Photo by Thomas Shea

BOTT MIXES UP THE RIGHT STUFF

It’s standing room only in the chemistry classes of Simon Bott. Even students who aren’t majoring in chemistry will fight for a space in his lecture hall. It is this kind of enthusiasm coupled with the academic success of these students that has garnered Bott the university’s 2005 Non-Tenured Teaching Excellence Award.

A professor of chemistry at UH since 1997, Bott’s classes became known for his animated and entertaining approach to a subject not always associated with those qualities.

“Dr. Bott is probably the best instructor I have had in my entire educational career,” said one former student. “It is impossible to leave his class without an understanding of the subjects he covered.”

One student evaluation says it all: Simon Bott for President!

Given for the first time this year, award carries with it a $4,000 prize and a trophy. Faculty nominees for the non-tenure track award must have been on the faculty at least half-time for three years prior to nomination.

Staff writer Marisa Ramirez