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The votes have been cast, and student readers of the Emerald have made their choice: Karen McLaughlin is Professor of the Year, and George Slavich is GTF of
the Year.
Readers nominated dozens of professors and graduate teaching fellows for the award. One hundred and two total votes were cast for the five professor and five GTF finalists.
Professor of the Year
Karen McLaughlin
McLaughlin is an assistant professor adjunct in the School of Education. A native of Littleton, Colo., the 33-year-old professor received her four-year degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a masters and doctorate in communication disorders at the University of Oregon.
She said she was very surprised that she was nominated because there are only about 40 undergraduates and 40 graduate students in the Communications Disorders and Sciences program.
"I work really hard not only to give the
students lectures and readings, but clinical cases to go along with that," she said.
One student described McLaughlin as "the best teacher I've had here at the UO."
"She's brilliant, knows how to effectively communicate complex info, and on top of that, she's just so nice," the student said. "I've learned more in her classes than any other, and I've had a good time doing it."
McLaughlin also works part time as a research scientist at the Oregon Center for Applied Science. In fall term, she will teach Anatomy and Physiology Mechanics.
GTF of the Year
George Slavich
Slavich is a graduate teaching fellow and doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology whose academic and community awards literally span pages.
A 24-year-old from Santa Clara, Calif., he said he bounced from economics to the psychology program after deciding it was more interesting, and he started attending the University after graduating from Stanford University in June 2001.
He said that he focuses his teaching style on making psychology relevant to students' lives.
"The easiest way I've found to explain complex issues is to use stories and real world examples," he said.
Professor Philip Zimbardo, Slavich's mentor at Stanford and the former president of the American Psychological Association, said Slavich was "sensational."
"His passion for psychology and teaching is evident in all he does," Zimbardo said.
Slavich will teach psychopathology during summer term.
Contact the news editor
at brookreinhard@dailyemerald.com.
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