Dr. Ken Harden received the Graduate School’s Faculty Award for Excellence in Doctoral Mentoring at the May 12 doctoral Hooding Ceremony in Memorial Hall.
doctoral hooding ceremony May 12
Dr. Ken Harden received the Graduate Schools’s Faculty Award for Excellence in Doctoral Mentoring at the May 12 doctoral Hooding Ceremony in Memorial Hall. The award honors faculty members whose dedication to graduate students and commitment to excellence in education have made significant contributions to the University.
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Quotes from the nominating letters:
鈥淎lthough my background in science was solid, it could not have prepared me for the rigors of full-time research, and at times, I鈥檝e lacked the motivation and self-confidence to propel my project forward. Ken has been unbelievably patient, and when he felt it was time, he was tough, demanding, relentless and brutally honest.
鈥淥ne of his former students used to tell us that when we were feeling up, Ken would bring us back down to earth, and when we were feeling down, he鈥檇 make science seem like it wasn鈥檛 so bad. She was right.鈥�
鈥淢any people pursue their careers to gain notoriety or to be recognized by their peers as having achieved a great success. Ken, on the other hand, has remained grounded throughout his career, and pursues science because of curiosity and true passion for the advancement of scientific knowledge.鈥�
鈥淚 began to realize that Ken had mentored me in such a way that I was no longer working towards a degree, but towards a greater understanding of the scientific process in general.鈥