WASHINGTON: An Indian-American Professor at the University of North Carolina in U.S. has won a $ 12,500 award for excellence in teaching.

Chemistry professor Sivanadane Mandjiny was named UNC Pembroke's recipient of the UNC Board of Governors 2015 Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Annually, the Board of Governors names one professor at each of the 17 UNC campuses to receive the award.

The award winners will collect a commemorative bronze medallion and a $ 12,500 cash prize.

Mandjiny joined the faculty in the Department of Chemistry and Physics in 1996 as a teaching associate and earned tenure in 2006. He became department chair in 2011 and continues in that role.

In making the announcement, Chancellor Kyle R Carter had high praise for Mandjiny's dedication to teaching and mentoring students, the university said.

Mandjiny came to Pembroke from France where he obtained his PhD and was doing post-doctoral research.

A native of Tamil Nadu, he earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Madras, a master's degree in biochemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), a second master's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Toronto and a PhD from the Universite de Technologie de Compiegne in France.

Mandjiny's studied in three languages; Tamil, English and French, and he taught himself Hindi.

"If you have positive energy and thinking, everything will go well," he said.

"Sometimes students have to flounder before they can succeed. Students also need a guru, which is a teacher - and teachers can change your life," said Mandjiny.

He has mentored many research projects on subjects applicable to alternative energy, agricultural science and chemistry in zero gravity.
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