Shaun Bruno
Department of Chemistry
College of Natural Science
Shaun Bruno’s effectiveness as a teacher cannot be expressed any better than in the comments of one student: “Shaun is the Best. Knowledgeable. Accessible. Helpful. Everything a researcher and educator should be.” Bruno has dedicated himself to giving his students every opportunity to do as well as they possibly can. He strongly believes there is a way to teach every concept so that every student can achieve understanding of even the most difficult chemistry concepts. In his class, it is not uncommon to see students from other sections—even sitting on the floor because there were no more desks available. They come to his sections because he makes chemistry easy to understand.
Bruno’s excellence in teaching has been recognized several times during his tenure at MSU: through the Educational Merit Fellowship from the Department of Chemistry in 2009 and again in 2010, and through recognition by the MSU Division of Student Affairs as a “Learning Leader” in 2009 and 2010. These recognitions reflect Bruno’s unique approach to teaching, in which he relates class material to students’ potential career choices, which helps improve students’ interest in the subject and clarify their possible career choices.
Shaun’s research interests are directed at the solid state synthesis of novel energy-related materials. His major focus is on synthesizing novel compounds from inexpensive, nontoxic, and abundant elements, such as the new iron-based cathode materials for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. His research has led to numerous publications in such peer-reviewed journals such as “The Journal of Solid State Chemistry,” “Material Research Bulletin” and “Inorganic Chemistry.” He also has presented his research at major international conferences in Ontario; Bordeaux, France; Seattle; and Boston.
Mlado Ivanovic
Department of Philosophy
College of Arts and Letters
According to his students, Mlado Ivanovic’s talents as a teacher lie in his ability to relate challenging ideas to the realities of life. A native of Serbia, Ivanovic often references his own experiences of being uprooted by the conflicts surrounding the demise of Yugoslavia to help bring the concepts of human rights and international justice into vivid reality. Additionally, his expert knowledge of nineteenth- and twentieth-century continental philosophy, social and political philosophy, and ethics and social justice issues inform his teaching, allowing him to engage students in complicated discussions that require them to consider issues against an historical backdrop in addition to a personal response or opinion. Such analytical demands force students to assume their intellectual responsibilities in class as they engage controversial ideas that require intellectual detachment as well as personal engagement. Ivanovic’s ability to guide students on how to balance these approaches appropriately in a debate or discussion is one of his finest skills. Having lived in Vienna and Istanbul as well as returning as a university student to Belgrade, he embodies the transcultural realities that we must bring to students’ attention as our lives increasingly intersect with the lives and experiences of other societies and cultures.
As a scholar, Ivanovic’s interests lie in international law and the social context of ethical debates, on which he has presented papers at a number of academic conferences both in the United States and abroad. Additionally, he has been a central figure in organizing this year’s graduate philosophy conference at MSU and has been key in developing a successful proposal to host an NEH seminar on development ethics at MSU in summer 2013. Ivanovic has also contributed to the internal life of the department through his work on a new online program for international professionals.
Patrick Johnson
College of Music
Patrick Johnson utilizes his dual expertise as a concert pianist and a music theorist to engage his students artistically and intellectually, seamlessly accomplishing what every music theory instructor strives to do: enriching students’ aural and expressive understanding of music and helping them to analyze and to think critically about it. His approach to teaching shows them the value of synthesizing these modes of inquiry to achieve a more complete musicianship. Indeed, he is an ideal role model, a performing musician who can also engage in sophisticated discussions with professional music theorists. His students respond extremely well to his hybrid musicianship and they appreciate his unique dedication to each individual learner. As one student put it, “Mr. Johnson is one of the most helpful, kind, and encouraging teachers that I have had at MSU.” Whether tutoring one-on-one or lecturing in the classroom, Johnson puts his students at ease, helping them, regardless of their level of expertise, to recognize and to embrace the abstract music theory so relevant to their lives as musicians.
Johnson, an active and accomplished performer, is already engaged in a very promising career as an artist–scholar. He has presented solo recitals in a variety of venues; performed as both a soloist and an ensemble member with several professional symphonies, including the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and the Michigan Philharmonic; recorded on a long list of albums; and held prestigious positions as a church organist. His performing work spans classical, popular, and sacred genres; solo, collaborative, and large-ensemble formats; and venues from the concert hall to the living room. He provides invaluable service to the College of Music as a piano accompanist and is an active member of the National Society for Music Theory.
