Hamrick, Martinelli named WVU Foundation Outstanding Teachers

Front to back: Todd Hamrick, Edward Flagg, David Martinelli, Dana Voelker, Malayna Bernstein and Carrie Rishel.

Todd Hamrick, teaching associate professor in Fundamentals of Engineering, and David Martinelli, professor of civil and environmental engineering are among six faculty members selected for the 2018 WVU Foundation Award for Outstanding Teaching, which honors exceptional professors who go above and beyond to inspire their students.

By Olivia Miller
Communications Specialist

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

“Our Outstanding Teachers for the 2017-2018 academic year are all extraordinary educators, committed to incorporating best practices and real-world implications into their classrooms,” said Associate Provost for Academic Personnel C.B. Wilson, whose office administers the awards and who leads the selection committee each year. “This year, the scope of academic disciplines represented by our Outstanding Teaching Award recipients truly speaks to the across-the-board excellence of teaching at WVU.”

Established in 1985 by the WVU Foundation, the Outstanding Teaching Award honors faculty who are particularly effective, inspiring teachers or who have established patterns of exceptional innovation in teaching methods, course and curriculum design and instructional tools.

A WVU alum, Todd Hamrick joined the faculty in 2011 after a 22-year career in the engineering industry. He is a long-time mentor for youth organizations including Boy Scouts, 4-H, First Robotics and the award-winning Mountaineer Area Robotics. Hamrick is also a faculty member of Community Engagement of Science Through Art , a program that brings artists, scientists and engineers together for the design and construction of science-based educational art exhibits. His teaching style brings practical, innovative experienced-based learning to the classroom, where hands-on projects reflect real-world applications.

Throughout his 27 years at WVU, David Martinelli has promoted collective learning and individual engagement through an emphasis on critical thinking and the incorporation of guest speakers. In the classroom, he demonstrates the importance of contextual awareness through problem-solving in situations like traffic congestion, highway safety, energy dependence and infrastructure investment. He encourages his students make sure they understand the technical elements of any problem they wish to solve and then to fully embrace the reality that their solutions are not implemented in a vacuum.

Awards were also presented to Malayna Bernstein , director, Learning Sciences Programs; Edward Flagg , assistant professor, Physics and Astronomy; Carrie Rishel , professor and director, Integrated Mental and Behavioral Health Training Program; and Dana Voelker , assistant professor, Sport & Exercise Psychology.

Each of the six honorees will receive a $5,000 honorarium from the WVU Foundation and be recognized by President Gordon Gee and Provost Joyce McConnell at the upcoming faculty and staff awards dinner at Blaney House.

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