Thomas G. Stockham Medal for Conspicuously Effective Teaching

Prize Amount: $5,000

For: full-time graduate students who demonstrate “conspicuously effective teaching”

Due: January 24, 2025

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The Thomas G. Stockham, Jr. Medal for Conspicuously Effective Teaching was established by the University of Utah in memory of Thomas G. Stockham, Jr., professor of electrical engineering, who is remembered as the father of digital recording in honor of his pioneering work in the fields of digital recording and tapeless editing.

The medal is awarded to one graduate student each year for “conspicuously effective teaching.” Candidates for the medal are nominated by their faculty advisors and mentors. The recipient of the Stockham Medal will also receive a $1,000 cash prize. A maximum of one award may be granted each year. The committee may decline to award the medal in any given year.

About Thomas Stockham, Jr.

Thomas G. Stockham Jr. was a pioneer in digital electronics whose work helped to pave the way for the transition from long-playing records to compact discs. An electrical engineer trained at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stockham began working on projects involving the primitive digitization of sound almost immediately after he joined MIT as an associate professor in 1957.

In 1968, Stockham moved from MIT to the University of Utah, where he was able to combine his personal and institutional research, laying the groundwork for Soundstream, the audio company he founded.

He won an Emmy award in 1988 for his work on tapeless audio and editing systems. In 1994 he won a Grammy award for his ”visionary role in pioneering and advancing the era of digital recording,” and in 1999 Stockham and Robert Ingebretsen received an Oscar, a Scientific and Engineering Award, from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for work in digital audio editing.

Among all of his awards, one of the most prized was an award that he received at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for “conspicuously effective teaching.” Dr. Stockham truly valued excellence in teaching, and the Stockham Medal was created to honor that legacy.

Eligibility

Any matriculated graduate student who is enrolled, officially working toward a graduate degree in the Graduate School or in a professional school or college at the University of Utah is eligible to apply for the award, so long as they have worked as a teaching assistant or other instructing capacity during their graduate career.

Selection Process

A selection committee appointed by the Graduate School will meet to make the award based on the criteria stated below.

Selection Criteria

The medal is awarded to one graduate student each year for “conspicuously effective teaching.” Candidates for the medal are nominated by their faculty advisors and mentors. Nominations will be considered based on the following areas:

1. The nominee’s demonstrated creative and effective teaching methods
2. The nominee’s impact on undergraduate education in general and in their department
3. Training and professional development opportunities that the nominee has participated in at the University of Utah
4. The nominee’s commitment to improving the effectiveness of student teaching programs at the University of Utah