Eight faculty members received the Crystal Apple Award yesterday for their impact on Emory students’ educational experiences.

The 10th annual award ceremony, which took place in the Miller-Ward Alumni House, honored Associate Professor of Art History Elizabeth Pastan, Senior Lecturer of Organic Chemistry Jose Soria, Associate Professor of Finance Amit Goyal, Clinical Assistant Professor Elizabeth Downes, Professor of Religion Gary Laderman, Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine Jeffrey Hoder, Senior Lecturer of Organic Chemistry Matthew Weinschenk and Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Ellen Spears.

Students submit nominations for the Crystal Apple Awards to the selection committee headed by Sacha Munro, special events chair, and Lanny Gross, vice president of programming. All of the students who present the awards are part of Residence Hall Association (RHA), either as an executive board member or a hall council president. This is the second year RHA has been involved in the Crystal Apple Awards.

The first award, Excellence in Undergraduate Seminar Education, was awarded to Pastan for her class on medieval treasury arts.

“Students got as much out of the class as I did,” Pastan said. “It was deeply gratifying.”

Chase Jordan, the student who nominated Pastan, is taking another course on Gothic art and architecture with Pastan this semester.

Soria won the Excellence in Undergraduate Lecture Education award for his lectures in organic chemistry.

“I ask the students to call me by my name, Jose, and I learn all their names so we can communicate in class in different ways.” Soria said. “Sometimes the questions are raised to the audience, sometimes to the students, so the students feel threatened, but also comfortable.”

Goyal, who is currently teaching abroad and was unable to attend the ceremony, was named the recipient of the Undergraduate Business Education award.

Laderman, Hoder and Weinschenk received the Excellence in Graduate School Education award, Excellence in Professional School Education award and the William H. Fox Award for Emerging Excellence, respectively.

Spears received the Laura Jones Hardman Award for Excellence in Service to the Emory Community for her course on service learning in environmental studies. In this class, students are given the opportunity to apply themselves with knowledge they gain in the classroom by working with community partners such as Office of Sustainability Initiatives and Eco Action, an Atlanta environmental organization in south Atlanta neighborhoods.

“I also feel that we too often don’t recognize that learning that goes on in the university is a two-way operation,” Spears said. “Faculty are very much learning from students because of their diverse experiences.”

In addition to the awards presentations, AHANA sang the Alma Mater and musical selections such as “Put Your Records On,” originally sung by Corinne Bailey Rae.

Following the musical performances, keynote speaker Arri Eisen, senior lecturer of biology, spoke about how his past experiences with his teachers contributed to the kind of teacher he is today. Eisen, a former Crystal Apple Award recipient, ended with advice to the students present at the ceremony: “Get to know your teachers.”

— Contact Nihar Thadani.