UC Honors Outstanding Faculty For Teaching, Research and Service

The University of Cincinnati this week recognized six outstanding faculty for excellence in teaching, research, and service. Awards were presented at the semi-annual All-University Faculty Meeting Tuesday, May 16. These are the highest awards given to full-time UC faculty. The awards and recipients are:

GEORGE B. BARBOUR AWARD FOR GOOD FACULTY-STUDENT RELATIONS
Kirti "Karman" Ghia, College of Engineering

"Once you are a mentor, you are a mentor for life," says Kirti "Karman" Ghia, professor in the department of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics. Ghia said he realized during graduate school at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago that he wasn't destined for a desk job in some lonely cubicle. "I am a people person. I didn't want to work off by myself. I wanted to enter a career where I could interact with others." Ghia is well known for his late hours and long hours. "He provides time to all at the expense of his personal time. Even during his lunch break (a brown bag in his office), he responds to our needs. To him this is not a hassle because he treats us like a part of his extended family," said Zoe Ruedele, a graduating senior in aerospace engineering. Ghia said investing in his students offers an immediate payback. "They know you are giving a lot, so you can ask a lot from them. I demand, and they're willing to give. It's very difficult what we ask of our students. It can take hours to figure out how the puzzle fits. Every young person in the pursuit of knowledge...goes through this. That's what drives me...to see that I could be of help."

GEORGE RIEVESCHL JR. AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
Evangelia "Litsa" Kranias, College of Medicine

Kranias is a researcher whose discoveries concerning the effects of a protein called "phospholamban" on the heart have been a major breakthrough in understanding heart disease. Kranias is a professor and director of cardiovascular biology in the department of pharmacology and cell biophysics. The phospholamban (PLB) protein was found to play a major role in the regulation of cardiac contraction and relaxation in mammals. Several years ago, Kranias succeeded in creating a phospholamban knock-out mouse and a genetically engineered mouse that over-expressed PLB.

"Many heart failure problems are caused because the heart cannot relax well enough to fill with blood," says Kranias. Because the presence of PLB impairs heart relaxation, a PLB- inhibiting drug may be a critical breakthrough in the efforts to treat heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in industrialized nations. "Our laboratory has been trying to understand the mechanisms underlying heart failure. We design transgenic mice with genetic alterations, which we use as models for studying this devastating condition. Several pharmaceutical companies are now pursuing the development of PLB-inhibitor drugs to reduce its activity," adds Kranias who's PLB-knockout mouse are used in laboratories around the world to gain an understanding of the most fundamental aspects in the regulation of cardiac performance.

GEORGE RIEVESCHL JR. AWARD FOR SCHOLARLY OR CREATIVE WORKS
Thomas Sakmyster, Department of History

Sakmyster has faced more than his share of border guards and luggage searches in pursuit of Hungarian history even after the fall of Communism. Just two years ago, Sakmyster and his wife were awakened at 3 a.m. by border guards demanding to see their passports on a train making its way across Slovakia. "The guard kept us awake for 45 minutes to an hour just to show us, I think, that they can still do it," says Sakmyster, UC's Walter C. Langsam Professor of European History and a member of the history department in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences since 1971. The longstanding East-West hostilities and obstacles, however, have never prevented him from persisting.

With the help of a Hungarian professor, Sakmyster gained access to archives and records kept locked inside the then-Soviet bloc. The assistance proved valuable in Sakmyster's compilation of his first book, Hungary, the Great Powers and the Danubian Crisis, 1936-1939, published in 1980 and his widely acclaimed second book which examines one of Europe's most controversial, 20th century statesmen. Sakmyster's Hungary's Admiral on Horseback: Miklos Horthy, 1918-1944 was the first full-length biography of the regent who headed Hungary during the difficult 24 years between Hungary's World War I defeat and the closing months of World War II. Sakmyster was awarded the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic in 1992 for his contributions to Hungarian culture. He also serves as the associate editor of An Encyclopedia of Modern East European History, just published by Garland Press.

