Congratulations to Dr. Beverly Bunch-Lyons, Assistant Professor of History; Dr. Jimmy Martin, Associate Professor in the Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and Dr. Katherine Allen, Professor of Human Development, who are the newly selected 2000 Diggs Teacher-Scholars.

The Diggs Program was begun in 1992 to recognize and foster excellence, imagination, and innovation in linking scholarship and teaching.  Each awardee receives a plaque, and a cash award goes to the individual and to the nominating department.  The Diggs Program thereby recognizes the essential role of both faculty and department in developing strong teacher-scholars.

This year 22 nominations from 6 colleges brought an extraordinary group of faculty forward for consideration.  The Diggs selection group found this year's nominees and finalists to be among the most competitive and outstanding in the history of the award; the selection was challenging, rewarding and invigorating, suggesting commitments to scholarship and teaching that are exemplary for our University community. In Fall 2000, the three new Diggs Teaching Scholars will lead a discussion at the Diggs Roundtable, a discussion focused on their recent work.

Beverly Bunch-Lyons joined the History Department in 1995, after receiving her doctorate at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  History Department Chair Albert Moyer suggests that since coming to Virginia Tech, Bunch-Lyons has "expanded her legacy of excellence in the classroom" and has introduced "pertinent and engaging classroom projects into large survey classes where lectures are the norm." Indeed, the Diggs selection committee was impressed and fascinated by her nine touchstones for good teaching and the detailed planning and understanding that goes into her projects.  Colleagues and students at Virginia Tech and other Universities describe her as "talented and dedicated," showing a very high level of expertise and creativity in the classroom.

Professor Bunch-Lyons’ skillfully conceived and executed projects include a study of the Great Depression, in which students actually shop for groceries on a depression-era budget and prepare food from a menu of depression-era recipes.  Others involve the use of scavenger hunts in the library, novels to teach African-American Women's History, oral history, and service learning.  Her methods focus on active learning that teaches students to use and understand primary materials and comprehensive research.  Bunch-Lyons embodies the Teacher-Scholar whose understanding of her subject is fully integrated in the classroom and whose teaching is fully integrated with her research and a model of best practice. For the Fall Roundtable, Bunch-Lyons will discuss her active learning exercises and cooperative learning.

Jimmy Martin  joined the Civil and Environmental Engineering faculty in 1991, and since then has distinguished himself with a number of awards, including recognition as a National Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation, and selection as Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia.  Dr. James Duncan, University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech, writes, "In my 30 years as a Civil Engineering faculty member, I have never known a faculty member who was more effective in communicating with undergraduate students."  Nominating Professor W.R. Knocke describes Martin as "the best that we can hope for in our faculty when considering our mission as educators." Many praise Martin for his commitment to technological innovation in teaching with the application of cognitive learning theory to computer based multi-media packages for classroom instruction.  He conducts successful recruitment programs, particularly with minority students.

His work in the classroom and in research focuses on "real world" projects. The Diggs selection committee was impressed with examples of such work in the area of earthquake engineering.  A close correlation among Martin’s teaching, professional research and service combine with compassionate and informed understanding of student learning and what some described as a rare grace and humility. For the Fall Roundtable, Martin will focus on the use of new teaching/learning methods (including technological advances) for delivering engineering courses to undergraduate students.

Katherine Allen of Human Development "treats teaching and learning as a living laboratory," according to nominator Dr. Michael J. Sporakowski. "She provides examples of informed reflexive consciousness in teaching and scholarship toward the creation of a more inclusive, balanced, and invigorated family studies, using examples from her teaching at Virginia Tech and her life experience and research on family diversity."  Allen supervises graduate students who teach large undergraduate courses in Human Development, and has organized teaching symposia for these GTA's to "spotlight" their skills in teaching around multicultural, controversial, and sensitive subjects in family studies and human development.

Professor Allen's interdisciplinary work includes collaborations with the Women's Studies Program in CIS and the Center for Gerontology; currently she team teaches a course for Interdisciplinary Studies with Professors Stacey-Floyd Thomas and Laura Gorfkle.  Her many awards include selection as a Fellow by the National Council of Family Relationships, the Ernest Osborne Award for Excellence in Teaching from the National Council on Family Relations, an Excellence in Instruction Award from the Department of Family and Child  Development at Virginia Tech, a University Wine Award, and a Certificate of Teaching Excellence in the College of Human Resources.  Students consistently describe her teaching as "the best" and even "awesome!"  Her colleagues find her a compassionate and learned mentor with seemingly boundless energy for self-questioning, boundary challenging, and professional achievement.  Her Diggs interview energized and inspired the group as she argued convincingly against burnout and cynicism, and for continuous high level achievement and great pleasure in teaching. For the Fall Roundtable, Allen will discuss ideas about diversity and offer strategies that are relevant for students' and teachers' experiences.

 For the Fall Roundtable, Bunch-Lyons will discuss her active learning exercises and cooperative learning.  Martin will focus on the use of new teaching/learning methods (including technological advances) for delivering engineering courses to undergraduate students.  Professor