Faith Muirhead
Department of Teacher Education
College of Education
Faith Muirhead is the kind of teacher we all want for our MSU teacher education students and the kind of teacher–educator we all hope teaches in the classroom. She is generous, caring, invested, and always striving for better ways to teach and reach her students. She describes teaching as learning about students and their communities, the ways in which they are smart, and providing them with what they need to succeed in school and in life.
Muirhead came to MSU as an accomplished math teacher in New York City schools. Drawing on her experiences as a white teacher of students of color, Muirhead introduces teacher education students to the challenges and joys of working in urban schools, demonstrating how teachers can help students who are consistently marginalized in math classrooms to succeed. She constantly receives high praise from her students as a teacher who supports and challenges them to take their commitment to teaching all students seriously, to raise their expectations of themselves as future teachers, and to make a difference in their students’ lives. As one teacher candidate wrote, “I love the personal examples and experiences Muirhead shares about teaching in urban environments—and for challenging me to think outside the box.”
Muirhead has also distinguished herself as a leader in the teacher preparation program, which requires interpersonal skills in addition to content knowledge and pedagogy; providing feedback to teaching interns has illustrated how Muirhead’s passion for teaching extends beyond her own classroom. Her passion for teaching affects everyone positively—her students, other teacher education students, even faculty.
Samantha Nazione
Department of Communication
College of Communication Arts and Sciences
In the fall of 2004, Samantha Nazione came to MSU as a freshman interested in studying communication; that interest quickly blossomed into a passion and Nazione entered the Ph.D. program in 2009 determined to share that passion. Her dedication to her students and teaching became instantly apparent. She has taught a range of classes from sections within large lecture courses to small classes to a hybrid of online courses. Her willingness to help students understand complicated material has been noted countless times by her students. One said, “Ms. Nazione was so approachable, so helpful, it honestly surprised me that she could care about students as she did; I’ve never seen a TA work so hard.”
Nazione’s research interest lies in health care communications. Her dedication to this subject and teaching led her to develop the course “Health Communication in Health Care Settings,” which she has now taught three times, both online and in person. The class focuses on the importance of theory and interdisciplinary work in health care communication. Nazione created the objectives, outlined the syllabus, identified the readings, designed the lectures and class activities and created assignments for the class. This class is attractive to both communications professionals and preprofessional students interested in doctor-patient communication; this blend of students allows for applied, interactive discussions on emerging health care issues from many perspectives. Health scholars have called such classes essential, but largely absent, in undergraduate education, making Nazione’s class especially innovative.
Jessica Russell
Department of Communication
College of Communication Arts and Sciences
Jessica Russell is an innovative teacher dedicated to experiential learning. Her methods of instruction extend the walls of the classroom to encompass life application of material. Her teaching approach empowers students to be active learners and creators of knowledge rather than just passive consumers of information. Together, she and her students embark on a journey to simplify abstract concepts and integrate material into existing experiences. Students praise Russell for her imaginative approaches to class discussion and for facilitating meaningful and interesting activities. As one student stated, “Ms. Russell was the most involved and caring teacher that I had at MSU. I could really tell that she loves her job and teaching students. Her engagement encouraged the class to rise to her level and stay focused.”
In addition to her dedication to teaching, Russell is an avid researcher in health and risk communication. She has completed seven refereed journal articles, with several additional articles in progress, and has presented her work at multiple scholarly regional, national, and international conferences, where she has received two Top Paper awards. Her scholarship extends to community service. As part of the grant team for “Strive for a Safer Drive,” which seeks to lessen automobile accidents in Michigan counties with bad car crash records, she has helped recruit high schools into the program, worked with students on communications efforts, evaluated the results of the campaigns, and worked with the granting agencies supporting the work. The PI on this grant credits Ms. Russell with almost certainly ensuring renewed funding for this project.
Russell’s dedication to the department, university, and discipline is further illustrated by her work as a mentor for McNair scholars, as an advisor for undergraduates enrolled in independent study courses and research teams and as a manuscript reviewer for several journals.