Outstanding faculty members of the University of Houston System were honored at the eighth annual Enron Teaching Excellence Awards on April 27. Each recipient received a plaque and a $5,000 check from Enron Corp. Todd A. Helwig was one of four faculty members from UH to receive the award.
For Professor Helwig, adaptability has been a key to-ward growing as a teacher and as an engineer. That’s a responsibility the associate professor of civil and environmental engineering doesn’t take lightly, whether its taking on an extra project or finding a more interesting way to present course material.
“Professor Helwig’s value as an educator lies in his ability to convey his knowledge and philosophy,” said student Charles Jetann during the award presentation ceremony. “He accomplishes this by addressing the entire scope of the subject he’s teaching. But, he’s often able to do this by illustrating a concept by substituting more casual jargon in place of traditional terminology.”
“This is a great honor to receive,” said Helwig, who began teaching at UH seven years ago. “I’ve had some good teachers that have helped me, but hopefully, I’ve personalized that to inspire others. Getting the instant feedback that comes from teaching and from all the professionals out there who are coming back to graduate school gives me a lot of real-world perspective.”