Alex Townsend, Associate Professor of Mathematics, has been named a Stephen H. Weiss Junior Fellow. The Weiss Awards honor excellence in undergraduate teaching and mentoring.
"The awards highlight the pinnacle of exceptional teaching, which is a mainstay of what makes Cornell extraordinary," President Martha Pollack said on October 14.
The citation for Townsend reads:
Alex Townsend “is an energetic and enthusiastic instructor” with a strong passion for applied mathematics and fresh ways of teaching. He has introduced innovations in classes to respond to current trends in mathematics as it is used in the real world. “He is positioning our students very well for potential careers in this thriving area,” a faculty nominator wrote. “He thinks hard about everything he does, and tries to enliven his lectures with rich examples, history, modern applications, and computer visualization – and does all of this without sacrificing rigor or conceptual clarity.” His innovative new course on “Top-10 Algorithms of the 20th century” is unique in the academic world.
And Townsend is responsive to students’ needs and asks for suggested improvements and review topics, nominators said. “In just five and a half years, he’s made himself an indispensable team player in our department,” a faculty nominator wrote.
To read more about Weiss Awards and the other recipients, see this article from the Cornell Chronicle.
Congratulations Alex!
