Faculty Teaching and Scholarship Awards

Department of Liberal Studies

Dr. Janine Butler’s prolific research career at NTID has mostly centered on the field of rhetoric and composition and using this research to improve captions and accessible communication, particularly in classrooms and educational spaces. Dr. Butler uses her research to advocate for the use of multimodal communication to expand accessibility for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals. Dr. Butler also uses innovative and creative strategies for captioning to convey meaning. For example, Dr. Butler explains and illustrates how creative captioning is used in ASL music videos, expanding the accessibility of this media to a broader audience.

Dr. Butler’s research involves collaboration with researchers from other NTID departments, RIT colleges, and other institutions. Dr. Butler’s research led to the direct development of two RIT courses on access technology and captioning. These courses lead students to become advocates for accessible spaces, both online and in the community in order to make pedagogies more accessible and to connect with audiences. Dr. Butler is authoring a digital book titled “Visualizing Captions and Subtitles: The Embodiment of Accessible Multimodal Communication,” which will include visuals and videos to show how instructors, students, and video creators can make captions central in their practices.

International Educational Outreach & MSSE

Furthermore, Dr. Sarchet-Maher has been very active in Deaf education on a global scale. One noteworthy effort is The World Around You (WAY) project, where Dr. Sarchet-Maher with Dr. Chris Kurz (PI) led the effort to develop educational sign language materials to promote early literacy development of Deaf children in countries such as Somalia, Fiji, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Dr. Sarchet-Maher’s work has had a positive impact on students in K-12 and postsecondary classrooms because her research offers practical teaching strategies that teachers can easily implement in their classrooms.

Department of American Sign Language and Interpreting Education

Dr. Prinzi is a dedicated and skilled instructor in NTID’s bachelor of science in interpreting program. Her course, Introduction to K-12 Interpreting, is well-structured, engaging, and highly relevant for aspiring educational interpreters. With profound knowledge in her field, Dr. Prinzi expertly covers the complexities of K-12 interpreting, classroom dynamics, and the latest research.

She excels in creating an interactive and inclusive learning environment, using multimedia resources, and stimulating discussions to foster critical thinking. Dr. Prinzi encourages students to understand interpreting techniques and consider the nuanced factors affecting communication in diverse learning spaces.

Her commitment to student growth is evident in her openness to feedback and dedication to continuous improvement. Dr. Prinzi’s high standards and clear communication in both ASL and English make her an ideal role model for aspiring interpreters.

Department of Engineering Studies

David (DJ) Monahan, an outstanding and innovative tutor/support coordinator, has revitalized the tutoring support area, ensuring quality services with faculty and peers proficient in various communication modalities. He supports more than 130 students across 25 departments and 158 courses in the College of Engineering Technology and the Kate Gleason College of Engineering. DJ’s accomplishments include transforming the support area, adding a 3-D printing lab, and significantly increasing student numbers. Tutoring hours doubled from 370 in 2021-2022 to 770 in 2022-2023.

DJ is a leader who empowers colleagues and students, ensuring a smooth transition for AS/AAS NTID engineering studies students to RIT bachelor degree programs. He collaborates effectively with mechanical engineering technology professors to reevaluate course equivalents. A student who nominated DJ for the non-tenure track teaching/tutoring award noted that “he has gone above and beyond to create a dynamic support system that benefits his students in their preparation not just in college, but with their career afterward.”

Department of Liberal Studies

Dr. Rain Bosworth; a past recipient of the pre-tenured Scholarship award; has continued to make an impressive impact to the university. She continues in her belief that students benefit from the interaction with faculty and by having the opportunity to contribute and be a part of research and scholarship. In addition, Dr. Rain Bosworth in her scholarship statement: “I'm committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in academia and to mentoring students from all backgrounds.”

She has added to her impressive work and research topic, and is now using her knowledge gained in research to mentor others. Teaching, mentoring students in the NTID Play Lab, Co-authoring publications with students and graduate advisor to three grad students.

Below is a summary of some of Dr. Rain Bosworth’s scholarship and accomplishments.

Teaches for the Inclusive Leadership & Community Development (LEAD) Bachelor’s Degree Program, LEAD 351, which is Quantitative Research Methods. In the Spring of 2023 Dr. Bosworth structured the course using her knowledge of research to guide students in the steps of a research project. She “structured this class as a close, frequent partnership with students as I guide them through all the steps of a research project, with a method of their choosing on a topic they are interested in. Together, the students and I completed IRB applications, CITI training, brainstormed topics, whittled down to specific hypotheses and measures, and created the materials. Students went out into the community to recruit research participants and gather data.”

Students Involvement as Leading Co-Author, worked as a mentor for two deaf students in the PhD in Educational Neuroscience program at Gallaudet University.

