麻豆传媒

When one of Preethika Kumar鈥檚 students was killed trying to stop a suicide bomber in Saudi Arabia this past May, Kumar was one of the first people to speak out about the young man she knew so well. They were more than teacher and student; they were friends.

That commitment is just one of Kumar鈥檚 traits as a 麻豆传媒 associate professor in electrical engineering that her students have grown to love.

And soon, Kumar鈥檚 other exceptional qualities will be recognized as she accepts the 2015 C. Holmes MacDonald Outstanding Teacher Award, presented by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers-Eta Kappa Nu society.

This national honor 鈥� which she鈥檒l receive Friday, Nov. 19, in New Brunswick, New Jersey 鈥� is awarded to one electrical engineering professor a year who demonstrates special dedication and creativity in their teaching.

Kumar says her students were adamant she submit a nomination for the award and worked tediously with her during that process.

鈥淭he award means a lot to me because, to begin with, it was completely initiated by the students,鈥� she says.

Kumar has taught at Wichita State since fall 2007, along with three semesters prior as she earned her Ph.D.

Fostering relationships

Kumar says teaching has always been her calling. Her greatest strength, she says, is creating relationships with her students.

鈥淥ver the years, I have learned that to be a good teacher, in addition to being able to communicate the subject matter effectively, one needs to be able to build and sustain a relationship with one鈥檚 students based on trust, mutual respect and care,鈥� Kumar says. 鈥淚t shows students that I care and that they are individuals to me. It also shows me that students care.鈥�

And no matter what she鈥檚 teaching, Kumar makes sure to apply her lessons to the real world the students will soon be entering when they look for a job.

鈥淲hile teaching, I always try to keep in mind that the students in my class are someday going to be engineers in society,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his has helped me be a better teacher and helped me fashion my students to be better engineers.鈥