The College of Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce Aurora Pun, Lecturer in the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, as the 2012-2013 William P. and Heather W. Weber Award recipient for Teaching Excellence. This award honors Lecturers or Part Time Instructors who exemplify excellence in teaching of any science or math discipline within the College at the undergraduate level.

Aurora Pun is an alumna of the University of New Mexico, earning a Master’s and PhD in Earth and Planetary Sciences in the Institute of Meteoritics.  She has been teaching for more than 15 years as a graduate teaching assistant, adjunct faculty, and more recently as a Lecturer III.  Aurora primarily teaches introductory geology classes and coordinates curriculum and instruction for physical geology laboratory sections.  She was one of the recipients of the 2010 UNM Outstanding Lecturer of the Year award.  Aurora is also the co-author of an introductory physical geology textbook “How Does Earth Work?” Aurora has been using active learning techniques in her classrooms and has presented her teaching strategies at several conferences, including at the New Mexico Higher Education and Retention Conference, the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, and the Geologic Society of America Annual Meeting.  In Fall 2013, Aurora will be using her active-learning techniques in the new 126-seat studio classroom in the new Collaborative Teaching and Learning Building.

Congratulations Dr. Aurora Pun!