“David Hammer receives Ruth and Joel Spira Outstanding Teaching Award"

Professor David A. Hammer received the Ruth and Joel Spira Outstanding Teaching Award in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2007. This Award was made in recognition of Professor Hammer's dedication to teaching and willingness to help students and to provide them with a course they will reflect back upon as one of their most interesting undergraduate classroom experiences.

Over the past several years, Professor Hammer has taught two courses in the Spring semesters: ECE 484, Introduction to controlled Fusion: Principles and Technology, and ECE 588 Energy Seminar II; and he teaches one course in the Fall semesters: ECE 581 Introduction to Plasma Physics, which is the cornerstone to the University’s plasma physics program. To ECE 484 and 588 he brings his research experience into the undergraduate classroom with great effectiveness. In the energy seminar he captivated the students’ interest in energy issues by organizing excellent speakers and in 484 he enlightens students about “the holy grail of energy production” as one student puts it. A consistent theme from the student evaluations is that Professor Hammer cares deeply about students.