Nam wins Rose Award for Teaching Excellence

2/22/2018 Amanda Maher

Written by Amanda Maher

SungWoo Nam
SungWoo Nam
Assistant Professor SungWoo Nam was one of three faculty to receive this year’s Rose Award for Teaching Excellence from the College of Engineering. This award commends undergraduate teaching faculty for their innovative teaching methods and instructional programs, especially those that motivate freshmen and sophomores to learn and appreciate engineering. It is given in the name of Scott Rose, who received his degree in computer engineering in 1987 from Illinois.

Nam’s teaching is connection- and inclusion-based. In his undergraduate classes, he has implemented several policies that garnered 100% responsiveness from the students, and resulted in significantly higher student participation during and outside of class.

Additionally, in an effort to encourage undergraduates to pursue research, Nam developed the concept of Interdisciplinary Virtual Research Laboratories (i-VRLs).  The virtual laboratories are typically interactive and software-aided, link core concepts covered in an undergraduate engineering class, and are efficient, adaptable, and affordable alternatives to physical labs.

Nam has received several other teaching recognitions in recent years. In 2013, just his second year of teaching, he was given the Engineering Council Award for Excellence in Advising, which recognizes the top 10 percent of engineering advisors across the college. He continued on to win this award twice more, in 2015 and 2017. He is also regularly included on the campus’ List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students.

Nam will be honored at the college’s faculty awards ceremony April 23. 


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This story was published February 22, 2018.