Schwenk, M., Bosworth, R.G. & Quandt, L.C. (2023, March). Sign Naïve and Native Signing Infants’ Visual Preferences for Signing Avatars. Society for Research in Child Development Biennial meeting, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Palagano, J., Quandt, L. C., & Bosworth, R.G. (2023, Sept). Signing and Non-Signing Preschoolers' Gaze Patterns Toward Dynamic Sign Language-Print Storybooks. Digital Media and Developing Minds International Scientific Congress. Washington D.C.

Bosworth, R.G., Schwenk, M., & Quandt, L.C. (2023, Nov). Looking Preferences for Signing Avatars: Does Naturalness MaOer? Psychonomic Society, San Francisco, Ca.

Mentoring Students in the NTID PLAY Lab. Currently have a variety of the lab personnel including 2undergraduate students, 4 deaf graduate students, and 1 recent deaf post-bac. We also have 2 part time staff members. In all, the majority (7 out of the 9) employed under my supervision are deaf or hard of hearing. The majority are fluent in ASL, with the 2 remaining members showing emergent skills in ASL.

A key accomplishment of Dr. Bosworth, within the last 3 years is obtaining a specific type of award from NIH called Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions. This new award, effective August 2023, provides a total of $428,054 for the goal of involving students in my research activities.

Graduate advisor: Three master students who will complete their work within the year and plan on presenting their theses at the Society for Research in Child Development meeting.

Dr. Rain Bosworth has a solid track of over $600K in funding to support the NTID PLAY lab for the next 4 years (with another application to the Spencer Foundation for $350K under review), She presented at 10 international conferences (several of which were keynote), and I built a strong lab foundation, bringing in many great students and employees, for studies of child exploratory play informal classroom and informal museum learning environments.

“Dr. Bosworth’s biggest strength lies in rigorous grant application attempts and grant success. In the last 3 years, she obtained over $628,000 with two external awards. She also has one pending external award for $375,000, to support her research over the next 5 years. Her research topic is on exploratory behaviors and learning in deaf preschoolers is very important. Finally, she was just awarded an AdvanceRIT Connect Partnership Grants for $3,425, to implement networking and professional development events to Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing faculty who have scholarship in their plan of work. In all, she has 5 current awards. In the last 3 years, she has 2 peer-reviewed journal publications and 4 peer-reviewed conference presentations, all with graduate students as co-authors.”
- Kathryn L. Schmitz, Ph.D., Chairperson and Associate Professor

- Nancy J. Marrer, Chair of SAC and the committee members.

Department of Liberal Studies, RIT/NTID

Professor Schlehofer is an integral teacher in both Deaf Studies (Women and the Deaf Community) and MSSE (Linguistics of ASL), enabling her to share her wide-ranging expertise with undergraduates and graduates, deaf and hearing. She continues to incorporate scholarly articles and videos for all classes whenever there is new information about ASL linguistics or deaf and hard-of-hearing women’s issues. In addition, her tireless dedication to the subject of deaf women’s history and education has made her a fierce leader in the community. Dr. Schlehofer’s versatility in the classroom coupled with her scholarly interests have made her an especially valuable member of the faculty at NTID.

Department of Liberal Studies, RIT/NTID

Assistant Professor Corinna Hill’s ongoing work on her dissertation which was successfully defended last year, which is directly related to her field of expertise in teaching (Deaf Studies) has enabled her to include current scholarship from a wide range of perspectives and teach students from different majors/colleges. This has caused her to have a large following of students who enjoyed her Deaf Studies courses which are an essential component of NTID’s strategy to educate the larger community about deaf people, thus making her an outstanding ambassador in this role. This is evidenced by students in the RIT Honors program expressed an interest in having Corinna offer a Honors course in Spring 2025.

Department of Liberal Studies, RIT/NTID

Senior Lecturer Aimee Whyte is the 2024 Teaching/Tutoring Award winner for Non-Tenure Track Faculty. Aimee has been an instrumental member of both Liberal Studies Department and the Community Development and Inclusive Leadership (LEAD) BS program. She has developed several courses for the LEAD program, which is now in its second year of operation, helping to build it from the ground up. Her being versatile in the classroom over the years along with her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion has made her an especially valuable member of the NTID faculty.

Department of Science and Mathematics

Austin Gehret is the 2023 recipient of the Outstanding Teaching/Tutoring Award for Tenured Faculty. His students and colleagues have all praised his professionalism, communication skills, organization, and use of visuals in both teaching and tutoring. He is able to convey difficult scientific concepts in a variety of ways and is patient and accommodating to the needs of his students. Through his mentoring skills, he has inspired his students from associate to post-graduate level. His research and publications in science and science education contribute to the advancement of deaf and hard-of-hearing students and educators.

