Faculty Member to Receive National Outstanding Teaching Award

Mark Budnik, Ph.D., the Paul H. Brandt Professor of Engineering and associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, has been selected to receive the ASEE National Outstanding Teaching Medal. He was selected from among an extremely competitive field of 12 candidates this year.

Budnik joined the Valpo College of Engineering‘s faculty in 2006 after a 16-year career in the semiconductor field, which culminated with his service as a principal engineer at Hitachi Semiconductor. He was named to the Brandt Professorship in 2013, the same year that he received the University’s Excellence in Teaching Award in recognition of the outstanding faculty-student relationships he has established.

“Professor Budnik is a talented and dedicated educator, and we are deeply grateful for the many incredible ways that he works with our students at Valparaiso University,” said Mark L. Biermann, Ph.D., provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “This wonderful recognition is certainly well deserved and is a testament to the outstanding quality of Mark’s contributions, in particular, and of Valpo faculty members, in general.”

Budnik has taught numerous courses throughout the years, such as: Advanced Microcontroller Topics, Embedded Microcontrollers and Nanotechnology Initiatives. He has various research interests in assistive therapy devices for individuals on the autism spectrum, nanotechnology-education and nanotechnology-energy storage. Budnik specializes in analog and digital circuit design, assistive devices, K-12 outreach, embedded system design and industry collaboration.

The ASEE teaching award is designed to provide national recognition to an engineering or engineering technology educator for excellence in outstanding classroom performance, contributions to the scholarship of teaching and participation in ASEE Section meetings and local activities. The award consists of an engraved commemorative medallion, certificate and complimentary registration for the 2019 ASEE Annual Conference.

The presentation of this year’s ASEE national awards will occur at the organization’s annual awards luncheon in June.