OSCAR SCHMIDT AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PUBLIC SERVICE
Muthar Al-Ubaidi, College of Applied Science

When he first came to the United States in 1978, Al-Ubaidi says, "I was impressed that people came from different cultures and made the No. 1 nation in the world. People all from the same culture haven't managed to do that. I saw that acting together, our differences are beautiful rather than bad." Al-Ubaidi, associate professor of mechanical engineering technology, is UC's and the city's "Mr. Global." In the classroom and in the community, he constantly strives to increase cultural understanding and communication. "I love to see people take charge and change things to bring justice, prosperity for all. We don't have to fight for resources. Communication can solve any problem. It can take a long time, but if all sides are willing to work and cooperate, we can realize wonderful goals," he said.

Al-Ubaidi is living proof that such wonderful goals can be fulfilled. For instance, he serves and leads a number of campus and community efforts like UC's Worldfest and the city's International Folk Festival. When called on, he helped organize the opening reception for a Syrian artifacts exhibit at the Cincinnati Art Museum, and he founded and continues to lead a prestigious international conference called Intertech, which meets every two years to promote engineering, technology and education exchanges throughout the Western Hemisphere. An Iraqi native, he promotes connections throughout UC by employing traditional Middle Eastern hospitality. He has hosted luncheons of Middle Eastern cuisine for 15 years, cooking for three days beforehand to serve the usual 100+ guests. He has also chaired a Cultural Youth Gala for Cincinnati Public School students. The annual event brings together up to 80 international exchange students studying in Cincinnati with about 500 students in the local public schools. Students from other countries exhibit items that represent their homelands and demonstrate traditional dances and music. "It's a small world, and I want to bring it closer."

MRS. A. B. "DOLLY" COHEN AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING
Michele Vialet, Romance Languages and Literatures

Vialet came to UC in 1985 and teaches courses in French composition, phonetics and grammar, and 17th century French literature. She also teaches Francophone literature and culture, which is the literature and culture of countries that use French but are not part of France, such as North Africa, West Africa, Canada and the Caribbean. Originally from a small village in France, Vialet studied general linguistics at the University de Lyon and University Besan‡on. She came to the United States through an exchange program she created between Lyon and Penn State and studied social linguistics while completing her PhD in French.

Barbara Brady, a writer and one of Vialet's former students said, "I believe that every student has talents that won't be realized unless a teacher inspires them into existence. So much of the time, inspiration comes from being pushed. In Dr. Vialet's classes, it comes from being pulled." Vialet has published three textbooks, and her scholarly publications include an article in the American Journal for Teachers of French on the use of opera in teaching French. Vialet said one of the things she appreciates about teaching at UC is "the diversity of students. They bring a lot of different experiences and common sense. We have young and not so young, African American students and students from abroad, many different countries. They seem to learn from each other, and I try to promote that in my classes. I think they like that."

John Drury, Department of English

"Be kind to the poet, but tough on the poems." The words can be found on Drury's syllabus, encouraging students in his poetry workshop to share their thoughts without destroying the confidence of nervous new writers. The novice writers also say they appreciate Drury's use of an innovation he calls "the Primary Reader." The reader is a student he assigns to lead the critique of a classmate's poem during in-class discussion. Drury likens the technique to the "crits" commonly used in art studios. After a student writer reads a piece aloud in class, the author must keep silent as the Primary Reader makes comments, followed by comments from other classmates and then Drury, who could be an intimidating critic if he chose to be.

His own poems have been published in prominent journals plus a collection called The Disappearing Town, and his byline appears on two texts that are headed for second printings, The Poetry Dictionary and Creating Poetry. On the faculty at UC since 1985, Drury insists his job is not only to encourage students to write but also to examine other writers' work. "I try to teach what I consider 'maximalist courses.' I assign a lot of writing exercises, and they're always connected to specific poems that serve as models. I want to show the students that writing poetry depends on reading it. But I also want them to value their own experiences, such as jobs they've had and interests they pursue. Anything can work its way into poetry, as long as the language is inventive and suggestive. I want to show them that poetry is something they can enjoy and get excited about."