News » Thomas J. Wenzel

Work with undergrads nets national award for Bates professor

Bates News — Fri, 29 Mar 2002 20:14:02 +0000

Thomas J. Wenzel, a resident of Auburn and a chemistry professor at Bates College, is one of two educators nationally to receive a 2002 CUR Fellows Award from the Council on Undergraduate Research.

Based in Washington, D.C., CUR promotes high-quality collaborations in scholarship and research between faculty and undergraduate students. The CUR Fellows awards are presented biennially to CUR members who are leaders in developing nationally respected research programs involving undergrads.

Wenzel, who is Charles A. Dana Professor of Chemistry at Bates, is expert in the fields of chirality (an aspect of molecular structure) and liquid chromatography. In his courses, he challenges students to think as scientists and to apply their knowledge to open-ended problems. He advocates a “problem-based” method to teaching in which students’ research topics address real-world problems, such as lead pollution in soil.

Kristin Smith of Plattsburgh, N.Y., a senior chemistry major who has investigated chirality with Wenzel, can testify to the effectiveness of his teaching. Thanks to her work in that field, this year Smith was one of four undergraduates nationwide to receive the American Chemical Society’s I.M. Kolthoff Enrichment Award, and last year won a $5,000 research fellowship from the pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer Inc.

Wenzel, Smith says, is “an excellent teacher because he feels strongly about collaborative learning rather than lecturing the class.” Working in small groups, his classes learn through hands-on research, with Wenzel explaining the problems or unexpected phenomena they encounter. That way, “we get to understand the concepts really thoroughly,” Smith says. “It’s a really excellent approach to teaching.”

Wenzel’s innovative approaches to teaching and collaborative research have previously earned national recognition, including the Giddings Award of the Analytical Division of the American Chemical Society. He has chaired both the chemistry department and the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Bates. He is a past president of CUR and edits the CUR Quarterly.

Considered role models for students and other faculty, CUR Fellows not only engage students in important research but have solid records of obtaining funding for the work, publishing results, and institutionalizing research on their campuses and in the nation. The $1,000 awards will be presented at the ninth National CUR Conference, at Connecticut College in June.

The other winner of the 2002 award was Joseph A. Gallian, a professor of mathematics at the University of Minnesota in Duluth.

Wenzel receives National Science Foundation grant

Bates News — Wed, 21 Jun 2000 19:05:34 +0000

Thomas J. Wenzel of Auburn, Maine will conduct research aimed at improving the use of NMR spectroscopy in distinguishing pairs of chiral compounds, used to distinguish the left- and right-hand sides of amino acids and other chemical compounds. Each side of an amino acid may have different chemical influences on the human body, and Wenzel’s research may be used to separate amino-acid components, an integral step in finding chemical compounds with undiscovered pharmaceutical value.

Wenzel and May 2000 Bates graduate Jolene Thurston of Post Mills, Vt., have co-authored an article on their chiral resolving agent research that has been published in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Organic Chemistry.

With this latest of 12 National Science Foundation awards, Wenzel has received more than $1 million in grant funding since he began teaching at Bates nearly 20 years ago. Wenzel, the past president of the Council on Undergraduate Research, was named the 1997 Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Maine Professor of the Year and a Camille and Henry Dreyfus Scholar in 1990. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University and doctoral degree from the University of Colorado.

Wenzel wins national education award

Bates News — Fri, 12 Mar 1999 14:50:39 +0000

Thomas J. Wenzel, Charles A. Dana Professor of Chemistry at Bates College, has received the 1999 American Chemistry Society (ACS) Division of Analytical Chemistry J. Calvin Giddings Award for Excellence in Education.

Sponsored by the Dekker Foundation, the national award recognizes a scientist who has enhanced the professional development of analytical chemistry students, developed and published innovative experiments, designed and improved equipment or teaching labs and published influential textbooks or significant articles on teaching analytical chemistry. Wenzel is only the third recipient of the award from an undergraduate, liberal arts institution.

