Kristina Ropella, chair of the biomedical engineering department, is the recipient of this year's honor, which recognizes professors who make outstanding contributions to undergraduate education.,”For the second year in a row, a Marquette professor has been honored as Wisconsin Professor of the Year.

Kristina Ropella, chair of the biomedical engineering department, is the recipient of this year's honor, which recognizes professors who make outstanding contributions to undergraduate education.

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching sponsor the U.S. Professors of the Year program.

Pam Russell, CASE public relations director, said judges rate entries based on four equally weighted criteria. Criteria include involvement with undergraduate students, contribution to undergraduate education, scholarly approach to teaching and learning, and support from colleagues and students, Russell said.

Ropella was honored along with the other state and national winners at a special luncheon Nov. 15 in Washington, D.C. Mary Huber, senior scholar at the Carnegie Foundation, said 31 of the 41 state winners were in attendance.

"This is a highly competitive process and we're very proud of them," Huber said. "It's definitely very exciting to be able to meet the winners."

Huber said the criteria are used to look for signs of extraordinary involvement in and out of the classroom.

"The kinds of things that have really impressed judges in recent years include engaging students in actual work of the discipline, such as undergraduate research, as well as participating in community involvement such as service learning," Huber said.

Ropella said she tries to bring her research, which includes work with the Medical College of Wisconsin and other Marquette professors, into the classroom.

"Given the fact that we don't have many nice clear solutions in this field, I like to challenge my students with open-ended questions and urge them to analyze and discuss solutions," Ropella said, explaining why she believes this type of exposure to research is important.

Ropella, who currently teaches the freshman-level Introduction to Biomedical Engineering class as well as a sophomore level course, said her favorite part of teaching in an undergraduate setting is watching her students realize their full potential.

"I love playing a role in the discovery process," Ropella said. "I like to emphasize taking the theory (my students) are learning and applying it to a real-world situation."

The judges are not the only ones impressed with Ropella's dedication to teaching excellence. Many of Ropella's students also said she is always willing to go the extra mile.

Emily Foley, a freshman in the College of Engineering and a student in Ropella's introductory class, said the first time she came to visit Marquette, Ropella not only spent time telling her about the benefits of biomedical engineering, but also took her on a two-hour personalized tour of the engineering building.

"She's really friendly, very helpful and incredibly knowledgeable," Foley said.

John Amrhein, another College of Engineering freshman in the course, said Ropella brings in guest speakers from the field to detail job opportunities, and also invites professors to give introductory lectures in their fields of specialty.

Marquette has honored Ropella three times before, including the Marquette Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence in 1996 and two College of Engineering Teaching Excellence awards. Ropella, a Marquette alumna, has been chair of the biomedical engineering department since 2004.

"I'm deeply honored, especially given the many great professors at Marquette," Ropella said. "I absolutely love teaching Marquette students, so this really means a lot."

Last year Don Neuman, a Marquette professor of physical therapy, was honored as professor of the year.

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