Department of Visual Communications Studies

Eric Kunsman is the 2023 recipient of the Outstanding Teaching/Tutoring Award for Pre-Tenure Faculty. A successful artist outside the classroom, Kunsman brings real-life experiences to his students and models a passion for his discipline that students will remember long after they graduate and enter the workforce. He uses innovative teaching techniques and is able to support students across a wide range of majors throughout their RIT careers. Kunsman’s continued outstanding effectiveness is evident both through his students’ testimonials and ratings. He is the recipient of the 2016 Teaching/Tutoring for Non-Tenure Track Faculty.

Department of Science and Mathematics

Elizabeth Ayers is the 2023 recipient of the Outstanding Teaching/Tutoring Award for Non-Tenure Faculty. One student described Ayers’ ability to motivate them and their classmates about their own genetics as on par with the female version of Indiana Jones. One College of Science faculty member often will reach out to Ayers to strategize ways they can support deaf and hard-of-hearing students in their mainstreamed classes. The students Ayers supports in College of Health Sciences and Technology courses value her professional experience as a sonographer and the way she can connect those experiences to the material they are learning in the classroom. Her empathetic approach to tutoring and teaching is valued and respected by her students and colleagues.

Department of American Sign Language and Interpreting Education

Dr. Joseph Hill has been selected as this year’s Tenured award winner. Joseph has a number of scholarship projects in process. The scholarship related to Sign Language variations. Below is a list of Dr. Hill's current accomplishments and scholarship as provided by Peter Hauser.

• Dr. Hill’s scholarship primarily focuses on sign language variations in ASL, particularly Black ASL. His work on Black ASL has been recognized in a PBS film and by his invitation as a keynote speaker at various national and international professional conferences within his discipline and outside of his discipline. In many ways, his scholarship on minority communities’ ASL variations has had a positive impact on deaf individuals of color, their language, and their culture. His work goes beyond just sign variations, he also studies Black Deaf family dynamics that is an area of research that so few people are qualified to study.
• Dr. Hill recently became a Principal Investigator (PI) in a sponsored project from the National Science Foundation.
• Dr. Hill always involves students in his research and he is sought out as a mentor by many including RIT McNair fellows. He treats the students, who work in his laboratory, as his mentees wherein he invests on their knowledge and skill development for their future professional and career success. He includes them in conference presentations and allows them to lead the research presentations. He is well respected by his deaf and hearing mentees.
• Dr. Hill goes beyond what other scholars do and makes sure that he disseminates new knowledge back to the deaf community, particularly BIPOC deaf and hard of hearing individuals. He always makes time to share his knowledge with people outside of RIT through emails, consultations, and presentations.
• Dr. Hill’s scholarship success has been recognized by his discipline’s top professional organization, the Linguistics Society of America (LSA). He is the 2022 recipient of LSA’s Linguistics, Language, and the Public Award! This prestigious national award honors individuals for work that effectively increases public awareness and understanding of linguistics and language.

Department of Liberal Studies

Dr. Rain Bosworth has only been here for a short time, but has contributed an amazing amount of expertise and scholarship activity to the university. One of the biggest focus of Dr. Bosworth is her belief that students benefit from the interaction with faculty and by having the opportunity to contribute and be a part of research and scholarship. Below is a summary of some of Dr. Rain Bosworth’s scholarship and accomplishments.

Dr. Bosworth’s Perception, Language, and Attention in Youth (PLAY) Laboratory focuses on early sensory experiences that shape our visual, cognitive, and language abilities in later life. Current projects in the PLAY lab includes:

1. Emergence of Visual Language Perception
   a. Using eyetracking, Dr. Bosworth examines how infants recognize the difference between sign language and other body actions like gestures. She also studies how young deaf children navigate digital picture books with dynamic ASL videos.
2. Visual Listening Effort a. Dr. Bosworth has several research questions that she is trying to answer: Deaf people experience Zoom fatigue, but is it harder for deaf people who rely on lipreading? Does listening in sign language present different cognitive challenges? Is it more challenging for hearing or signers, and if so, why?
3. Parent Attitudes about Play a. Play leads to cognitive advantages for children, especially when parents engage in play with them. Not all adults believe that play leads to learning, and not all parents engage in the same play behaviors. How does this impact children’s cognitive development? Dr. Bosworth also examines here the cultural differences in attitudes and play in parents who have hearing or deaf children.
4. Deaf Children’s Tactile Exploration and Play Behaviors a. This project is funded by the James S. McDonnell Foundation. The aim is to understand how deaf and hearing pre-schoolers explore novel objects via touch, for the purpose of play and learning in the classroom. From Jess Cuculick, Ed.D

Five peer-reviewed publications (four as 1st author) among 24 in her career, 4 current grants (involving a wise mixture of intramural, foundation and federal funders), 5 more grants that are pending or under review, an impressive record of conference presentations and speaking engagements, as well as ample committee and other services to the college and university. I further am aware that Rain is a highly valued teacher, not only at NTID but at the College of Science’s Psychology Department, where she has been instrumental in strengthening our cross-campus bonds – a goal that is very important to me and many NTID faculty. From Robert Pollard, Ph.D.

