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CEE professor Jason Gerhard receives 2016 R. Mohan Mathur Award for Excellence in Teaching

Western Engineering News | December 16, 2016

Dean Andrew Hrymak announced recently that the recipient of this year's R. Mohan Mathur Award for Excellence in Teaching is Dr. Jason Gerhard, professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.

The R. Mohan Mathur Award is presented annually to an outstanding Western Engineering faculty member to recognize his or her exceptional contributions to university teaching and the promotion of academic excellence amongst our students.

Dr. Jason Gerhard has been a faculty member at Western since 2007 and has made significant contributions to the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.   As a dedicated teacher, he is continually revising his course design to be engaging, interactive and up-to-the-moment relevant for all his students.  His courses always focus on developing thinking and communication skills in addition to technical knowledge and appreciating the complexity of social, economic and environmental factors. 

"I am extremely honoured by this recognition.  The letters of support I received were as valuable to me as the award itself," said Dr. Gerhard. "It is extremely rewarding to know that I have made a difference in students’ learning experience, skills, and career choices.  I think we have built an amazing learning community and I am glad to be part of celebrating that.  I’d like to express my gratitude to all those who have mentored and inspired me as well as everyone in WE that made this possible and make teaching at Western so rewarding and so much fun." 

Professor Gerhard teaches with both energy and enthusiasm for his field and is regularly cited by his students as “one of the best professors at Western”.  Dr. Gerhard has received numerous teaching awards including several USC Teaching Honour Roll Awards of Excellence.  Additionally, he is an exceptional graduate student mentor which can be demonstrated in many aspects including the success of the RESTORE group which provides industrial connections, weekly meetings, social events, field trips and development opportunities. 

Dr. Gerhard’s success with his students has been demonstrated through their accomplishments. Five of his 8 postdocs are now in faculty positions and almost all of his graduate students who are not in academia, occupy positions in Canadian environmental engineering companies.  His passion, dedication, approachableness and innovative teaching methods have built his reputation as a highly preferred professor.

Dr. Gerhard will receive this award at a Western Engineering awards ceremony in the spring of 2017.

For more information on the research and publications of Dr. Gerhard click here.