Carl E. Sillman Awarded the C.I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching

Carl E. Sillman, a senior lecturer at Penn State University who has taught courses in microbiology, molecular genetics, cell biology, immunology, and biotechnology, has been honored with the 2012 C.I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching by the Eberly College of Science Alumni Society. Instituted in 1972 and named in honor of Clarence I. Noll, dean of the college from 1965 to 1971, the award is the highest honor for undergraduate teaching in the college. Students, faculty members, and alumni nominate outstanding faculty members who best exemplify the key characteristics of a Penn State educator, and a committee of students selects among nominees.

Throughout his career at Penn State, Sillman has developed advanced, inquiry-based laboratory courses for the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and he has helped many undergraduate students to design research projects, to complete research-style manuscripts, and to present posters at scientific meeting about their findings. He also teaches an introductory microbiology course for non-majors; a senior-level course in microbial biotechnology; and laboratory courses in medical microbiology, cell biology, and molecular immunology.

Since 2005, Sillman has served as the director of CSI Summer Camp -- an outreach program for elementary-school students interested in forensic science. Sillman also serves as a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) representative to Penn State's Center for Excellence in Science Education, as a member of the Eberly College of Science Health Sciences Pre-professional Evaluation and Academic Integrity committee, and as a member of the BMB Peer Teaching Evaluation and Non-Tenure Faculty Promotion committee. He coordinates the BMB Summer First-Year Testing, Consulting, and Advising Program (FTCAP) program and is an academic advisor for students majoring in microbiology and biotechnology. In 2001 and 2010, he was honored with the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology's Paul M. Althouse Outstanding Teaching Award.

Sillman began teaching at Penn State in 1984. In 2002, he was promoted to Senior Lecturer II. He earned doctoral and master's degrees at Penn State in 1984 and 1979, respectively, and a bachelor's degree at Muhlenberg College in 1976.