At the weekly earth science colloquium on Friday October 9th, GSC chairs Alison Hartman and Elizabeth Pierce announced that Professor Peter deMenocal has won the 2008-2009 Best Teacher award. Peter teaches a lot of undergraduates; it looks like the graduate students are happy too. Congratulations, Peter!

The departmental honor comes just about one year after the University awarded Peter the Distinguished Columbia Faculty Award. That award was created in 2005 when Columbia Trustee Gerry Lenfest '58 LAW donated $12 million to the University to establish a new category of awards honoring exceptional teaching in the Arts and Sciences. The awards are given annually to faculty of unusual merit across a range of professorial activities - including scholarship, University citizenship, and professional involvement - with a primary emphasis on the instruction and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students.