There is even more that can be said regarding Dr. Bosworth’s current accomplishments, however, I believe the above quotes clearly show the reason why the committee supported Dr. Rain Bosworth for the Scholarship Award.

- Nancy J. Marrer Chair of SAC and the committee members.

Department of Engineering Studies

Mr. Mark Davis won the Nontenure Track Teaching and Tutoring Award in 2022 because of his commitment to students.  As an instructor, he brings his real-world knowledge and experience to the classroom, helping keep the curriculum and technology in-line with industry standards, preparing students in the classroom and for their co-op experiences, and being a role model for students inside and outside the classroom.

Department of American Sign Language and Interpreting Education

Dr. Kurz has been the principal author or co-author for 18 peer-reviewed journal publications, one book chapter, several conference proceedings and book reviews, and a web publication. Additionally, Kim has given 42 international, national, state, and local presentations. Her research agenda spans the areas of teaching and pedagogy, application, integration, and discovery. Researchers, professionals, teachers, and trainers have cited Dr. Kurz's scholarship across the country and other countries. When calculating Dr. Kurz's research output, she publishes an average of 1-2 academic articles annually. In 2020 alone, she has three co-authored chapters in press for a forthcoming book on educational interpreting and co-authored an article on the resilience of Deaf professionals.

In addition to her research work, Dr. Kurz has taught research methods to interpreting undergraduate students through her "Issues in Interpreting" and "Introduction to K-12 Interpreting" courses, as well as serving on several Ph.D. dissertation committees at other
universities.

In her letters of recommendation, one comment stood out to the committee and summed up the letter's overall sentiment. "I have repeatedly seen Dr. Kurz's motivation to read, study, and produce research. It is evidenced in how she conducts and publishes her own studies, in how she guides students in their work, and in how she frames her teaching. Frankly, her passion for research comes out in every conversation we have ever had, even when I just want to share a cup of coffee!"

Department of Science and Mathematics

Dr. Jason Nordhaus is a leader in general relativistic magneto-hydrodynamics (GRMHD), as demonstrated by his documented history of substantial contributions to the field with more than 93 publications (2,100 citations). He is the lead author on more than 25 of his journal publications, and he is regularly invited to give presentations at other institutions and conferences

Since joining the RIT faculty, Dr. Nordhaus published an upper limit to the energy that neutrinos can provide in a supernova explosion. This is a critical, non-intuitive result that continues to be tested.  To date, it has held up as no computer simulation has ever produced a supernova with energies above his published limit.   

In May of 2017, Dr. Nordhaus and a student published three-dimensional simulations of the L2 Puppis system. By modeling how gas moves around the star, they could match what the telescopes saw only if a planet were orbiting in the system.  After they published their work in May of 2017, observers in Europe started hunting for this hypothetical planet.  In December 2017, they found it with ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array).  The success of this method of predicting hidden companions from the motion of gas lead NASA to award Dr. Nordhaus a grant to continue this work for stars that the Hubble Space Telescope is observing.   

Dr. Nordhaus' scholarly funding record is outstanding. He has received a total of 3.9 million dollars on various grants as PI, co-PI, senior personnel, or co-investigator. He is a principal investigator on grants funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation and an award of nearly $300k from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation entitled, "Lost in Translation: Removing Barriers for Deaf Participation in STEM Fields." With his CCRG colleagues, he is a co-PI on several grants received from NASA and NSF. He is also currently a co-PI on REU Site: Summer Undergraduate Research for Students who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing in Applying Mathematical and Statistical Methods to Problems from the Sciences ($303,000; PI: Dr. Bonnie Jacob), an NSF-funded project to support three-year research experiences for undergraduates (REU) program. The REU grant supports ten deaf and hard-of-hearing students each summer and includes some support for faculty working with them.

What sets Dr. Nordhaus apart from many is how he regularly includes deaf students in his research work.  Since joining RIT, he has supervised tens of undergraduate students on projects, including deaf and hard of hearing graduate students in the Bridges to the Doctorate program.  In 2016, Jason's students (presented at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Grapevine, TX.  This was the first time a deaf student had presented their research at the AAS.  Dr. Nordhaus strives to provide his students with unique skills and research experiences that will allow them to pursue their goals in technically challenging fields.  

