Four Computer Science Faculty Receive the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Research and Teaching Awards

The Iowa State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has chosen four Computer Science Faculty for Research and Teaching awards during 2008. 

Professor Vasant Honavar received the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Award for Outstanding Career Achievement in Research in recognition of his national or international reputation for contributions in research, and the influence he has had on the research activities of students. Honavar is an authority in the area of machine learning and especially its applications in data mining, bioinformatics and semantic web research. He has authored or co-authored more than 200 papers in scholarly journals and at conferences. He has served as the principal or co-principal investigator on competitive research grants totalling more than $12 million. 


Professor Gurpur Prabhu received the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Award for Outstanding Teaching, in recognition of his outstanding teaching performance over an extended period of time in undergraduate education. With a reputation for being a top instructor, Prabhu teaches introductory courses all the way to advanced graduate courses. 


Associate Professor Wallapak Tavanapong received the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Award for Early Achievement in Research in recognition of her accomplishments in research early in her professional career. Tavanapong and her collaborators created the world's first Video Database Management System for colonscopic and endoscopic procedures. 


Lecturer Susan Chang received the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Introductory Teaching in recognition of her outstanding performance in teaching entry-level undergraduate courses. Chang successfully took the large Computer Science 103 course from a traditional large-class lecture course to an entirely online class while preserving student satisfaction and success.