by Marci E. Hersh

Niels Otani, associate professor of biomedical engineering, said while he was in school, he was fortunate to have had enthusiastic teachers who held his interest in the classroom. He describes one of his past professors as so excited and animated that being in his class was like watching aerobics exercises in front of the blackboard.

photo by Marci E. Hersh Niels Otani mentors students in addition to teaching courses in biomedical modeling, computation and theory.

Otani has received the John S. Diekhoff Award for excellence in graduate teaching.

"I am very honored to win this award," Otani said. "There are lots of different teaching approaches but enthusiasm in the classroom and strong mentorship are what I strive for. The entire department of biomedical engineering is very dedicated to mentoring students and helping them to succeed. We even have a full time staff member dedicated strictly to helping students find co-op opportunities, internships and jobs."

Otani teaches courses in biomedical modeling, computation and theory. While his research is focused on bioelectricity of the heart, he works hard to simplify everything he teaches.

"We handle a lot of equations in the courses I teach, but I believe that all of them have a simple concept behind them and this is what I convey," he said. "For example, one way to simplify my research is to think of the heart as an electrical circuit. Within this electrical circuit analogy, you can simplify even more by thinking of Kirchoff's current law, a standard rule which every engineering student must learn, as a rule that says that whatever flows in, has to flow out. We can understand many of the details of how the electrical system of the heart works in this way."

Otani advises two graduate students and teaches graduate level courses while also teaching undergraduate courses in biomedical signals and systems and engineering modeling in the department of biomedical engineering. This year, he also was nominated for two other teaching awards: the Carl F. Wittke Award for undergraduate teaching and the University's Undergraduate Student Government award for engineering teaching.

"I take an eclectic but dedicated approach to teaching and enjoy mentoring students," Otani said. "I think it's important to focus on looking out for students as people first. It is my job to teach students to conduct research, steer them in the right direction when it comes to research experience and help them to make choices that best support their career decisions."

Otani maintains frequent office hours and said students frequently stop by during the workday. He also attends student social events like picnics and bowling outings.

"I understand that my students have to balance their academic life with their social life," he said. "I like to keep this in mind from my own past experience as a student. When I was a student, I was really very lucky to be exposed to professors with enormous enthusiasm. I learned a lot about teaching, both as an undergraduate at The University of Chicago and as a graduate student at Cornell University. I learned from wonderful professors who knew it was important to share their excitement about the material they were teaching with the class."

He received his doctorate in physics from University of California, Berkeley.

"I am now fortunate to be working with a great department," Onani said. "The department of biomedical engineering has its roots in mentorship, and I'm proud to be here." Otani will receive the Diekhoff Award certificate and honorarium May 18 at the School of Graduate Studies diploma ceremony.

The John S. Diekhoff Award honors John S. Diekhoff, who served CWRU and Western Reserve University from 1956-1970 as professor and chairman of English, dean of Cleveland College, acting dean of the graduate school and vice provost. The awards, which carry a cash prize, are presented at CWRU's annual commencement convocation.

 

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