As a faculty member affiliated with the RIT College of Science graduate program in Astrophysical Sciences and Technology, Dr. Nordhaus is actively working to recruit deaf and hard-of-hearing students to that program, and he is also serving as the Ph.D. Readiness Director for NTID's own Rochester Bridges to the Doctorate program. In this position, he is actively preparing students who are currently in RIT master's degrees for entry into doctoral programs; which means that he plays a significant role in mentoring a new generation of deaf and hard-of-hearing scientists advanced careers in academia, government, and industry.

Dr. Nordhaus' scholarship statistics as of 10.23.2020 (data from ADS):

• 94 publications with 2,155 citations (26 publications since starting tenure track)
• 25 first-author publications with 987 citations
• h-index: 26

Funded awards since starting tenure track (see CV for complete details):

• As Principal Investigator: $710,824
• As Co-Principal Investigator: $2,180,383
• As Senior or Co-Investigator: $1,001,665
• Dollar-weighted success rate: 60.3% ($6,452,329 in total applications)

Dollar-weighted success rate: 60.3% ($6,452,329 in total applications)

Department of Liberal Studies

Dr. Jess Cuculick, as a 20-plus year member of the Department of Liberal Studies and one of the few Deaf qualitative researchers, has been leading cross-institutional collaborative grant and research efforts in the study of deaf health literacy in order to understand how deaf and hard-of-hearing people receive, process, and exchange health-related information in print and online. Compared to hearing individuals, deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals have relatively worse health outcomes and poor health literacy that cannot be solely explained by either reading skills or educational background. Dr. Cuculick’s publications have focused on areas including health literacy among deaf adults, health literacy disparities between deaf and hearing college students, and the relationship between Deaf culture and breastfeeding success.

In 2016 sparked by the collaboration with the University of Michigan, Brandeis University, and Dartmouth University and the reception of three NIH sub-awards, Dr. Cuculick established the Deaf Health Laboratory that has since involved the work of 15 deaf and hard-of-hearing undergraduate students, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows. She has made deliberate efforts to recruit and include students --- including deaf and hard-of-hearing students, students of color, and women ---  in all phases of her research and to create a lab culture that pairs qualitative and quantitative research to address critical research needs regarding the physical and mental health of the Deaf community. In addition to teaching research and dissemination skills, Dr. Cuculick has developed and taught numerous seminars on the soft skills that are critical in a deaf researcher’s career, for example, how to work with ASL interpreters, how to give an effective presentation, and how to maintain a professional network.

Dr. Cuculick has proven herself to be a talented and productive scholar who has made an impact with her qualitative research at a STEM-heavy institution; has broken through barriers as a Deaf woman scholar who has made a career change from a traditional teaching faculty to an externally-funded researcher with multiple grants in a short time; and is noted for her dedication to teaching, mentoring, and supporting Deaf scholars, leading to the creation of a pipeline for future Deaf researchers to diversify future generations of scholars.

Department of American Sign Language and Interpreting Education

Lisa Johnston, a lecturer at NTID American Sign Language and Interpreting Education (ASLIE) department since 2015, has been recognized by her students and colleagues for her effective teaching style in the classroom. Also impressive is her extensive involvement with various curriculum development efforts within her department.  A student noted, in her letter of support toward Ms. Johnston’s nomination, that she “cares deeply for her students.  She makes sure to provide us with all the resources available for us to succeed … I admire her teaching style … she is prepared and ready to go” when coming to classes.  One of Ms. Johnston’s colleagues stated that she “…demonstrated an enthusiastic and personal excellence in teaching and learning.”

Department of Science and Mathematics

A lecturer at NTID Science and Mathematics department, Jennifer Swartzenberg’s primary role at NTID has been tutoring NTID-supported students enrolled in College of Science (COS) chemistry classes since 2013. Her exemplary work as a tutor was recognized by her chair, NTID and COS colleagues, and her students.  Her collaboration with COS School of Chemistry and Materials Science is notable, especially her participation in an NTID-COS research collaboration addressing language access involving NTID-supported students to better understand the complexity of chemistry.  A COS colleague notes that Ms. Swartzenberg “gives generously of her time, has had lots of experience in the classroom, and truly cares about her students’ education.”

Department of Liberal Studies

Since arriving at RIT/NTID three years ago, Dr. Matt Dye has overseen nine deaf or hard-of-hearing students in his deaf x lab, as well as multiple deaf or hard-of-hearing graduate students, post-baccalaureates and postdocs as well.  Students who work in Dr. Dye’s lab serve critical roles in the research process and have opportunities to engage in multiple facets of externally funded research: from training in ethical conduct to lab skills to writing.  Currently PI on two NSF awards and one NIH award, Dr. Dye’s research primarily focuses on selective visual attention in deaf individuals and currently includes temporal aspects of visual attention in deaf children. 

