Faculty honored with 2025 Chapman Family, Johnston awards
The winning instructors exhibit excellence in undergraduate teaching through their creativity.
Chapman Family Teaching Awards
The Chapman Family Teaching Awards were created in 1993 with a gift during the Bicentennial Campaign from Max Carrol Chapman Jr. ’66 on behalf of the Chapman family.
These awards honor the distinguished teaching of undergraduate students. The award carries a stipend of $30,000 to be used over five years.
Joshua Beaver, chemistry department, College of Arts and Sciences
Who is the best teacher you’ve had and why?
One of my favorite teachers was my 7th grade math and English teacher, Mrs. Seefeldt. Despite her strict reputation, she fostered deep and thoughtful learning. She encouraged creativity and critical thinking by pushing us to think outside the box, like when she challenged me to write a persuasive essay convincing my friends to eat my least favorite food, which was Brussels sprouts at the time.
What’s something creative you’ve done to engage your students?
In the classroom, I engage students by highlighting unsung scientists, molecules of the day, and learning as many of my 400-plus students’ names as possible through highly interactive classes. I also take time to encourage students to care for themselves, including modeling breathing exercises and developing a mantra to help them manage their stress and improve their test-taking abilities.
Lini Ge Polin, Asian and Middle Eastern studies department, College of Arts and Sciences
Who is the best teacher you’ve had and why?
Two truly stand out: my MA adviser Dr. Helen Shen from the University of Iowa and my doctoral adviser Xue Lan Rong from UNC. Their passion for teaching and research was contagious, and their genuine interest in their students was inspirational.
What’s something creative you’ve done to engage your students?
In my Chinese English Translation and Interpreting class, I had students use Google Translate to translate comic annotations, then refine the results using techniques learned in class. The activity not only sparked laughter but also deepened their understanding of machine translation, helping them become more discerning users of AI tools.
Shimul Melwani, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School
Who is the best teacher you’ve had and why?
The best teacher I had was Sigal Barsade, my graduate adviser. She studied the power of positive emotions like love and embodied it fully — through high expectations, deep care, and contagious positivity. Her belief in me shaped my confidence, and her lessons continue to inspire how I lead and teach.
What’s something creative you’ve done to engage your students?
I infuse creativity into every class. I write new roleplays each semester to reflect current workplace issues, have students act out mini screenplays to explore workplace dynamics, and integrate complex simulations. Students also create a “user manual” to explain their leadership style, fostering self-awareness and practical application of leadership concepts.
Dana Riger, UNC School of Education
Who is the best teacher you’ve had and why?
My high school chemistry teacher, Mrs. Samitt, was the best teacher I ever had. She was bold, creative and unapologetically passionate — turning chemistry from dreadful to fascinating. Because of her, I understand that passion sparks curiosity, enthusiasm drives learning, and when a teacher truly loves their subject, students can’t help but lean in.
What’s something creative you’ve done to engage your students?
Students earn extra credit by turning course concepts into memes or TikToks, using humor to engage with the material. Since humor sets expectations and subverts them logically, this requires students to understand, deconstruct and creatively reassemble concepts. They anonymously vote for favorites, fostering a fun, collaborative learning experience.
Johnston Teaching Excellence Award
Created in 1991, these awards recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching. Winners are nominated by Johnston scholars and selected by a special committee of scholars in the James M. Johnston scholarship program. Two winners will receive $5,000 and a framed citation.
Andrea Hussong, psychology and neuroscience department, College of Arts and Sciences
Who is the best teacher you’ve had and why?
The insatiably curious Clark Presson at Arizona State University. He was uniquely skilled at making research methods fun and interesting while still holding students to a high standard. He was the first to ask me about creativity and science and to listen to the answer — even decades later.
What’s something creative you’ve done to engage your students?
I want students to leave the classroom with practical and critical thinking skills. In my newest class, students form consultation teams to help a community partner overcome a challenge related to positive youth development. Students use design-based methods and existing science to create a digital tool, a prototype, to mitigate that challenge.
Shahar Kovalsky, mathematics department, College of Arts and Sciences
Who is the best teacher you’ve had and why?
Two who stand out are my high school math teacher, whose passion and temperament were truly inspiring in shaping my path in mathematics and science, and my postdoctoral mentor, who taught me the importance of balancing precision with intuition and a broader perspective.
What’s something creative you’ve done to engage your students?
My lectures regularly include brain-teasing challenges to fight boredom — some tied to the material, some not — often leading to laughter (sometimes at my expense). We also usually play music before class, and some courses even have their own student-curated playlists.
