Vladimir Volpert Receives NAA Excellence in Teaching Award

November 1, 2006

Vladimir Volpert, professor of engineering sciences and applied mathematics, received the 2006 Northwestern Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award. The award recognizes outstanding faculty selected by the Northwestern Alumni Association with the help of the University’s deans, students, and alumni.

Volpert has taught at all levels of applied mathematics since joining the Northwestern faculty in 1992. But whether it’s teaching introductory calculus to freshmen or differential equations of mathematical physics to graduate students, his philosophy is the same: “I attempt to provide my students with the tools necessary to study real world problems rather than merely train them to perform mathematical exercises with no connection to science and technology.”

Volpert is known as one of the best teachers at the McCormick School, with student evaluation ratings consistently close to a perfect score. Students are in awe of his ability to make complex theorems clear. They report that he always pauses for questions and answers patiently, explaining things from several perspectives until everyone understands. “I never left one of his classes with even a shadow of a doubt about the material covered,” one student wrote. Friendly and approachable, Volpert keeps office hours sometimes late into the evening so students can get further help. He also hosts get-togethers with graduate students in his home.

A PhD graduate of the Institute of Chemical Physics of the former USSR Academy of Sciences, Volpert came to the United States in 1990 as a two-year visiting scholar at Northwestern. He joined the McCormick faculty in 1992 and became a full professor in 2002. His awards include McCormick School Teacher of the Year in 1999-2000. He has received research grants from the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the U.S. Department of Energy. He is the author of two books and numerous journal articles, serves on two editorial boards and has been a reviewer for many journals.