T.S. (Roger) Chang receives 2009 Sporn Award for Excellence in Teaching Introductory Engineering Subjects
T.S. "Roger" Chang, an instructor in the Department of Physics in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, received the university's 2009 Sporn Award for Excellence in Teaching Introductory Engineering Subjects.
Sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the Virginia Tech Academy for Teaching Excellence, the Sporn Award for Teaching Introductory Engineering Subjects is presented annually to a Virginia Tech faculty member to recognize excellence in teaching introductory-level courses. Nominations are received from students. Recipients are selected from a committee comprised of student representatives from Omicron Delta Kappa and Golden Key honor society and a faculty advisor who was the previous year's award winner. Recipients are awarded $2,000 and are inducted into the university’s Academy of Teaching Excellence.
The award was established in memory of Dr. and Mrs. Philip J. Sporn. Dr. Sporn was a Virginia Tech alumnus and president and chief executive officer of American Electric Power Company
Chang also won the Sporn Award for Excellence in Teaching Introductory Engineering Subjects in 1999. He also received the Faculty Appreciation Day Students' Choice Award for Faculty Member of the Year from the Virginia Tech Student Alumni Associates of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008
“Roger Chang (physics department) is the most all-around knowledgeable and dedicated professor that I have encountered during my 4 years here at Virginia Tech,” noted senior aerospace engineering Ben Cole. “He is an extremely good teacher and is willing to do whatever it takes to help the student understand the approach to a question or the theory behind it. His door is always open and he is always willing to help.”
Fellow aerospace student Ryan Hubbard agrees. “I have never had a class with the man, but he has taught me more about my subject matter than any other professor here. Sure, there are many professors here that show care and devotion to their students, but Dr. Chang is at the top of the list. Students from all different disciplines flock to him for guidance, assistance, and even companionship. I have never seen a professor anywhere else buy a textbook in supersonic aerodynamics, a subject they have never been exposed to, and teach themselves the material just to help out students.”
Chang’s research focuses on structural dynamics, random vibration, and structural reliability, with special interest in earthquake engineering. He received his bachelor’s degree from Taiwan University and received two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech.