Department of Liberal Studies

A professor in the NTID Liberal Studies Department, Dr. Vincent Samar is co-director of the NIH-funded RIT Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) – a scientist-in-training program for deaf and hard-of-hearing undergraduates.  Dr. Samar is a tutor for research methods courses required for bachelor degree-bound psychology students and is an instructor for senior-level projects in psychology.  His academic efforts are recognized by numerous students, both past and present.  These students consider him a valued mentor, crediting him with laying the foundation for their success in graduate school and their professional lives.  

Department of Science and Mathematics

As an assistant professor in the NTID Science and Mathematics Department, Dr. Viet Le seeks to tailor difficult-to-teach concepts to visual-based approaches in the classroom.  His innovative approaches help his students better develop their understanding of new materials.  He implements active learning techniques to promote understanding among students.  Dr. Le is also a mentor to several students in his department’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program – a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. 

Department of Science and Mathematics

A senior lecturer in the NTID Science and Mathematics Department, Ms. Sarah Sarchet is a well-respected instructor and tutor for biology and laboratory science courses.  Ms. Sarchet’s ability to adapt her teaching and tutoring style to meet the needs of all students, regardless of degree level and communication preference, is appreciated by her students and colleagues.  She also is a mentor to many students outside of her classroom and to future teachers in the classroom.  A former student, in her letter of recommendation, stated that Ms. Sarchet is a “highly dedicated professional who knows how to motivate her students to strive for excellence.”

Department of Business Studies

Senior Lecturer Michael “Mike” Kane from the Department of Business Studies is the 2018 Teaching/Tutoring Award winner for Non-Tenure Track Faculty.  Mike has been utilizing emergent technologies in his classroom resulting in varied approaches to content delivery in his classroom.  His teaching style has evolved so that now he turns the ownership of learning over to his students, guiding them to develop their own video recorded lectures and concept map study guides for his courses.  He is committed to his students’ success and is treasured by his department. 

Department of Liberal Studies

Dr. “Vince” Samar, Associate Professor in the Department of Liberal Studies, has made significant contributions to the scholarship of discovery including diverse fields in deaf health research, social determinants of health, cognitive development, and attentional enhancement among a few other topics of special interest. Since 2012, Dr. Samar has taught and mentored RIT Psychology baccalaureate students, as well as taught Senior Project in Psychology to 24 deaf out of 26 total undergraduate students resulting in numerous poster presentations and research projects as co-authors. “Dr. Samar has a record of prodigious scholarship, including 63 publications in refereed journal as well as dozens of presentations at local, regional, national and international conferences.” Most recently, his goals have turned to seeking and writing funds to completely renovate the NTID research lab facilities to better support research experiences in experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience for future RIT students.

Department of Science and Mathematics

Since 2010, Dr. Bonnie Jacob, Assistant Professor in the Department of Science and Mathematics, has advised 11 deaf or hard-of-hearing students in undergraduate mathematics research. She has co-authored refereed journal articles with six students. Dr. Jacob’s area of study is graph theory, which defines relationships between various objects. “She brings to work a strong background in STEM-focused research and has succeeded thus far in working with our students to expose research concepts, thereby helping them to further develop their analytical thinking skills.” Dr. Jacob has been awarded several internal awards that have involved students in research projects leading to their conference presentations as well as publications. Mathematics research with students is her primary passion.

Department of Science and Mathematics

Dr. Jason Nordhaus from the Department of Science and Mathematics is the 2017 Teaching/Tutoring Award winner for Pre-Tenure Faculty.  He teaches both in the classroom and through his research and collaborations where he exposes students to projects in astrophysical research.  Through his tutoring and teaching Dr. Nordhaus strives to create independent, logical problem solvers who can creatively contribute to society. 

Department of Business Studies

The 2017 Teaching/Tutoring Award for Lecturers goes to Ms. Kathleen Szczepanek from the Department of Business Studies.  Her reflective approach to teaching, her dedication to and support of student success, and the great respect she has garnered from her peers is why she is a valued member of the faculty.   Her students recognize, appreciate, and commend the impact she has made on their education and their career.

