Prestigious new award for excellence in engineering teaching goes to Southampton academic
A new award for engineering teaching has been awarded to a University of Southampton academic.
Dr Kenji Takeda, lecturer in aeronautics in the School of Engineering Sciences at the University of Southampton, has received an ExxonMobil Gold Medal and Award for Excellence in Engineering Teaching. The award, in association with the Royal Academy of Engineering, aims to recognise centres of excellence for teaching in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
This new award recognises commitment to teaching, industrial links, and promoting engineering as a career. The award specifically recognises Dr Takeda's undergraduate and Master's teaching, working with companies such as Airbus, BAE Systems, Microsoft and Formula One teams, and tireless efforts working to inspire youngsters to consider careers in engineering.
Dr Takeda says: 'This award is testimony to the huge importance that we place on providing the best possible learning experience for our students at Southampton. It is a personal honour to be given this award, and for everyone in the School of Engineering Sciences and the University who works hard to ensure that we provide an exciting and stimulating environment for learning.
'It will help us to further develop our school outreach activities, and the quality of engineering education that we are able to deliver, to help secure the future of the UK's knowledge economy,' he adds.
Kenji Takeda teaches on the Aeronautics & Astronautics undergraduate and Race Car Aerodynamics MSc courses at Southampton. See www.soton.ac.uk/ses and his blog at http://ktakeda.blogspot.com/ for more details.
Kenji was also awarded a University of Southampton Vice-Chancellor's Teaching Award in 2005, the Royal Academy of Engineering-BNFL Education Innovation Prize 2006 and a Higher Education Academy Teaching Award in 2006.
Dr Keith Guy, a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, comments: 'The ExxonMobil Excellence in Teaching Awards highlight the importance that must be placed on developing the engineering education curriculum to meet the needs of industry in the 21st century.'
Notes for editors
Digital images of Kenji Takeda are available from Media Relations on request.
The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research institution with a global reputation for leading-edge research and scholarship. It is one of the UK's top 10 research universities, offering first-rate opportunities and facilities for study and research across a wide range of subjects in humanities, health, science and engineering. The University has around 20,000 students and over 5000 staff. Its annual turnover is in the region of £310 million.
The University of Southampton's School of Engineering Sciences offers expertise in engineering disciplines that underpin every aspect of 21st century life. Evolving from its traditional engineering roots, the School continues to expand into new, exciting research areas. From orthopaedic implant modelling and modern fuel cell technologies, to enhancing satellite broadcast technology and improving the aerodynamics of Formula One racing cars and hydrodynamics of America's Cup yachts, the School is always at the leading edge of engineering research. www.ses.soton.ac.uk
Founded in 1976, The Royal Academy of Engineering promotes the engineering and technological welfare of the country. Its fellowship - comprising the UK's most eminent engineers - provides the leadership and expertise for its activities, which focus on the relationships between engineering, technology, and the quality of life. As a national academy, it provides independent and impartial advice to Government; works to secure the next generation of engineers; and provides a voice for Britain's engineering community.