'Dr. Jay' receives college teaching award
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 n May 4, the College of Engineering recognized an outstanding lineup of faculty and staff who directly contribute to the college’s excellence in teaching, research and service. This year, Senior Lecturer Jay M. Samuel was recognized with the James G. Woodburn Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Samuel joined UW-Madison in 1979 and was appointed a senior lecturer in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering in 1984. A dedicated teacher, he has instructed thousands of students early in their engineering education, and through the years he has remained an effective—and memorable—lecturer.
When he took over MSE 350: Introduction to Materials Science in the mid-1980s, he co-developed an innovative computer program to grade the homework sets of the more than 150 students enrolled in the required course every semester. His program, which was the first computer-grading program in the college, included statistics to indicate which concepts students were struggling to understand.
When a newer campus-wide computer grading system was introduced, Samuel reverted to hand-grading all of his students’ homework to make sure he was keeping in touch with what they were learning. “Jay Samuel has had an extraordinarily positive influence on the quality of teaching in the college—not by talking about quality teaching, but by doing it,” says a colleague.
Samuel averages 1,500 student contact hours per year, and undergraduates appreciate his thorough, hands-on approach. Though high-enrollment classes generally receive poor student feedback, students acknowledge Samuel to be an outstanding teacher. Evaluation comments range from the formal, “This professor made learning the material enjoyable and interesting,” to the more affectionate,
“Dr. Jay is money,” and, “Dr. Jay rocks.”
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