Summer, 1999

Dr. Asim J. Al-Khalili and Professor Aiman Hanna were recipients of the Faculty's Second Annual Teaching Excellence Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to teaching in the field of engineering and computer science. The award acknowledges professors exhibiting a sustained commitment to the improvement of teaching and creativity in the development of teaching materials and approach.

Professor Aiman Hanna holds a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Assuit University, Egypt and a Diploma of Computer Science followed by a Master's in Computer Science from Concordia University. He has been a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science at Concordia University for more than six years, while working concurrently as a senior software engineer for one of the largest telecommunication firms in North America. Professor Hanna has valuable international industry experience and is an expert in more than six computer languages. His teaching style and methodology have enriched his students' learning. To keep them up-to-date with the latest technology while augmenting their learning motivation, Professor Hanna constantly strives to relate academic topics to industry practices. The outstanding effectiveness of Professor Hanna's technical and personal qualities have been recognized in students' comments: "This professor really knows his subject matter, the examples given in class apply to real world problems." "His teaching method is unique and his level of teaching, dedication and responsibility are far superior to any teacher I have had and beyond my level of expectation." Professor Hanna always comments that he is greatly rewarded by his students' feedback. His enthusiasm, dedication and commitment to excellence are a credit to his profession.

Dr. Asim J. Al-Khalili obtained his PhD in System Engineering from the Department of Electronics and Telecommunications, Strathclyde University, Scotland in 1974. His research interests are in Very Large Scale Integration of Micro Chips Architecture and Circuit Design. He is actively involved in research in these areas, with over 100 research papers published in prestigious journals and international conferences and has graduated over 30 PhD and Master students. His outstanding teaching spans over 20 years of active participation in the development of the computer engineering curriculum and introduction of new courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels in this area. In recognition of his services to computer engineering education, Dr. Al-Khalili was selected to Chair the Third Canadian Conference on Computer Engineering Education. His teaching philosophy is very simple: Keep students alert by stimulating their minds with challenging questions, while teaching them to think independently and discover answers for themselves; Create a relaxed classroom atmosphere and have well thought out and organized lecture material; Outside the class be approachable and accessible. To quote what students say about him: " Dr. Al-Khalili expresses great care and concerns about the course material, as well as the students themselves." "A stimulating environment is constantly provided, as well as clear and complete explanations." "He is helpful and effective even outside the class, a really excellent teacher. Teachers should learn from him."