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Megan Frary Click to Enlarge Images

Along with the distinction of winning the award, 31-year-old Frary received $3,000 to put toward any endeavor.

“I thought it was great to receive a teaching award because I really enjoy the teaching part of my job and get great satisfaction from what I can do in the classroom,” said Frary, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering in Boise State’s College of Engineering since 2005. “One of the things I like about Boise State is that, in a lot of ways, teaching and research are integrated. I look at my role as a teacher as not just in the classroom, but all of the other interactions also.”

Frary oversees eight undergraduates in her research lab, many of whom started there as freshmen. She advises the Materials Science and Engineering Club in outreach efforts and professional development activities and also is an academic adviser to a number of students.

“I look at all of that as what I do as a teacher,” Frary said. “Research activities keep me busy, but so much of what I do for my research also involves teaching.”

Current research in Frary’s lab concerns mechanical behaviors of metals at high temperature, building on the work she was doing while earning her doctorate at the Massachusetts Institutes of Technology (MIT). Before that, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in materials science at Northwestern University, and it was her academic adviser, David Dunand, who nominated her for the Bradley Stoughton Award.

Last year, Frary received the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development award, given to outstanding faculty across the country who integrate research and teaching exceptionally well and are poised to become the academic leaders of tomorrow. The award included $488,457 disseminated over five years, and Frary said she hoped the grant would help her build a “vibrant research program that also benefits my students.” While the Bradley Stoughton Award doesn’t bring in such powerhouse funding, Boise State Materials Science and Engineering Department head Darryl Butt said the distinction is something to celebrate.

“This award is quite prestigious. It is a very nice honor, and a well-deserved honor for Megan. We’re very fortunate and proud to have her in our Materials Science and Engineering Department. She exemplifies excellence in everything she does and has been a huge contributor to the national recognition that the MSE department is getting now,” he said. “I don’t know that our students realize how fortunate they are to have people like Megan teaching their courses.”

Frary said she chose to start her career in Idaho because Boise State deeply values teaching.

“A lot of schools would judge your success based on your research only, but Boise State values success in teaching. They value my commitment to undergraduate education, and I feel that across the university,” Frary said. “Even as we move toward becoming a metropolitan research university of distinction, most faculty members want to hold onto what we do with our undergraduates. I feel that I’m encouraged to do that by the university, the College of Engineering, the department and my colleagues.”

The award is named for Bradley Stoughton, whose distinguished career included administrative and teaching positions at Columbia University, MIT and Lehigh University, where he served as head of the Department of Metallurgy and dean of engineering for more than three decades.

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Media Contact: Erin Ryan, University Communications, (208) 426-4910, erinryan@boisestate.edu

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Last reviewed on Friday, October 31, 2008