Department of Liberal Studies

Dr. Gerald Berent, Professor in the Department of Liberal Studies, has significantly advanced the field of language acquisition in deaf and hard of hearing individuals through his 36-year outstanding track record of research. His colleagues have noted that his work in this area has informed generations of both faculty and students. His efforts to understand the impact of secondary disabilities and ADHD on DHH students' abilities to learn effectively have been transformative. Dr. Berent’s creation of the Supporting English Acquisition (SEA) website has been a great contribution and tool for English language teachers everywhere. He has also shared his research findings and teaching methodologies through over 50 publications in refereed journals and book chapters, 25 technical reports and publications in newsletters and bulletins. He has also given over 66 presentations at national and international symposia/conferences. Dr. Berent has obtained several grants to further his research, totaling over $800K.

His colleagues have also noted that Dr. Berent's scholarship in English language acquisition in DHH students and his dedication to sharing and applying it in NTID classrooms and classrooms across the world is simply outstanding. His passion for the scholarly process and its role in Deaf education is limitless. In addition to his own research and publication, he dedicates countless hours supporting the scholarly efforts of others. In the role of advisor, mentor, reviewer, editor and NTID IRB committee chair, Dr. Berent tirelessly works to share his expertise and promote the work of other scholars. He demonstrates energy, enthusiasm and creativity, combined with a solid professional base of knowledge to empower his students.

Department of American Sign Language and Interpreting Education

Dr. Campbell McDermid, Assistant Professor in the American Sign Language and Interpreting Education Department received the NTID Pre-tenured Scholarship Award. Dr. McDermid has made significant contributions in the field of interpreter education and sign language teaching, through a book on ASL paraphrasing, and several peer-reviewed articles. He has been invited to many presentations worldwide to share his findings.

Dr. McDermid has involved several undergraduate and graduate students in his research projects, and has provided them with important skills and experiences to obtain graduate training in sign language and interpreting research. He has also served as an advisor and consultant for several students in the program. Dr. Campbell McDermid has obtained several grants, including one to examine International Sign Acquisition. McDermid’s scholarship in the field of sign language interpreting has significantly advanced the training of sign language interpreters internationally.

Department of Science and Mathematics

As a great role model and exceptional educator, Keith “Moose” Mousley, Associate Professor in the Department of Science and Mathematics, is the 2016 NTID Teaching/Tutoring Award winner for Tenured Faculty. His relaxed teaching style is constantly evolving based on research and his vast experience working with Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students. He uses humor to keep them interested and actively engaged in classroom learning. He has an open door policy to tutor both current and former students, sharing his passion for math with everyone.

Department of Science and Mathematics

The 2016 Teaching/Tutoring Award winner for Pre-tenure is Dr. Austin Gehret, Assistant Professor in the Department of Science and Mathematics. He is a tremendous asset to both the NTID and RIT communities. Serving as a support faculty for Deaf and hard of hearing students taking a variety of biochemistry courses in the College of Science, Dr. Gehret was able to use that experience to shape his associate-level Laboratory Science Technology biotechnology courses in a way that not only provides hands-on experience that is vital for success in biotechnology related careers, it prepares students for success in their future RIT biochemistry courses. He also serves as a co-advisor for a graduate student. Dr. Gehret’s patience with and respect for students, puts them at ease as he helps them succeed in the classroom and at their Co-op placements. 

Department of Visual Communications Studies

The 2016 Teaching/Tutoring Award for Lecturers goes to Eric Kunsman in the Visual Communications Studies Department. He culls from his own experience the value of hard work, determination and respect and aims to instill those qualities in his students. His ability to be creative in the classroom can be seen in his use of “Time Wasting Tickets”, developed to improve his students’ time management skills and as a way to teach them to become self-motivated, productive member of the workforce. He is well respected by both his peers and students. 

Department of American Sign Language and Interpreting Education

Dr. Deirdre Schlehofer, assistant professor in the Department of American Sign Language and Interpreter Education, received the AY2014-2015 NTID Pre-tenure Scholarship Award. The selection committee cited the following: “In her work, Dr. Schlehofer involves ASLIE and RIT deaf and hard-of-hearing students and serves as a model for involving students in scholarly activities. Her impact on students is high as a result of engaging students in her projects, serving as a mentor to students through natural interaction in the research environment, and utilizing practical research that students can relate to.”

Department of Business Studies

Mark Pfuntner, associate professor in the Department of Business Studies, received the NTID Tenured Teaching and Tutoring Award. According to the committee, “Mark is integral to the support and success of the cross registered students there. He embraces a teaching/tutoring philosophy that goes above and beyond the normal classroom approach. He demonstrates energy, enthusiasm and creativity, combined with a solid professional base of knowledge to empower his students.

Department of Engineering Studies

Gary Behm, assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Studies, received the NTID Pre-tenured Teaching and Tutoring Award. “Gary wears many different hats here at the institute, and his teaching/tutoring is highly recognized by his peers and his students. The committee was impressed at the amount of energy that Gary puts into everything he does, and while his workload is split between two areas, he commits well over 100% of his time to both. He is a role model for many students and I would say faculty as well.” 

