Little wonder then that Passino, an associate professor of electrical engineering, received the 1998 Harrison Faculty Award for Excellence in Engineering Education in honor of his teaching and research skills. The Harrison Award was established in 1983 with a gift from Doris A. and Stanley E. Harrison, a 1958 Ohio State electrical engineering graduate. Student evaluations often mention the enthusiasm with which Passino imparts the material, his excellent preparation, his availability for questions and his deep knowledge of the subject.
Evaluations done by senior electrical engineering faculty corroborate the student evaluations.
Of special interest are the educational reach-out programs and the courses that Passino has developed. Dealing with key issues in ethics and professionalism, the course forms a model for the College. Boyer Winner ary L. Kinzel 's work to improve the efficiency and quality of education in the Department of Mechanical Engineering earned him the 1998 Boyer Award for Excellence in Teaching Innovation. Kinzel's development of a unique set of teaching modules to enhance engineering instruction and his establishment of a course emphasizing multiuniversity teams working collaboratively on the same project were instrumental in his winning the Boyer Award. One of his department's best instructors, he last year received an ME alumni award for outstanding undergraduate teaching.