On May 11, 2009, Professor Benson H Tongue was awarded the Pi Tau Sigma Professor of the Year Award. In effect, he was initiated into the Mechanical Engineering Honor Society as an honorary member and presented with a plaque commemorating his 21 years of dedication and commitment to the profession of engineering and teaching at the University of California, Berkeley.
The award is presented once a year along with the Excellence in Teaching award to recognize an instructor in the Mechanical Engineering department who has shown the most dedication and support for student learning. Pi Tau Sigma looks for a professor who strives to connect with students both in an out of the classroom. The candidates are nominated by students and the winner is, consequently, selected by students.
This year's award was given to Professor Tongue for epitomizing all the ideals outlined above. Professor Tongue makes an extra effort to connect with his students in areas where other professors usually do not. He makes it a point to take pictures of each student on the first day of class in an effort to learn their names in order to gain a more personal connection. In addition, at the end of every semester he organizes a bike ride up Mt. Diablo followed by a BBQ in his own home for the entire class. During this bike ride, he tries to learn more about each student?s endeavors and sometimes connects class material with real-life situations that cannot be covered in the bounds of a classroom. This semester, he followed up the BBQ with a trip to the movie theater to watch a screening of the new Star Trek film. A technical mishap during the movie led to the professor delivering an impromptu lecture on the overheating of film and how that related to vibrations (the content of his his ME133 course).
Professor Tongue's teaching style is also very student-oriented. He does not have a set syllabus at the beginning of the semester. Instead, he will teach to the pace of the class — ensuring all students have a good understanding of the material before covering new concepts. He also takes a five minute break at the middle of every class to show a video or picture where he can present a visual representation of class material. All in all, Professor Tongue's teaching style and dedication to the education of students has earned him the title of Pi Tau Sigma Professor of the Year.
Thank you for your hard work Professor Tongue and congratulations!
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