Awards and Honors

2016-2017 Distinguished Scholarship/Creativity Award

2016 National Recognition Award for being one of the three cofounders of the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), presented at the "30th Anniversary Conference of NCUR," UNC Asheville, April 7-9, 2016.

2009-2010 Ruth and Leon Feldman Professor for Scholarship and Service

2004 UNCA Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching

2003 The Parks Todd Award for best presentation (with Evan Ruiz) at the 2003 Distance Learning Alliance Virtual Conference - A Virtual National Conference, North Carolina Learning Alliance. Citation: "The seamless integration of multimedia resources, ease of navigation, clarity of expression, and utilization of chat and discussion forums makes this an outstanding example of online instruction."

2002 CNN, "E-Textbooks Clicking with Colleges," Top Story in Science/Technology, on August 31, 2002, NEXT@CNN (Aired Saturday, August 31, 2002 and Sunday) with anchor Ann Kellan.

2001-2004 Elected to the National Council of the Society of Physics Students, Councilor for Zone 5: North and South Carolina.

1999 Outstanding Society of Physics Chapter Advisor Award

1997 UNCA Distinguished Teacher Award in the Natural Sciences

1995 UNCA Distinguished Teacher Award

1995 The North Carolina Association of Colleges and Universities (NCACU) Achievement Award to the UNCA Undergraduate Research Program, honoring its founders, Michael J. Ruiz and John G. Stevens, at the 75th Annual Conference of the NCACU, Greensboro, NC, November 2-3, 1995.

1992 Chosen by EDUCOM as one of 101 Success Stories in the Nation Employing Computer Technology in Higher Education (the Joe Wyatt Challenge).

1988 National Executive Committee, Undergraduate Research Conferences

1977 Departmental Teaching Assistant Award for Excellence in Teaching, University of Maryland

1974 Departmental Teaching Assistant Award for Excellence in Teaching, University of Maryland

1972 Honorable Mention for a Danforth Teaching Fellowship

1971 ΣΠΣ (Sigma Pi Sigma), National Physics Honors Society

1972 ΑΣΝ (Alpha Sigma Nu), National Jesuit General Honors Society

1968 Valedictorian, Bishop Eustace Prep, Pennsauken, NJ