve," said Marsha Chandler, UCSD senior vice chancellor of Academic Affairs. "They play so many roles well - they are teachers, researchers, campus citizens and community leaders. Each serves as an excellent representative of the outstanding quality of our faculty."

Award candidates are nominated by their academic peers, with final selection by a committee comprised of Chancellor's Associates donors. Criteria for selection are based on faculty member achievements, reputation, and impact on students and the academic community. Since 1974, UCSD has recognized 100 extraordinary faculty members with Chancellor's Associates Faculty Excellence Awards.

About 2006 Chancellor's Associates Faculty Excellence Awards recipients
. Geoffrey Voelker, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering
Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
Voelker will be honored for his fresh teaching approach, tireless advocacy for student efforts and exceptional contributions to the Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) Department. Voelker has consistently received outstanding student reviews, especially from those who participated in his popular Software System Design and Implementation class. The only assignment - to build a video game from scratch. With a curriculum that focuses on teamwork and practical applications, Voelker finds a balance between lessons in academia and lessons for life.

"Students love Professor Voelker's classes because he has the uncanny ability to make extremely challenging curricula contemporary, fun and exciting," said Frieder Seible, dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering at UCSD. "Professor Voelker truly inspires his students to experience the thrill of engineering. The vision, commitment and extraordinary efforts Professor Voelker demonstrates through his teaching make him an exemplary member of the UCSD faculty."

. Shelley Streeby, Professor of Literature
Excellence in Graduate Teaching
Streeby will be recognized for her achievements as a committed teacher, role model and mentor to literature graduate students. An authority on American literature, American studies, cultural studies and theory, Streeby is a valuable resource and "support system" to many grateful graduate students. Described by her students as positive and enthusiastic, Streeby is particularly well known for carefully orienting her students to course material through clear guidelines and meticulous attention to their work.

Michael A. Bernstein, dean of the UCSD Division of Arts and Humanities, noted, "Professor Streeby is a remarkably gifted graduate mentor, one whose work with students has had an enduring effect on the development of a new generation of scholars."

. Harold Pashler, Professor of Psychology
Excellence in Research in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Pashler will be honored for his pioneering research regarding vision, learning and memory, and his achievements as a frequently cited and published expert in his field. Pashler's best-known discovery has been of an "attentional bottleneck" - the limitations a person encounters when trying to perform two mental tasks at once. This particular research has interested the Nissan Motor Co., which provided a grant for Pashler to study the effects of talking on a cell phone while driving.

"To a large extent, Professor Pashler's presence accounts for our department's high national ranking," said John Wixted, chair of the Department of Psychology at UCSD. "It is hard to imagine how his accomplishments could be any more impressive than they are."

. Bernhard Palsson, Professor of Bioengineering
Excellence in Research in Science and Engineering
Palsson will be recognized for his work as an exemplary scholar, a successful innovator and entrepreneur, and an internationally renowned leader in systems biology and bioinformatics. Palsson is known for his contributions to tissue engineering strategies, as well as for his invention of a modern technology for propagation of stem cells. Beyond conducting research to improve cell separation and gene therapy technology, Palsson has also translated his projects to successfully launch five start-up companies.

Jacobs School dean Seible said, "Professor Palsson exemplifies how bioengineers can contribute to the advancement of modern biology and medicine. He is a visionary in the fields of tissue engineering and systems biology who is inspiring a new generation of scientists to enter these emerging fields. His research has paved the way for new understanding of how living systems function, and he has successfully translated that understanding into practice."

. James Dunford, Professor of Clinical Medicine and Surgery
Excellence in Community Service
Dunford will be honored for 26 years of exemplary service to the community in a number of roles, most recently, spending more than a decade involved in pre-hospital emergency care. As medical director of the City of San Diego EMS authority, Dunford oversees all activities for the paramedic and ambulance services in addition to his appointment as a professor at the UCSD School of Medicine. Beyond these professional roles, Dunford has also invested a great deal of his time to such service organizations as the American Heart Association; Project Heart Beat, which Dunford co-founded; the Serial Inebriate Program; and a clean syringe exchange program.

"Professor Dunford has distinguished himself as a caring clinician serving our community; a passionate teacher to medical students, residents and fellows; and has made important contributions in advancing research at UCSD," noted Edward W. Holmes, vice chancellor of Health Sciences and dean of the UCSD School of Medicine.

About UCSD Chancellor's Associates
The UCSD Chancellor's Associates program exists as an opportunity for the university to connect with friends and supporters within the community. Through the years, the group has grown to include more than 400 alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends from across the country. Chancellor's Associates donors are recognized for their generosity in providing annual leadership gifts of $1,500 or more to be used at the Chancellor's discretion. Chancellor's Associates gifts contribute to the $1 billion fundraising goal of The Campaign for UCSD: Imagine What's Next. For more information on Chancellor's Associates, please visit www.chancellorsassociates.ucsd.edu.

Media Contact: Judy Piercey, (858) 534-6128, or jpiercey@ucsd.edu