Oct. 12, 2011

UT, in partnership with ING, is honoring special, select faculty during a second-quarter, on-field ceremony on Saturday at the Texas Football game against Oklahoma State at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

"ING is committed to recognizing and honoring excellence in education," said David Linney, executive vice president and head of Public Markets, ING. "The ING Professor of Excellence Award is just one of the ways we can express our appreciation for educators who are dedicated to helping students reach their full potential, preparing them to compete in the global society."

ING is a global financial institution offering banking, investments, life insurance and retirement services to more than 85 million clients around the world. ING is dedicated to setting the standard in helping clients manage their financial futures.

Six featured professors will be presented with a commemorative gift from ING during an on-field presentation as the Longhorns host the Cowboys of Oklahoma State. In addition, each professor is spotlighted on the stadium's video board at designated home games throughout the 2011 season.

"We want to acknowledge the great work these faculty members do here on our campus and in our classrooms," UT Men's Athletics Director DeLoss Dodds said.

2011 ING PROFESSORS OF EXCELLENCE

Associate Professor of Management Ethan Burris, who has been honored by students, faculty and peers for his teaching methods, studies the dynamics of the workplace. He helps individuals and companies learn to succeed in business and examines subjects such as how good ideas advance through a company.

A gifted musician as well as a violin professor, Brian Lewis is the recipient of the Texas Exes Teaching Award and the Butler School of Music Teaching Excellence Award. He has also recorded six CD's and tours the nation as a concert violinist, with previous stops at New York's prestigious Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall.

Christine Schmidt is a leader in the field of nerve regeneration and is forging a path to revolutionize treatment for spinal cord injuries. The biomedical engineering professor's research has already had a major clinical impact for cancer patients, car accident victims and injured soldiers. She is also a winner of the Outstanding Engineering Teaching Award.

Deborah Volker was recently named "Professor of the Year" by the Senate of College Councils. The Associate Professor of Nursing is focusing her work on understanding and complying with the wishes of terminally ill cancer patients. The goal is to assist these patients and their families with decisions and comfort during the final stages of the disease.

Great teachers inspired John Wallingford to pursue science and become a teacher himself. Now, the developmental biologist is among the best in his field and recently received the Jean Holloway and Texas Exes Teaching Awards. With an interest in embryonic development, Dr. Wallingford is studying the genetic basis for human birth defects and his work may lead to the prevention of spina bifida.

Yan Zhang is using technology to help children with autism communicate. The Alumni Teaching Fellow for the School of Information is creating an interactive and adaptive computer game that reads and recognizes facial expressions that can identify emotions, thereby helping each child to communicate more effectively.