Three faculty members in cell biology, computer science and plant biology received awards today from their peers at the University of California, Davis, in recognition of outstanding teaching. Paul FitzGerald, an associate professor of cell biology and human anatomy; Kenneth Joy, an associate professor of computer science; and Thomas Rost, a professor of plant biology, each received a Distinguished Teaching Award from the campus division of the Academic Senate. Established in 1973, the awards are given annually during the spring quarter to as many as four faculty members. FitzGerald was cited for his commitment to students, his creative use of various technologies in teaching and his enthusiasm for his subject. Since 1984, he has guided medical students, graduate students and undergraduates through studies of the intricate, microscopic world within the cells, tissues and organs of the human body. To do so he has developed an interactive CD-Rom for the computer that enables students to prepare for labs and view his personal collection of slides. He also has videotaped microscopic tours of the body's tissues and organs. Students also praise his clear, well-organized lectures. One former student commented that FitzGerald exhibits a "seemingly endless energy and joy at having each and every student find and understand the material." His teaching skills and commitment have been recognized by a long list of honors including three presentations of the Kaiser Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Sciences Basic to Medicine, a Phi Beta Kappa award and three awards from senior classes of the medical school. Kenneth Joy's colleagues say that, since arriving at UC Davis in 1980, the computer science professor has inspired "a small army of graduates" to launch their own successful careers in computer graphics. He did so by delivering exceptional classroom instruction, establishing an exciting collaborative atmosphere in the classroom and generously offering himself to students as both a mentor and a friend. Joy played a key role in establishing UC Davis' computer science curriculum, particularly the computer graphics specialty. He has developed extensive on-line computerized materials that allow students to work at their own speed. One student also explained that Joy has a "gift for demystifying complex concepts and putting them in terms that students can grasp." "It has been said that good teaching is about lighting fires, not merely filling vessels," said one of Joy's former students. "When Ken goes into a classroom, he is carrying a blow torch!" Professor Thomas Rost has spent 25 years at UC Davis unveiling to students the inner world of plants. Many former students note that what they expected would be a tedious subject turned out to be fascinating, thanks to Rost's inventive teaching style. They recall being "hooked" by his use of both music and beautiful slides in the classroom, and by his recounting of how an understanding of plant anatomy played key roles in solving real-life mysteries such as the Lindbergh kidnapping case. Although busy co-authoring three popular textbooks, taking on leadership roles on campus and within his professional society, and developing an internship program for Davis High School students, Rost never lost the personal touch in his teaching, according to his former students. He attends every lab session, takes photographs of students to learn their names and uses one-on-one quizzes to check for deeper understanding. Noting that professors, like parents, must take on a variety of responsibilities, one student recalled: "Tom flourished in his parental role and was, at times, kindly, critical, patient, motivating, a pain-in-the rear, challenging and, above all, caring."