Brudno, Tuck and Zhou recognized with Outstanding Teacher Awards

Three College of Engineering faculty members — Yevgeny Brudno, assistant professor in the UNC/NC State Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME); James Tuck, professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE); and Huiyang Zhou, professor in ECE — were named recipients of the Outstanding Teacher Award for 2021-22. The three professors were honored during the virtual spring faculty meeting.

The award recognizes excellence in teaching and welcomes recipients as members of the Academy of Outstanding Teachers while they are NC State faculty members. Additionally, receiving the award is a prerequisite for being considered for the Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Alumni Distinguished Professor Award.

Yevgeny Brudno

Since joining BME in 2017, Brudno’s focus has been on elevating the student experience through reimagining coursework and curriculum to further engage students while giving them the tools necessary to succeed once they graduate.

Brudno’s coursework introduces students to the materials science of biomaterials. He aims to excite and motivate students through challenges that nurture their curiosity and interest. He also assisted in the design of a companion lab to his “Materials Science of Biomaterials” course that encourages inquiry-guided instruction where students develop and test their own hypotheses using techniques applicable to the industry.

“We must cultivate within our students a strong desire and ability to identify and solve problems,” Brudno said. “To do this, education must move beyond rote rehashing of scientific formulae and assessment based on regurgitation of the mathematical and scientific concepts covered in class.”

Brudno continuously encourages his students to reach their full potential while also striving to better learn about and support his students by making himself accessible and integrating their feedback into his courses.

“In the past several years for which I’ve mentored him, I’ve seen a highly effective and much-loved instructor constantly pushing his comfort zone to implement new teaching methods and activities,” said Naji Husseini, an associate teaching professor and associate director of undergraduate studies in BME.

James Tuck

Tuck joined NC State in 2007, and for 15 years has made strides to increase the quality of curriculum and mentoring for students.

Tuck teaches undergraduate coursework in data structures and object-oriented programming, computer systems programming and compiler optimization and scheduling and continues to introduce recommendations as a member of the Course and Curriculum Committee.

Students remark about the time and effort he puts into these courses help prepare them for success.

“He brings a large knowledge base coupled with enthusiasm and feedback for his topic that makes attending his classes enjoyable,” a student said. “The amount of work that goes into setting up the project requirements for this class only goes to show just how passionate he is about making sure his students learn.”

As a mentor, he has overseen 15 students in undergraduate research, 16 students in senior design and 14 students in independent studies since 2016.

“Professor Tuck, throughout these years, has inspired me and countless others to take up compilers and has introduced us to a world of infinite possibilities. I have no doubt that he will continue to do so in the future with all his might,” another student shared.

Huiyang Zhou

Since 2009, Zhou has been preparing ECE students to make contributions to and tackle industry challenges in software development through his commitment to curriculum growth and student success.

While teaching graduate coursework in Microarchitecture and Advanced Computer Architecture, Zhou has introduced critical coursework in data parallel architectures and graphics processing units and established new coursework in quantum computing, emphasizing the compilation and optimization of quantum circuits for noisy intermediate-scale quantum computers.

Zhou’s broad range of computer systems expertise has helped educate and motivate students, and guide them in demonstrating their acquired skills in his courses.

“He is a remarkable and inspiring person whom I have known since I started my masters’ studies in computer engineering,” said a student. “In my personal interactions with Dr. Zhou, I have observed him to be well rounded, fair and insightful.”

“Professor Zhou leads students through interesting and engaging examples, and prepares them to build their own software versions of pipelines, caches and out-of-order execution units… He is a key contributor to the ECE teaching mission,” added Greg Byrd, a professor and the associate department head of ECE.

He is also recognized by the larger computer science community, being invited as a lecturer to the Advanced Computer Architecture and Compilation for High-Performance and Embedded Systems summer school for 2022, an opportunity offered to instructors based on their world-class reputation as educators and researchers. “I will continue my effort on integrating teaching and research, developing critical thinking skills for our students and active involvement in teaching-related activities in the computer system research community,” Zhou said.