Gardner, Sears receive Exceptional Early Career Award

Stephanie Gardner, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, and David Sears, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Educational Studies, have been named recipients of the 2017 Exceptional Early Career Award. Gardner and Sears were surprised with the news on Tuesday (March 21).

Purdue is announcing recipients of the Exceptional Early Career Award and the Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award in Memory of Charles B. Murphy throughout the week. Murphy Award winners named already are Signe Kastberg, associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and Melanie Morgan, associate professor in the Brian Lamb School of Communication.

The Exceptional Early Career Award recognizes outstanding undergraduate teaching among Purdue's early career, tenure-track faculty. Recipients of the award will receive a $5,000 award with additional funds for a department business account.

The University's highest undergraduate teaching honor, the Murphy Award is accompanied by a $10,000 cash award and induction into Purdue's Teaching Academy, which provides leadership for the improvement of undergraduate, graduate and outreach teaching. Murphy was a history professor at Purdue from 1927 to 1970.

The recipients of both awards will be honored at an invitation-only luncheon on April 3. A list of past Murphy Award and Early Career Award recipients is at https://www.purdue.edu/provost/faculty/charlesAward.html. A list of all winners of teaching awards is at www.purdue.edu/cie/teachingawards/awards.html.