Highest Honor for Undergrad Mentoring at UB Goes to Clark

This award is the University at Buffalo’s highest honor for undergraduate mentoring.

The Meyerson award honors faculty members for the crucial guidance and support they provide undergraduate students to help them develop the necessary skills for research, creativity, critical thinking and innovation.

“Successful and intellectually stimulating mentoring relationships have the power to positively influence mindsets and viewpoints — for both mentors and mentees. Capable mentors can help strengthen mentees’ confidence, build their research skills, encourage autonomy, and help them transition to the pathways awaiting them after graduation,” says Allison Brashear, MD, UB’s vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. 

“Congratulations to Dr. Clark for this honor. I am pleased that Meyerson Awards have gone to Jacobs School faculty members five times over the past decade. Undergraduates can pursue their ambitions here at the Jacobs School knowing professors like Dr. Clark are dedicated to advancing their futures,” she says.

Clark, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology, was described as “absolutely the most dedicated and passionate faculty member in his approach to mentorship,” by David Dietz, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology.

“It is essential to highlight that this is a pattern that has been in place since the very earliest days of his career,” Dietz wrote in his nominating letter. “His impact is strong and has been utterly life-changing for so many individuals that any attempt to document them all would be nearly an impossible task in any letter!”

Dietz cited successful undergraduate research assistants and papers they wrote while under Clark’s guidance.

“Success is directly attributable to embracing the lab culture that Dr. Clark fosters,” Dietz wrote. “Everyone has something to contribute, and students can be full participants in the discovery process. These are hallmarks of an effective and meaningful mentorship environment, and I am so pleased that Dr. Clark can offer that to our students.”

The Meyerson award was established through a generous gift by the late President Emeritus Martin Meyerson, who served as UB’s 10th president, and his wife, Margy Ellen, to recognize exceptional teaching and mentoring at the university.

“The Meyerson award allows the university to recognize the outstanding work our faculty do in engaging with and mentoring undergraduate students,” says Ann M. Bisantz, PhD, dean of undergraduate education.

“As a flagship public research institution, UB provides countless opportunities for undergraduate students to enrich their academic journey,” she adds.

Lukasz “Luke” Ziarek, PhD, is the other recipient of the Meyerson Award.

He is an associate professor of computer science and engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.