CONTACT: Tom Rickey, (716) 275-7954,
or Al Clark Jr., (716) 275-4078
October 24, 1994

ENGINEER NAMED NEW YORK STATE PROFESSOR OF THE YEAR

Each year when University of Rochester students lampoon professors at the annual faculty roast, they aim their barbs at common faculty foibles: poor jokes, perhaps, or dry lecturing styles. But when it comes time to grill Al Clark Jr., students find only one thing to poke fun at: his inordinate kindness.

For his teaching gifts, including the caring he shows his students, the rigor of his course work, and innovations in teaching style, Clark, professor of mechanical engineering at the University, has been named 1994 New York State Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, administered by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

"Al Clark is the most beloved teacher I have ever known," says Richard Benson, chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. "The students absolutely adore and respect him. Al's classes are filled with learning from the first minute to the last. His impact will be felt through generations of students, many of whom might never know his name."

The comments from Clark's students are even more complimentary.

"I have never had or known a teacher of any kind who cares more about their pupils' minds, joys, hopes, and dreams," wrote one former student in nominating Clark for the award. Another wrote, "He treated us not only as students of the University of Rochester, but also as the future professionals that we hope to become." Bruce Arden, acting dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, says, "It's clear that this recognition of Al Clark's superb teaching is well deserved. His students, the prime beneficiaries of his talents, have said it all."

In his 30 years at the University, Clark has taught courses on more than 30 different topics. He is well known for injecting fun into the mathematics that permeate such courses as engineering analysis, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and thermodynamics. Besides the usual long list of professional affiliations, Clark is a member of American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE), and he uses the twists and turns of roller coasters to teach about dynamics. And as a Star Trek aficionado who has been known to dabble with the Klingon language, he frequently puts engineering problems in the context of a Star Trek episode.

"I want every single one of my students to like the material," says Clark, "and I always take it as a personal failure if there is someone I can't reach. I want to break down the barrier between 'mathematics' and 'everyday life' that many students have."

Clark's colleagues give him credit for several teaching innovations they've adopted. Clark requires all his students to come in for a short face-to-face meeting to discuss the course and their goals. He uses relevant examples from everyday life to illustrate course work wherever he can. Over the last two years he and his colleagues have developed a new set of applied mathematics courses for engineering students.

For his work Clark has been recognized with several awards, including the University's top award for excellence in undergraduate teaching, the Edward Peck Curtis Award. Clark has also been named by students as campus-wide teacher of the year, and he has been picked several times as the outstanding teacher in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

"Teaching has always been my highest priority," says Clark. "And I'm lucky to be in a department full of outstanding teachers -- I've learned so much from my colleagues." tr Note to editors: Clark lives in Brighton.