Traci Giuliano, professor of psychology, and Maria Todd, assistant professor of biology, have received the 2010 Southwestern University Teaching Awards.

The award was created by the Southwestern faculty in 1999 to recognize faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching. Nominations for the award are submitted by students in the spring semester, and recipients are selected by the Honorary Degrees Committee. Giuliano received the award for a tenured faculty member and Todd received the award for a non-tenured faculty member, although she was recently granted tenure. The award comes with a $2,000 prize.

Todd has taught at Southwestern since 2001. She teaches classes in Genes and Molecules, Methods in Cellular/Molecular Biology, Cellular Physiology and Tumor Biology. She has a B.Sc. from the University of Sussex in England and a Ph.D. in lung cancer genetics from Cambridge University in England.

“Professor Todd possesses an extraordinary ability to connect with her students in a way that allows us to grow,” said Sarah McCausland, a student who nominated her for the award.

Giuliano joined the Southwestern faculty in 1994. She teaches classes in Research Methods, Social Psychology, and Human Sexuality. She also serves as one of Southwestern’s Paideia Professors, and teaches a popular First-Year Seminar course titled “Why People Believe in Weird Things.”

Giuliano holds a B.A. in psychology from The University of Texas and an M.A. and Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. In 2009, she was named holder of the John H. Duncan Chair, one of six endowed positions funded at Southwestern by The Brown Foundation Inc. of Houston.

“Professor Giuliano is truly an exceptional teacher,” said Brooke Blomquist, a student who nominated her for the award. “She pushes us far beyond the expectations for undergraduates.”

This is the second time Giuliano has received the Distinguished Teaching Award. She previously received it in 1999, and also received the Methodist Board of Higher Education in Ministry’s Outstanding Teaching Award in 2004.

Giuliano also received Southwestern’s 2010 Excellence in Academic Advising Award, which recognizes the work of exceptional faculty advisors. Nominations are generated by students, and recipients are selected by staff members in the Center for Academic Success. This award comes with a $500 prize.

Students recognized Giuliano for the “countless hours” she had spent helping them prepare for graduate school.