Three Carleton University professors, Matthew Bellamy, Darryl Davies and John Stead, have been named to the final 20 top lecturers in TVO’s Big Ideas Best Lecturer Competition. Now in its fourth year, the competition celebrates the most engaging and intellectually stimulating lecturers in Ontario. TVO viewers and a panel of judges will help choose the winning lecturer, and the winner’s school will be awarded a $10,000 TD Insurance Meloche Monnex scholarship.
This year’s competition began with a six-week nomination period beginning in September 2008, during which students nominated a record 160 professors.
In the next stage, a three-member jury will evaluate the top 20 lecturers and determine the 10 finalists, whose names will be announced on the TVO website in February 2009.
The lectures of the Top 10 finalists will air on TVO beginning Saturday February 28 2009.
For more information click here.
Dr. Matthew J. Bellamy is an assistant professor of history at Carleton University in Ottawa where he has received a number of teaching and book awards. He specializes in Canadian business history and government-business relations. In 2005, Maclean’s magazine named him as one of Carleton’s most popular professors. And in 2007, he was the recipient of the Capital Educators’ Award.
He is the author of Profiting the Crown: Canada’s Polymer Corporation, 1942-1990 and Canada and the Cost of World War II: The International Operations of Canada’s Department of Finance, 1939-1947 (with R. B. Bryce). The former book was the recipient of the 2005 National Business Book Award – an award that recognizes “outstanding talent in Canadian business writing.” The $20,000 award is widely considered one of Canada’s most prestigious English-language book awards.
His latest research has taken him into the realm of brewing history. Bellamy contends that perhaps no industry is more revealing about Canadian culture, history and attitudes. He is particularly interested in how the Canadian brewing industry responded to the threat and onset of Prohibition at the beginning of the 20th century.
What the students say:
“This man brings history back from the dead! Professor Matt Bellamy is a man of wit, insight, intrigue and, above of all, intelligence. The man engages students, cares about them and makes it seem like he’s talking to each and every student personally.”
Darryl T. Davies completed his high school education at the Kamsack Collegiate Institute in Kamsack, Saskatchewan. After graduation, he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon and then attended the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge (Fitzwilliam College), where he obtained his MPHIL Degree in Criminology. He has held a variety of positions in the criminal justice system including: research consultant, Law Reform Commission of Saskatchewan; lecturer in criminology, Department of Sociology, University of Saskatchewan; director of public participation, Correctional Service of Canada; criminologist, Canadian Criminal Justice Association; probation/parole officer, Ontario Ministry of Correctional Services; senior policy analyst, Police and Law Enforcement Directorate, Ministry of the Solicitor General; senior communications officer on firearms, Communications Branch, Department of Justice.
Mr. Davies has published a number of articles dealing with topics in criminal justice such as the use of the caution, fines, diversion, the role of research in corrections, community service orders, gun control, crime prevention, wrongful conviction, victimization, policing and sentencing policy.
Darryl Davies is an instructor in criminology and criminal justice in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University. He has also conducted research and policy analysis for a number of federal government departments.
What the students say:
“I strongly believe Prof. Darryl Davies deserves this award because, as a lecturer, he is always interacting with his students by making the course content relative to our day-to-day lives.”
John Stead is an associate professor within the Institute of Neuroscience (Department of Psychology) at Carleton University.
Mr. Stead’s academic training was originally in genetics, with a Bachelor degree from the University of Cambridge (U.K.). He received his PhD in human genetics in 2000 from the University of Leicester (U.K.), which was followed by a postdoctoral position investigating genetic correlates of psychological stressors, conducted at the University of Michigan. His research explores various aspects of stressors — and diabetes/obesity-associated pathology, with particular emphasis on molecular genetic/genomic changes associated with disease.
Since joining Carleton University in 2004, John has enjoyed teaching a range of topics, including neuroscience, graduate courses in human genetics, he’s had an unexpected amount of fun teaching those compulsory courses that are not traditionally classed as student favourites, such as research methods in psychology and statistics. For Dr. Stead, teaching is a truly enjoyable experience, which he attributes to the passion, receptiveness, and genuine interest of the students in the learning process.
What the students say:
“When you enter John Stead’s classroom, you are guaranteed to laugh and enjoy your three hours a week with him. Who knew that a class entitled “Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology” could actually be interesting? This is only due to his creative and fun ways of teaching. He is very passionate and it’s not hard to be engaged.”
Tuesday, December 9, 2008 in News Releases
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