Eighteen Ohio State faculty members received awards for excellence in teaching, research, and service to the university at the annual Faculty Awards Ceremony last Wednesday.

Awards were given out to faculty in the categories of distinguished teaching, distinguished scholars and distinguished university service.

The Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching was handed out to 10 members of the faculty, including three to faculty members at branch campuses. The award was given out to faculty members nominated by present students, former students or colleagues, and were chosen by a committee of alumni, students and faculty.

Winners received a cash award of $3,000, with contributions coming from the Alumni Association, friends of Ohio State, and the Office of Academic Affairs. In addition to the cash reward, winners get a $1,200 increase in their base salaries from the Office of Academic Affairs.

Professor Maurice Stevens, one of the Distinguished Teaching Award winners, said the extra money will be nice to have since he has not been out of school long.

“I will most likely end up using the extra cash to pay down some debt I’ve accumulated,” said Stevens, a professor in the department of comparative studies.

Stevens said it was nice to be recognized and that winning an award such as this validates the idea of working hard.

“It was completely unexpected and I didn’t imagine I would make it past the first cuts,” Stevens said. “Teachers who teach tough material are usually the hardest to get recognized.”

Those that teach general education curriculum classes are liked more when the material is easier, but when it’s an upper-level class, the material is harder and people think the teacher is harder, Stevens said.

Another winner in the same category, assistant professor in geography Kendra McSweeney, said she was also very proud to take home an award, and gave credit to students for her award.

“It really reflects on the energy of the students and how hard they work,” McSweeney said.

One secret McSweeney said of her success was getting to know her students on a more personal basis rather than simply in a professor-student relationship.

“I am very interested in the students and then they become more friendly and open,” she said. “I like to know where they are coming from and it helps.”

The Distinguished Scholar Award was given out to six senior professors who have compiled a substantial body of research, as well as work of younger faculty members who have shown great potential.

Winners of the award received a $3,000 honorarium and a research grant of $20,000 to be used over the next three years.

Joseph Krzycki, a professor in microbiology, won the award for his discovery of the 22nd amino acid. He said he will buy more equipment for his lab so he can continue his research.

“It’s a great pleasure having people go out of their way to notice you or the work that you have been doing,” he said.

Professor of chemical engineering Martin Feinberg, another winner of the Distinguished Scholar Award, was honored for his work in merging different disciplines such as mathematics and biology to look at the chemical reaction of enzymes. He said it is always nice to be honored by peers and colleagues.

Two professors were given the Faculty Award for Distinguished University Service. Mark Ellis, assistant dean at Mansfield, and English professor Christian Zacher received the award. Each received a cash award of $3,000 and an increase of $1,200 to their base salaries from the Office of Academic Affairs.