Leonard R. Herrmann, a University of California, Davis, engineering professor known as an outstanding teacher and world leader in the field of solid mechanics, has been awarded the 1992 UC Davis Prize for Teaching and Scholarly Achievement -- a $25,000 award believed to be the largest of its kind in the country. Established by the Cal Aggie Foundation through gifts of the Davis Chancellor's Club Fellows, the prize pays tribute to faculty members on campus who demonstrate throughout their academic careers a dedication to the skillful teaching of undergraduates as well as to valuable scholarly accomplishments. No other academic institution in the United States is believed to honor this combination of achievements with such a high monetary prize. "This prize allows the Cal Aggie Foundation to reinforce in a very meaningful way the values that have long distinguished the Davis campus from other universities -- an uncommonly caring attention to undergraduate teaching, strengthened by the encouraged pursuit of new knowledge through individual scholarship and research," said Gary M. Cusumano, chair of the foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports UC Davis. "Once again we honor a truly distinguished faculty member whose scholarship extends into the classroom and beyond," said UC Davis Chancellor Theodore L. Hullar. "Leonard Herrmann's dedication to teaching is exemplary, and it shows us all how fully our faculty members can devote themselves to the education of their students." "There are few words better to describe Len's teaching than fantastic at all levels of instruction, from large undergraduate classes to advanced graduate courses," said M.S. Ghausi, dean of the College of Engineering at UC Davis. "He is known internationally for his pioneering research work. He is a marvelous university citizen and one of the nicest persons I know." The teaching muse tapped Herrmann when he was an undergraduate at UC Berkeley. Several memorable professors -- including UC Santa Cruz's interim chancellor, Karl S. Pister -- instilled in him a passion for learning and encouraged him to go to graduate school. "He was tremendously impressive as an undergraduate," Pister said. "I was extremely fortunate to have him for a doctoral student. He is not only an outstanding teacher, but a first-rate human being." After Herrmann graduated from UC Berkeley, he accepted a research position in the Sacramento area at Aerojet for the next three years. In 1965, he joined the UC Davis faculty, where he, in turn, has inspired his students with the same passion for education that he experienced as a student. A typical day finds Herrmann at his desk at 7 a.m., reviewing the material for his 8 a.m. graduate class, which is broadcast to eight graduate students at Aerojet and McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento. Off-site microphones and television cameras give his telecommuting students the same chance to participate as the 10 students in the Bainer Hall classroom. The next hour is spent preparing for his 10 a.m. lecture to about 50 undergraduate students. In class, he searches for clues that students understand his lectures. "In imparting a certain body of knowledge," he said, "there's a tension between challenging the bright students and making certain that the majority of the students follow the lecture." For evidence of comprehension, he monitors faces, questions, test results and the number of students who visit him between classes. "It's important to encourage students to ask questions and to encourage them to come to my office," he said. "Students often have inflated images of the faculty. I think we need to debunk that and treat students as equals." His office hours -- formally six hours a week -- are cheerfully disregarded by his students. Graduates and undergraduates alike present themselves at every opportunity in person or by phone in hopes of resolving a nagging question. For Herrmann, these one-on-one encounters deliver some of the most satisfying moments in teaching. "What's always exciting is to see students suddenly understanding a concept," Herrmann says. "Professor Herrmann was very strong in his ability to explain problems thoroughly and to answer questions well," according to a student evaluation from his Engineering 3 class last winter. "His strongest point, however, was his willingness to help during office and non-office hours," the student wrote. "His help during that extra time made all the difference possible for me." Civil engineering professors typically teach five courses a year. Herrmann's teaching load ranges from the most advanced courses in applied mechanics to the introductory course Engineering 3, which involves 200 freshmen, up to 8 teaching assistants and multiple weekly laboratory assignments. Herrmann played a major role in developing the lecture and laboratory materials for this rigorous class. Finding time for teaching, research, public service and administrative duties is a constant juggling act for all professors, but Herrmann makes a concerted effort not to let teaching get brushed aside. "I come from a department that has many excellent teachers," he says, "and this stimulates me to continually improve my own teaching." His colleagues also have a high regard for him. The Acadamic Senate has awarded him its Distinguished Teaching Award. "Little things clearly demonstrate Professor Herrmann's devotion to the total education experience," says Karl Romstad, professor of civil engineering. "He comes to the fall reception for new freshmen and transfer students every year. He attends all department meetings, all college faculty meetings, all meetings for faculty advisers and all social gatherings with undergraduate students." During the past 27 years, Herrmann has been the principal research adviser to 30 master's and 17 doctoral students and served as a member of 91 master's and 44 doctoral student thesis committees. This means he has read, and approved, 182 graduate student theses. In addition, he often gives significant assistance to graduate students for whom he was not the principal adviser. A number of his doctoral students have gone on to win teaching awards at other universities. Teaching consumes half his professional time, research slightly less than half, and administrative duties about 10 percent of his time. It's hard to divorce research from teaching, Herrmann said. "We're teaching graduate students, providing them with apprenticeship or internship experience," he said. "Also, we're pushing forward the frontiers of knowledge for the benefit of the populace -- in my case, for the benefit of practicing engineers." His research earns equally high praise. Herrmann was one of the primary contributors to a methodology that permits detailed and accurate stress and deformation analyses of such diverse solid and fluid mechanics problems as large earth dams, high-rise buildings, fluid flow, sediment deposit in harbors and streams, and the rockets and propellants that lift systems into space. He is also known for modeling and analyzing such diverse composite systems as advanced composites for aerospace applications and reinforced earth. "Leonard Herrmann is one of the true innovators in finite element analysis," says Richard H. Gallagher, the president of Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY. Gallagher singles out three of Herrmann's papers published in the 1960s as "among the most important contributions in finite element analysis. "His work has been studied, implemented and advanced by others throughout the intervening years." Gallagher says. "His work is standard and widely used." According to a Japanese colleague, "Herrmann is well-known in our country as the greatest figure amongst many pioneers in the theoretical advancement of engineering mechanics." Herrmann's finite element analysis programs have broad uses. One program alone has been used to analyse how the lunar landing vehicle would withstand conditions during its flight to the Moon, how chicken eggs would tolerate washing and handling, and how very large pipes in the California aqueduct system would respond to water pressure. Herrmann's research has continued to probe new areas of fundamental importance. For example, current projects under his supervision include developing a model to understand the interaction between reinforcement and concrete, and analyzing a rubber-steel composite that helps isolate buildings from earthquake forces and is also used to connect nozzles to solid rocket motors. While his consulting work helps his innovations reach industry, Herrmann feels a stronger attraction to his university work. "People here are very dedicated," he said. "Research at the university is very exciting because we're always in contact with young people. That's very rewarding." Since the establishment of the teaching prize in 1987 through the initial gift of an anonymous donor, the Chancellor's Club Fellows have fully funded an endowment of more than $650,000. Chancellor's Club Fellows contribute $5,000 or more annually to the Cal Aggie Foundation. Nominations for the prize were made by the deans of UC Davis colleges and schools. The committee that made the final selection was composed of representatives from the Cal Aggie Foundation, the Davis Division of the UC Academic Senate, the Associated Students of UC Davis, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost Larry N. Vanderhoef and Chancellor Hullar.