“Bates’ renowned excellence in undergraduate education is a direct reflection of Professor Wenzel’s dedication both on campus to his students and nationally as a tireless advocate of undergraduate research,” said Bates President Donald W. Harward. “The college is fortunate to share indirectly in his honor as an exceptional teacher and scholar.”

“I came to Bates because I wanted to develop innovative chemistry courses and involve undergraduates in meaningful research experiences,” Wenzel said. “Being recognized by my peers with this award is among the highest of honors I could receive.”

Wenzel’s numerous external research grants– in excess of $870,00o– integrate students as research colleagues in the field of chemical analysis. Wenzel’s summer research program supports students in full-time research positions in his lab, and many of his students publish their work in leading chemistry journals.

Wenzel has published articles and led workshops on the design and development of project-based laboratories and collaborative group learning in discovery-based approaches to chemistry. One of his course projects, completed by Bates senior Scott Pollard and 1998 Bates graduate Denby Johnson, on the analysis of caffeine in chocolate, is featured as the first chapter in the fifth-edition textbook Quantitative Chemical Analysis by Daniel C. Harris (W.H. Freeman and Company 1999), which is the most widely used textbook in undergraduate analytical chemistry. Many of his students attend graduate school or medical school.

As this year’s award recipient, Wenzel will receive a $4,000 prize as well as $1,000 in travel expenses to attend the ACS national conference in New Orleans in August, where he will address and participate in an awards symposium on education in analytical chemistry.

Wenzel, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University and a doctoral degree from the University of Colorado, was named a Dana Professor by the Charles A. Dana Foundation in 1997. He was named a Camille and Henry Dreyfus Scholar in 1990 and has been awarded 11 National Science Foundation grants since he began teaching at Bates 17 years ago.

In addition to his teaching, research and publications, Wenzel has served as the president of the Council on Undergraduate Research, a national organization of college and university professors and administrators. In 1997, the Carnegie Foundation honored Wenzel by naming him College Professor of the Year for the State of Maine. He is a resident of Auburn.

Wenzel named Maine Professor of the Year

Bates News — Mon, 27 Oct 1997 15:37:30 +0000

Thomas J. Wenzel, Charles A. Dana Professor of Chemistry at Bates College, has been named the 1997 Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Maine Professor of the Year, announced the Council For Advancement and Support of Education.

“This award celebrates what we know and value about Professor Wenzel’s dedication to his students,” said Bates President Donald W. Harward. “Bates is fortunate to share in this honor, especially since it acknowledges the value the College has always placed on teaching combined with the pursuit of research and scholarship.”

Wenzel, immediate past president of the national Council on Undergraduate Research, was recognized for national efforts to reform how analytical chemistry is taught. Based on the project-based teaching strategy he uses at Bates, Wenzel was selected by the National Science Foundation to deliver a “Best Practices” address at a conference on curriculum reform in Atlanta in April. He also was recognized for actively involving students in undergraduate research at Bates, his involvement with interdisciplinary programs of study and his curricular initiatives to involve more women and minority students in the undergraduate study of analytical chemistry.

“I’m honored that Bates even considered nominating me and thrilled to receive the award,” Wenzel said.

Candidates are selected from qualified peers at their own institutions and nominated for the award. A college or university may nominate up to three professors. Letters of support and endorsements from current and former undergraduate students, colleagues and presidents or academic deans must accompany the entries.

Wenzel, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University and a doctoral degree from the University of Colorado, was named a Dana Professor by the Charles A. Dana Foundation in May. He was named a Camille and Henry Dreyfus Scholar in 1990 and has been awarded 11 National Science Foundation grants since he began teaching at Bates 16 years ago.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s Professor of the Year Program increases awareness of the importance of undergraduate instruction by honoring individuals who bring respect and admiration to the scholarship of teaching. In rewarding faculty members for their achievements as undergraduate teachers, the program seeks to enhance recognition of the value of instructional excellence and to demonstrate to the public the central importance of teaching.