Roumiana Petrova Receives the Excellence in Instruction by a University Lecturer Award
Roumiana Petrova, PhD, lecturer in NJIT's Department of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, received the Excellence in Instruction by a University Lecturer on Sept. 15, 2010 at the NJIT University Convocation, an awards ceremony with a special welcoming ceremony for the freshman class. The event was held on Lubetkin Field at J. Malcolm Simon Stadium, on the NJIT campus. A reception for the award winners followed.
Traditionally, this event honors select NJIT faculty, staff, and students who have demonstrated the highest level of excellence over a sustained period. "We reward them not only for their achievement, but because their leadership serves as a testament to NJIT's commitment to excellence," said Ian Gatley, PhD, provost.
C. Stephen Cordes, managing director and member of the executive board of ING Clarion Partners, a leading investment advisory firm specializing in real estate, in New York City, delivered the keynote address. Cordes, who received NJIT's Edward F. Weston Medal for Professional Achievement last fall, graduated from NJIT in 1972 with a BS in industrial engineering. He heads the private equity real estate portfolio management group with assets under management of $23 billion. He holds a master's degree in public administration from Rutgers University and is chairman of the NJIT Albert Dorman Honors College Board of Visitors.
The citation read as follows:
As a teacher, administrator and researcher, Roumiana Petrova has made important contributions for over fifteen years to both graduate and undergraduate programs in several disciplines. She has chaired the undergraduate curriculum committee in Chemistry and Environmental Science and served as assistant director of the undergraduate physics program and as academic coordinator for the Material Science and Engineering program where she established a new research laboratory. She has advised sixteen master's theses and doctoral dissertations, and is known as a student-friendly instructor who involves her students in professional societies and consulting work.
Her nomination for this award brought forth a huge outpouring of letters praising her as a caring person, a knowledgeable and well-prepared instructor, and a valued mentor. Through all these activities, Dr. Petrova remains an active researcher in the field of spectroscopic techniques. She holds several patents, has brought in significant support for her research, and has organized or chaired many panels at professional meetings and seminars. And, like many capable professionals we honor today, she is most appreciated for her commitment to our students and her skill as a teacher. As one student put it, "Students can feel the energy and optimism radiate from her teaching."