California’s Professor of the Year teaches in San Diego

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A chemistry instructor at the University of San Diego was named California's Professor of the Year Thursday by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

Mitchell Malachowski was among 31 honorees in their states named by the two organizations, which also awarded four national Professors of the Year.

Malachowski is a leader in promoting undergraduate research, according to USD.

"We are delighted that Professor Malachowski is receiving this national recognition for his exceptional contributions as a scholar, teacher and mentor who has positively influenced the lives and careers of hundreds of students and made a lasting impact on the field," said USD President Mary Lyons.

Earlier this year, Malachowski was honored by the Council on Undergraduate Research.

Since 2006, he has received $1.5 million from the National Science Foundation to conduct more than 40 workshops across the country to help promote a culture of undergraduate research to promote and enhance student achievement.

"This award speaks to the overall quality of the University of San Diego's Chemistry and Biochemistry Department and the value our faculty place on undergraduate research," Malachowski said. "Many people here have helped me develop my approach to teaching."

Over the last five years, Malachowski's work has focused on developing metal organic compounds that hold the potential to trap greenhouse gases, store hydrogen gas for fuel and provide applications for nanotechnology.

Malachowski earned his bachelor's degree in organic chemistry from Rhode Island College and his doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The national honors went to Laurie Grobman, a professor of English and women's studies at Pennsylvania State University Berks in Reading, Pennsylvania.; John Wadach, a professor of engineering science and physics at Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York; Sheri Sheppard, a professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford University; and Patricia Kelley, a professor of geology at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

See the original post:
California's Professor of the Year teaches in San Diego