Department of Engineering Studies

Gary involved 29 students in his research up to this point and serves as an excellent model involving students in scholarly activities. Many of these students benefitted by receiving their cooperative experience through the CAT Innovation Lab at different companies. Students gain greater awareness of the research process by using Gary’s approach as a model. Gary engages students in the projects and serves as a mentor to students through the natural interaction in the research environment. He utilizes practical research ideas that students can relate to. He had 11 internal presentations and 28 external presentations and 13 patents for his work through IBM and 5 submitted through RIT.

Department of Information and Computing Studies

Brian submitted an impressive personal statement, outstanding SRS evaluations and a wonderful letter of support provided by his chairperson. While the other candidate was also very qualified, the personal connection that Brian makes with so many students was the deciding factor for us.

Department of Business Studies

Scot was clearly student centered and goes above and beyond to support student success. He too had outstanding SRS ratings and his letters of support were great. The committee was also impressed that his nomination for the award came from an RIT faculty member.

Department of Science and Mathematics

The committee unanimously agreed that Stacey was the "stand-out" candidate in the pool of candidates. Her letter of support from her Chair Matt Lynn was one of the strongest statements we had seen. Her personal statement was also impressive and showed her commitment to doing whatever it takes to help students succeed. Many people noted that her workweek includes regular Sunday review sessions for students she works with. She is a role model for others in our opinion. 

Department of Information and Computing Studies

Student Involvement:

• Involved 11 students in his research up to this point- serves as an excellent model involving students in scholarly activities.
• Patiently instructs his research students.
• Students have been involved in three different research projects overall.
• He has students present at conferences.

Student Impact:

• The focus of his research efforts revolves around visual learners that directly impact our students.
• Students gain greater awareness of their own accessibility challenges in the classroom through their research experiences.
• Enables students to be immersed in research.
• He serves as a mentor to students through the natural interaction in the research environment.
• Provides training in research methods as his investment in student’s future.
• Implements solutions based on research findings, such as using real-time replay for missed information after finding there is missed information through visual learning from his eye-tracking research.

Dissemination:

• Consistent dissemination activities, papers at a variety of conferences including the ACM Special Interest Group for Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), ACM Special Interest Group for  Information Technology Education (SIGITE), and other conferences in accessible technology (RESENA and ASSETS).
• Presentations at international and national level conferences.

Overall Rank/Summary:  Average Rank of 5, Outstanding

• Collaborates with other faculty to pursue his research efforts.
• PhD in Computer Science
• Obtained grants, including as a PI for the NSF Grant on Collaborative Captioning totaling $80,146.00
• “He is deeply engaged in research and involves other faculty and NTID students with the many research opportunities he has pursued.  He has been a great asset in explaining research methodologies and supporting students and other faculty members.” -Letter of Support from David Lawrence

Department of Science and Mathematics

Her personal statement was inspiring to all of us as she identified her teaching approach to that of Anne Sullivan, the teacher behind Helen Keller's successes and she truly is motivated to make a difference in the lives of her science students. One comment from her Chairperson stood out when he described her as a "treasure". Students and colleagues alike respect and appreciate her endless hours of dedication to her students and her passion for science.

She left her industry position at IBM to "give back to the deaf community," and her efforts at NTID have truly reflected that commitment. Her letters of support (from faculty and students) were impressive, especially the one from her colleague Todd Pagano. He clearly holds Annemarie in the highest regard, stating that "everything she does so clearly warrants recognition by the institute". She challenges her students with high (but fair) expectations and often leads by example, inspiring students to share her passion and believe that they can achieve that same success. Extremely strong SRS results ranging from 4.7 to 5.0.

Department of Science and Mathematics

One of the comments that was often written in her letters of support from her chairperson and her colleagues was that she was a "leader", even though she is a lecturer among her tenured and tenure track colleagues. Her workload as a lecturer not only includes an incredibly large number of tutoring hours with a wide variety of science students, but she is also the coordinator for the B.S. Support Team in the COS. No other coordinator role is held by a lecturer. In her letter from Dr. Sandra Connelly, a professor in the COS, she was described as one of the "greatest tutors/teachers at RIT!"

She not only successfully supports the students in professor Connelly's classes, but she is also working as part of a RCFTL project with Sandi and Matt Lynn, where her years of expertise make her an invaluable member of the project. Her letters from students not only praise her skill in tutoring, but also her in-depth knowledge of the medical career paths that science students dream about.  Her career advising shows a deep understanding of the fields that her students are interested in pursuing.  She gives them honest advice and encourages them to work hard to achieve their goals. Her SRS results are extremely strong, ranging from 4.6 to 5.0.