We are proud to announce that Prof. Cole DeForest is one of the recipients of the 2016 University of Washington Distinguished Teaching Award.

This award is the highest honor conferred to a faculty member for excellence in teaching and is a strong testimony to Prof. DeForest's extraordinary dedication to teaching and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students. Cole joins a very select group of master teachers that includes ChemE's very own Professors John Berg and Jim Pfaendtner.

Prof. DeForest joined the University of Washington Chemical Engineering in January 2014 after completing his Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering with Prof. Kristi Anseth at the University of Colorado and postdoctoral work with Prof. David Tirrell at the California Institute of Technology. He holds an adjunct appointment in Bioengineering and is a member of the Institute for Stem Cell Regenerative Medicine. 

"Cole is simply extraordinary. He deserves every bit of this recognition as each and every single one of his classes has received top student ratings," said Department Chair and Matthaei Professor François Baneyx. "He was nominated for this distinction in his very first quarter of teaching and I received an overwhelming number of emails and support letters from students and colleagues for his nomination."

Cole works hard at crafting content, lectures and homework that help students understand complex topics and is also an extraordinary graduate mentor who deeply cares about his research group. In their joint support letter, his lab members state: " It is evident that Cole values his students' fundamental understanding and critical thinking abilities rather than just laboratory productivity. His strategy of building the lab through fostering a culture that emphasizes student growth is incredibly valuable to our career development."

Please join us in congratulating Prof. Cole DeForest on this well-deserved honor.