The College of Engineering proudly hosted its second seminar in our Distinguished Lecture Series, featuring Dr.
Dr. Terrence Chambers receives 2021 Dr. Ray Authement Excellence in Teaching Award
Fri, 04/30/2021 - 7:27pm
It is with tremendous pride and pleasure that we announce, Dr. Terrence Chambers, Donald & Janice Mosing BORSF Endowed Chair and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, as the University’s 2021 Dr. Ray P. Authement Excellence in Teaching Award honoree.
The UL Lafayette Foundation's prestigious Dr. Ray P. Authement Excellence in Teaching Award is named for the University’s fifth president and has recognized faculty commitment to teaching and innovation since 1992. “To say that Dr. Chambers is committed to his students, his research, the college and this university is an understatement. Dr. Chamber’s vision and leadership permeates the halls and attracts and effects students in several departments across campus, says Dr. Ahmed Khattab, Dean for the College of Engineering.
Dr. Chambers is a wonderful teacher who is much respected by his peers and his students. He has received numerous teaching-oriented awards over the years, including the Engineering Faculty Professionalism award from the Louisiana Engineering Foundation in 2018 and 2011, Student Outreach Faculty Member of the Year from the College of Engineering in 2016, Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year from the College of Engineering in 2014, and Favorite Teacher Award from the Mechanical Engineering Department in 2007.
Dr. Chambers is constantly researching innovative teaching methods and has published 10 peer reviewed journal articles and 21 conference articles on pedagogical methods, including novel uses of technology, such as virtual reality. One of his engineering education papers won the Best Paper Award at the annual conference of the American Society for Engineering Education Gulf-Southwest Region in 2006.
“Dr. Chambers is not just an excellent teacher, his influence and example reach across the University and throughout the world. Dr. Chambers enjoys an international reputation in his field of solar energy, and over the last two years he has helped the University obtain three new cooperative agreements with two universities in Mexico, and one in Brazil.” said Khattab
In close cooperation with the UL Lafayette Foundation and the College of Engineering, Dr. Chambers has obtained funding to establish a Solar Energy Program of Excellence within the College of Engineering, which includes the creation of an entirely new solar energy curriculum, and a minor in Renewable Energy.
Dr. Chambers has also obtained the funding to license a curriculum for workforce development classes that will be offered to practicing solar energy professional for certification. He has undergone extensive professional development training (over 400 contact hours) to obtain the national-level certifications necessary to offer the workforce development courses, which should be ready to be offered in the summer of 2021.
Dr. Chambers is an advocate of undergraduate research as a high-impact educational experience and has done much to help promote undergraduate research in the College of Engineering, as well as across campus. While serving as Associate Dean of Engineering several years ago, Dr. Chambers helped set up the Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program, which pairs up promising undergraduate students with research faculty to work in their research labs. This program became a model for the rest of the University, with some version of it being adopted in several other colleges.
In addition, he has promoted undergraduate research across campus, having served for the last five years as the founding Chair of the Louisiana Council on Excellence in Undergraduate Research (LaCOEUR), which is the University’s undergraduate research council. The University identified undergraduate research as a key element of their Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). Dr. Chambers has been actively involved in the implementation of the QEP and recently served as the Chair of the committee to select the founding Director of Student Research.
Congratulations Dr. Chambers! We are proud to have you as part of our engineering family.