Mentoring Award

The FCSM Mentoring Award recognizes a faculty member for fostering student and/or faculty development and attainment and for having a positive and lasting impact on his mentees.

Our awardee joined Towson University in 2007 and truly exemplifies the spirit of mentorship.  He is the current Director of TU’s Applied Mathematics Laboratory (AML). The goal of this lab is to engage teams of undergraduate students in mathematical research projects under the guidance of faculty members.  Our recipient has gone steps beyond, by using the venue of the AML experience to further the professional development of students by encouraging them to present their work at research conferences, participate in Research Experience for Undergraduate activities, and/or to apply to graduate schools.  In addition to supervising AML teams, our recipient has mentored individual undergraduate research projects and co-led summer research teams with other faculty members and students within the recipient’s department resulting in student-led presentations and co-authorship on publications.  This team‑based approach to solve meaningful problems has influenced the professional growth of these students, given them opportunities to participate in competitions, and to make interdisciplinary connections.  Very recently, our recipient was appointed as the new Director of Undergraduate Research.

Before closing, I would like to share with you a comment from a student about our recipient. “I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Kolesnikov for the past three years.  During this time, he/she has encouraged me to try new things, challenged me academically and made sure that I have had everything I needed to be successful during my time here at Towson.  Because of his support, I have been awarded research funding, presented at conferences and held a corporate internship.  He has spent long hours guiding me through research ideas and difficult course material.  Dr. Kolesnikov has gone above and beyond to make sure that I have gained the most out of my college experience.  Even now, as I am approaching the end of my undergraduate studies, Dr.Kolesnikov is guiding me through the graduate school application process.  He continuously supports my academic and professional growth.  I would not have the experiences or the knowledge that I have today if I had not been given the opportunity to work with Dr. Kolesnikov.”

Join me in offering congratulations to  Dr. Alexei Kolesnikov from the Mathematics Department as our 2019 winner of the FCSM Mentoring Award.

(As presented by Associate Dean Vonnie Shields at the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics Forum on December 5, 2019.)