Three C.W. Post Professors Win Newton Awards for Teaching Talent

The 2006 David Newton Award for Teaching Excellence was presented on April 27, 2006 to three members of the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University faculty. The winners are Dr. Gerald Lachter, professor of psychology, Dr. Gavrielle Levine, associate professor of education, and Dr. Seetha Tamma, associate professor of biomedical sciences.

Dr. Gerald Lachter	Dr. Gavrielle Levine	Dr. Seetha Tamma

Dr. Gerry Lachter, chairman of the Psychology Department, has been a professor of psychology at C.W. Post for 37 years. He holds his B.A. degree from C.W. Post, his master's degree from Columbia University and his Ph.D. from the City University of New York.  He conducts research and publishes in the area of experimental and applied behavior analysis, research design and developmental disabilities.

Dr. Gavrielle Levine, a professor of education is the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, specializes in mathematics instruction for prospective teachers. She served as president of the Northeastern Educational Research Association from 2004-2005. Dr. Levine earned her B.A. from Barnard College; her M.A., and M.Phil. from Teachers College, Columbia University and her Ph.D., Columbia University.

Dr. Seetha Tamma came to C.W. Post from Andrha University in Andhra Pradesh, India where she received her master's degree. After obtaining her Ph.D. at University College in Cork, Ireland, she furthered her education in the United States, taking graduate courses in immunology and molecular biology at the Medical School of the City University of New York. Additionally she worked as a post doctoral research fellow at NYU and CUNY Schools of Medicine, publishing many papers.

A campus-based Newton Awards Committee chooses award recipients based on nominations provided by academic departments or divisions. Presentation, attitude, expectations of students, and professional development and knowledge are the criteria used by the committee to determine teaching excellence. Newton was executive vice-president of Long Island University from 1975 to 1987. The University offered the first Newton award in 1988. The award is endowed by former Long Island University trustee Abraham Krasnoff.

Posted: June 20, 2006