David Charbonneau Among Five Named Harvard College Professors

Though Harvard faculty members often garner accolades for their pioneering research, they are perhaps less often publically celebrated for their talents as teachers and mentors. In that spirit, each year a select group of them are named Harvard College Professors to recognize, in addition to their research activities, their excellence in undergraduate teaching and their important contributions to students.

Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael D. Smith has named as this year's honorees David Charbonneau, professor of astronomy and astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; Marla Frederick, professor of African and African American Studies and the Study of Religion; Shigehisa Kuriyama, professor and chair of the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, professor in the Department of History of Science, and Reischauer Institute Professor of Cultural History; Ann Pearson, Murray and Martha Ross Professor of Environmental Sciences; and Salil Vadhan, Vicky Joseph Professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics.

"The Faculty of Arts and Sciences values excellence in teaching and research, recognizing that they are mutually reinforcing," says Smith. "In an educational environment like Harvard’s, where learning is happening well beyond the classroom alone, teaching and research are truly intertwined."

The Harvard College Professorships began in 1997 with a gift from John and Frances Loeb. The five-year appointments provide faculty with extra support for research or scholarly activities, a semester of paid leave, or summer salary. The professorships are one of several efforts dedicated to highlighting exceptional teaching at Harvard.

David Charbonneau

Charbonneau's research goals involve detecting and characterizing planets orbiting other stars, worlds known as exoplanets. These systems offer unparalleled opportunities to determine the properties of planets and their atmospheres.

Yet when it comes to teaching, Charbonneau is equally passionate about the atmosphere closer to home.

"My priority as a teacher has been to build our community of scholars, and in particular to increase the participation of women and members of under-represented groups," Charbonneau says, decrying the "sexist and racist" environment that pervaded academia in the past, which he claims discouraged many budding scholars.

"I’ve tried to play a part in reversing this, which affects not just the way I teach a particular undergraduate course, but my research advising and the community-building activities we convene. When I learned I had been named a Harvard College Professor, the letter I received says it recognized 'contributions to creating a positive influence in the culture of teaching in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.' If I’ve done that, even a little, then I’m encouraged to keep going."

Charbonneau believes the strongest learning moments aren't necessarily found inside the classroom, citing the unique opportunities Harvard undergraduates have to engage in cutting-edge research mentored one-on-one by a professor. These experiences are equally enriching for him.

"I recognize that many of my students are smarter and swifter than I am, and I delight in setting them on exciting opportunities and then scrambling to keep up as they unfold," he says.

Read more at the Harvard Gazette...