Landis and Ramakrishna named inaugural Tooker Professors

Amy Landis, associate professor, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, and B.L. Ramakrishna, associate professor, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, have been appointed Tooker Professors, effective June 2012.

Tooker Professors are selected annually via a competitive proposal process and appointed for one- to two-year terms. During this time, they will implement proposed innovations designed to lead to increased student retention and persistence, more rewarding learning experiences, greater student diversity and experiences that aid student competitiveness in the job market.

The Tooker Professor program was established in 2011 through an endowment established by Diane and Gary Tooker and co-investment from the Dean’s Office. Diane is a former elementary school teacher, and Gary is one of our engineering alumni and the former CEO of Motorola; both are passionate about creating exciting learning environments that attract students to and retain them in
STEM fields.